Climate change impacts school infrastructure and academic freedom

Climate change is impacting educational environments through both physical infrastructure challenges and academic restrictions. In Italy, data from the school building registry indicates that only 7.2% of school buildings were equipped with air conditioning for the 2024-25 period, leaving the vast majority of students at risk of extreme heat during the school year. In Spain, the situation appears even more acute, with estimates suggesting only about 1% of public schools are climatized.

In the United States, academic freedom regarding climate science is facing legal scrutiny. Adam Kalkstein, a geography professor at West Point Military Academy in New York, was dismissed after refusing a departmental mandate to omit the role of human activity in climate change from his curriculum. Kalkstein, a climate scientist with 17 years of experience at the academy, has filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement and a ban on what he describes as unfounded restrictions on academic freedom.