Tánaiste Simon Harris has said it is “a good thing” that children are being taught to engage in climate activism through the school system.
In an exchange with Gript outside Government Buildings this morning ahead of a cabinet meeting, the Fine Gael leader said that while he had not seen the full syllabus, he believes encouraging young people to be “active citizens” is beneficial.
“I think encouraging the next generation to be active citizens, to actively be able to have their voice heard on issues, is a good thing,” he said.
“We do live in a climate emergency – there’s no two ways about that. The science is very clear. And I think that providing our young people, and indeed all our citizens, with evidence in relation to that is a good thing.”
He acknowledged that political engagement on climate issues “can’t be through lecturing people,” but said he saw no issue “in principle” with the content of the course.
“I haven’t seen the syllabus…but I don’t see any difficulty in teaching young people how they can use their voices,” he said.
Children’s Minister Norma Foley, who previously served as Education Minister and would have overseen much of the course’s development, also defended the subject.
Speaking to Gript this afternoon, the Fianna Fáil Minister said Ireland was “very fortunate” to have “born advocates” among its schoolchildren.
“I think we’re very fortunate with the calibre of young people we have in this country,” she said.
“I’ve seen it myself first-hand in our schools – many of our young people are born advocates… and within the school they advocate for one another, they advocate for wider society.”
Foley went on to praise students who have taken the lead on climate action.
“Some of the greatest leaders and most impressive leaders…in the area of climate action have actually been young people themselves,” she said.
“This particular program for climate action and sustainability very much suits that spirit… of determination by young people to ensure that they have a planet that will be sustained, and that they are proactive and positive contributors to society.”
When asked directly if she thought it was a good thing that children are encouraged towards climate activism in schools, Foley replied that young people were already leaders in that space.
“There is no one better at encouraging wider society to be more climate conscious than young people,” she said.
“You know, I go into a classroom and I see young people have all these signs, ‘Turn out the lights’, and this and that. They do this in school. And by their example in school, we would hope that is replicated at home.”
“So young people are terrific when it comes to recognising the beauty of the world and wanting to enhance it and support it,” she said.
An RTÉ article published last week reported that the new Leaving Certificate subject *Climate Action and Sustainable Development* “aims to encourage students to become activists on issues related to climate change,” and to develop “a realistic and hopeful perspective on the nature of action”.
Sample exam papers for the subject published by the State Examinations Commission show that students will be asked to explore topics such as “environmental racism,” “climate injustice,” “climate disinformation,” and the influence of “colonialism” on global climate outcomes.
Higher level students are also asked to give examples of activism techniques such as civil disobedience, lobbying, and trade union organising, and to consider how to facilitate climate-related public dialogue.
In one higher level paper, students are prompted to describe an example of environmental racism and to design a public information campaign outlining “two reasons why urgent climate action is needed”.
Other questions across the papers address media bias, “rights of nature”, the concept of “climate debt,” and whether statistics suggest that misinformation has affected Irish public attitudes on climate change.
One ordinary level sample paper includes a passage from climate media site DeSmog criticising Ireland’s dairy industry, stating that the “intensive farming lobby appears to be in the driving seat”. Students are asked to explain how lobbying influences decision-making.
Another paper asks students to explain how age, ethnicity and gender can impact how individuals experience climate change.
The subject is one of two new Leaving Cert courses – along with Drama, Film, and Theatre Studies – to be introduced in selected schools from 2025/26, according to the Department of Education.