Climate, environment and history

The climate emergency has come to the fore particularly in recent years. Teaching about the environment and climate is a feature of subjects like science and geography, but it is, and should be, the responsibility of every curriculum subject. History has a particular role to play in helping us understand how we got here, alternative futures and how we can benefit from an understanding of and respect for the natural world. While there is a growing body of literature to support the teaching of these issues in schools, the curriculum is still playing catch up.

The HA has supported the teaching of environmental and climate history for a number of years; history and history teaching has long involved a study of place and the historic environment in one way or another; you only have to look at past issues of Teaching History, Primary History and The Historian to see this. Indeed, a sense of place is often crucial to our historical understanding.

Within and beyond this sense of place sits the continued inter-relationship that humanity has had with our environment. In fact, one of the enduring threads of history is how humankind has manipulated, shaped and used our environment for our own needs and how human history has in turn been shaped by the environment.

The dedication of an entire issue of all of our journals to climate change and environmental history forms part of our commitment to ensuring that history as a discipline can play a key role in helping our members and young people to understand and respond to the climate emergency.

General interest

This resource is free for everyone

For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by history experts join the Historical Association today

The Historian 162: Environment edition

Articles include:

You can also access past editions on this theme including: 

Related resources:

 
Primary

This resource is free for everyone

For access to hundreds of other high-quality resources by primary history experts along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today

Primary History 96: Climate and environment edition

Articles include:

Related member resources:


Secondary

Teaching History 194: Climate and environment

This resource is free for everyone

This resource is free to everyone. For access to our library of high-quality secondary history materials along with free or discounted CPD and membership of a thriving community of history teachers and subject leaders, join the Historical Association today

Articles include:

Related member resources:

UCL's Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education was set up in 2022. The Historical Association has been proud to act as a dissemination partner to highlight the Centre, its work and resources for history teachers.