Climate change impacts education through literacy tools and weather disruptions

Climate change is increasingly impacting education through both digital literacy initiatives and physical classroom disruptions. In Ghana, the Ghana Climate Literacy Portal (GCLP) has launched as the nation’s first open-access digital learning platform. Designed to provide free, self-paced education, the portal offers courses such as ‘Climate 101’, which covers climate science and resilience in Africa.

Simultaneously, extreme weather is posing direct threats to academic progress in schools. Reports from the American Psychological Association and the Partnership for Equity and Education Rights highlight how rising temperatures affect student cognition, mental health, and physical safety. Research indicates that indoor temperatures exceeding 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit can negatively impact learning. Experts suggest that schools may need to treat extreme heat days similarly to snow days to mitigate inequitable academic outcomes and behavioral incidents caused by heat-related stress.