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Going to War with Climate Change Issues

Bryan Dibble

Since just before the start of my school year, I’ve been researching how to weave the CLIMATE PROJECT into my courses, and I’ve been struck by how many natural connections exist -- including my thematic American History class American History Through War. Conflict and environment have always been linked, and finding those entry points allows me to bring climate discussions into the mainstream of what my school has already given permission to teach. I recently came across an article from March 2025 that left me stunned. The Pentagon announced it was canceling dozens of studies, including research on climate change impacts and global migration, framing the move as a way to save money. On paper, that might look efficient, but the reality is that climate-related disasters have already cost the military billions. Bases have been flooded, planes destroyed on the ground, and missions disrupted by extreme weather. Ignoring those realities doesn’t make them disappear, it simply leaves forces less prepared.  For educators, this underscores why we can’t afford to sideline climate issues. If I can embed climate change into a course as focused as war history, then any subject can create space for it. That’s how we normalize the work of the CLIMATE PROJECT across classrooms.  I’m sitting on a golden pillow in Selah, Washington- my district trusts me to choose curriculum based on my expertise.  Are you in a position to make unilateral changes to your curriculum?  Do you think you could modify your curriculum to add climate change issues? 

This is focus in 2021-22:  Preparing Army Installations to Combat Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events

This is the focus today: US military cancels climate change studies that Pentagon chief calls 'crap'

Quote from: Time Magazine

Parents

  • Here is the followup post!  My two-week unit in my U.S. History Through War class that blended the OER Climate Project with our study of the military is finished, and it turned into one of the strongest projects I’ve run. We started with an article from unit 2 which gave students a grounding in how climate change affects people differently depending on where they live. From there, we tied it into 4.4 Climate and Health and 5.3 Climate Policy, focusing on how the U.S. military is adapting to the changing environment.

    Students examined the Department of Defense’s official climate action plans and compared them to the current “Department of War” posture reflected in public language and budget priorities. They quickly noticed the contrast: even as national leadership pulls climate out of the broader conversation, the military continues to treat it as a serious, science-driven security issue. Each branch- the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force- has its own published plan built on recent, credible data and research. This fact was crystal clear and didn't need the 'teacher opinion' to drive the point home.

    Once students started looking at the evidence, there was no pushback about whether climate change is real. They were genuinely curious about how the military is responding, especially to the cost and destruction from hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. California’s fires came up often, as did the strain on National Guard units that spend enormous time and resources responding to climate disasters. Students saw that the military doesn’t talk publicly about how much it budgets or trains for these realities, but it’s clearly a growing burden.

    Adding climate study to my military history class was a fantastic fit. The students asked thoughtful questions, saw real-world connections, and the OER materials blended seamlessly with what I was already teaching. That’s the real strength of OER (preaching to the choir) that we can pull and adapt material in our Climate Project curriculum and mix and match it to existing classes.  100% chance that climate is changing and 100% chance I am teaching this unit again.

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  • Here is the followup post!  My two-week unit in my U.S. History Through War class that blended the OER Climate Project with our study of the military is finished, and it turned into one of the strongest projects I’ve run. We started with an article from unit 2 which gave students a grounding in how climate change affects people differently depending on where they live. From there, we tied it into 4.4 Climate and Health and 5.3 Climate Policy, focusing on how the U.S. military is adapting to the changing environment.

    Students examined the Department of Defense’s official climate action plans and compared them to the current “Department of War” posture reflected in public language and budget priorities. They quickly noticed the contrast: even as national leadership pulls climate out of the broader conversation, the military continues to treat it as a serious, science-driven security issue. Each branch- the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Space Force- has its own published plan built on recent, credible data and research. This fact was crystal clear and didn't need the 'teacher opinion' to drive the point home.

    Once students started looking at the evidence, there was no pushback about whether climate change is real. They were genuinely curious about how the military is responding, especially to the cost and destruction from hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires. California’s fires came up often, as did the strain on National Guard units that spend enormous time and resources responding to climate disasters. Students saw that the military doesn’t talk publicly about how much it budgets or trains for these realities, but it’s clearly a growing burden.

    Adding climate study to my military history class was a fantastic fit. The students asked thoughtful questions, saw real-world connections, and the OER materials blended seamlessly with what I was already teaching. That’s the real strength of OER (preaching to the choir) that we can pull and adapt material in our Climate Project curriculum and mix and match it to existing classes.  100% chance that climate is changing and 100% chance I am teaching this unit again.

Children
  • in reply to Bryan Dibble

    My student made Slides for their audience to look at while they spoke on their topics.  They spoke for 2 to 3 minutes, or 4-5 if a team, and could not look at the slides- only the audience could.  The DoK (depth of knowledge) was apparent in these presentations.  That's how I combat AI, make the students talk!  Here is a typical example.

    docs.google.com/.../edit