POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada

The report argues that the fossil fuel industry has an inherent conflict of interest in educating children about climate change and proposes a comprehensive framework to decouple public education from industry influence. It recommends that federal, provincial, and local authorities establish climate education as a public good, prohibit industry advertising and sponsorship in schools, and implement strict transparency and vetting requirements for third-party education providers. Key proposals include the creation of a federally funded climate change education program under the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada, the integration of climate justice across all grade levels, and the adoption of school board climate action plans that include transitioning to electric buses and plant-based diets.

• The authors assert that there is an "inherent conflict of interest" when the fossil fuel industry is involved in educating children about the environment and science because the industry has a "vested interest in continuing to sell the products that are driving climate change."
• The report recommends that the federal government establish and fund a climate change education program administered by the Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada in partnership with provinces to support teacher training, resources, and curricula.
• To protect students, the document advises provincial Ministries of Education to implement policies that "prohibit commercial advertising aimed at children" and "prohibit promotional and sponsorship activities by the oil and gas industry in schools."
• The report proposes strict regulations for third-party education providers, including requiring them to "publicly disclose the names of their corporate funders" and prohibiting them from providing resources if they have "any ties to the oil and gas industry."
• Provincial Ministries of Education are encouraged to reform curricula to "integrate climate justice education across all subjects, at all grade levels" and to remove existing resources that contain "misleading or factually inaccurate information."
• School boards are encouraged to take local leadership by declaring climate emergencies and developing action plans that include "the shift to electric buses", promoting "plant-based diets", and "greening of school grounds".

APA

Keary, A., & Chesnut, J. (2025). POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Recommendations-Summary_Polluting-Education-The-Influence-of-Fossil-Fuels-on-Childrens-Education-in-Canada.pdf

Chicago

Keary, Anne, and Jennifer Chesnut. POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2025. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Recommendations-Summary_Polluting-Education-The-Influence-of-Fossil-Fuels-on-Childrens-Education-in-Canada.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keary |first1=Anne |last2=Chesnut |first2=Jennifer |title=POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=February 2025 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Recommendations-Summary_Polluting-Education-The-Influence-of-Fossil-Fuels-on-Childrens-Education-in-Canada.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keary2025polluting, author = {Keary, Anne and Chesnut, Jennifer}, title = {{POLLUTING EDUCATION The Influence of Fossil Fuels on Childrens Education in Canada}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Recommendations-Summary_Polluting-Education-The-Influence-of-Fossil-Fuels-on-Childrens-Education-in-Canada.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }