An independent TD has strongly criticised that the draft curriculum specification for the new Leaving Certificate subject on climate action does not reference to the words, “farm”, “farmer” or “farming”.
The National Council for Curriculum (NCCA) is currently seeking the public’s views on the draft Leaving Certificate Climate Action and Sustainable Development specification.
The draft states that the “overarching aim” of the course is “to develop students’ capacity for informed and meaningful action for a just and sustainable world”.
“Environmental degradation is one of the most significant issues facing life on our planet and is a major challenge to human flourishing.
“The systems that regulate the Earth’s stability are delicate and interconnected. We must ensure that human needs are met without breaching critical environmental limits,” the document adds.
The NCCA says that as part of the broader reform of senior cycle, it is envisaged that the new specification for Climate Action and Sustainable Development will be introduced into schools on a phased basis from September 2025.
The public consultation period on the draft document runs until April 5, 2024.
Climate
Independent TD for Laois Offaly Carol Nolan said that the omission of any reference to farms or farmers is “stunning and alarming”.
She claimed that this “clearly reveals a deep ideological blind spot within the draft text”.
The TD said that the only references to agriculture are in the context of ‘the role of Irish agriculture in conservation of biodiversity, climate regeneration and climate breakdown’ and ‘agricultural intensification’.
“This draft curriculum represents a radical level of climate alarmism indoctrination that is not sufficiently balanced or appropriate in its current form.
“I will certainly be raising my concerns with the NCCA and asking it to clarify if the consultation process which it claims involved ‘engagement with a wide variety of stakeholders across Ireland’ included any of the farming representative organisations,” Deputy Nolan added.