HSC students to learn about climate change in geography syllabus overhaul
An overhaul of the HSC geography syllabus — the first time in 20 years — will see students learn about the impact of climate change on people and the environment. But students will be deciding with their own minds what is causing it.
EXCLUSIVE: Climate change will be officially included in HSC geography lessons when the syllabus is overhauled for the first time in 20 years — but students will be asked to make up their own minds about what is causing it.
From 2022, Year 11 and 12 geography students will learn about the impacts of climate change on people and the environment.
Students will need to research and consider the evidence for climate change and whether it is caused by humans or natural climatic variations.
“As soon as you present information in any one way, things aren’t open for discussion and there’s no chance for students to investigate for themselves,” syllabus designer Darren Tayler said.
“Our approach to climate change will be the same as the current syllabus, which is to promote geographic inquiry where students develop the skills to research for themselves.”
While geography students already study climate change, it is done at their teacher’s discretion.
However, under the new syllabus, students will study environmental, social and economic impacts of energy production, irrigation, large-scale farming, forestry, fishing, mining and water supply, and suggest ways to make them more sustainable or to replace them altogether.
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The human impact and natural cycles that cause deforestation, desertification and melting glaciers and ice sheets will also be examined in detail, as will the recent UN report on loss of species that states two-thirds of mammals have become extinct in the past 30 years.
The history, culture and economic importance of country towns will be another new topic in the geography syllabus, which is currently more focused on overpopulation in megacities.
“The study of rural places will have greater prominence, such as the history and culture of country towns that make them unique, and the flow of population between the city and country,” Mr Tayler said.
Students will also study which industries are most likely to boost economic fortunes of rural regions, like the Murray-Darling Basin, such as forestry or eco-tourism.
The draft syllabus will now be vetted by geography teachers across the state.
Kogarah High School Year 12 student Anna Su, 17, wasn’t born when the current HSC geography syllabus was written in 1999, and was in favour of climate change being formally added to the syllabus.
“I study geography to learn about how we are impacting on the environment and how we can make a more sustainable future,” Anna said.
“It’s important to teach students about climate change and how to make the future more sustainable.”
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