Teaching climate change through chemistry

As students across the UK voice a desire for more relevant education on climate change, the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is celebrating the teachers who are stepping in to fill curriculum gaps by using local, real-world examples.

Just half of young people said their chemistry lessons taught sustainability through contexts that felt relevant to them. These findings come from a new RSC report, Green shoots 3 – How to integrate sustainability and climate change into chemistry education.

Chemistry plays a critical role in addressing sustainability challenges. Demand for green skills are eight times higher in chemistry-related roles than in the wider UK workforce. The RSC warns we need to engage young people in chemistry lessons through real-life examples they can relate to. In doing so, it will inspire a new generation of pioneering chemists.

Within its report, the RSC celebrates Eurig Thomas, deputy headteacher at Ysgol Cwm Brombil high school in Port Talbot. Eurig has gone above and beyond to highlight the importance of chemistry to the school’s local community. Eurig uses the silhouettes of South Wales’ last two blast furnaces, which are visible from the school, to encourage discussions on the impact of the steelworks industry.

With his classroom overlooking the retired infrastructure, Eurig directly labels their silhouettes on the window. He uses it as a visual aid to explore the chemistry of carbon emissions and the decision to close them.

Reflecting on the impact of his teaching methods, Eurig said:

“These real-life examples turn abstract GCSE concepts into meaningful discussion. Students become more engaged and confident when they see science in action around them. Across our department, colleagues value how local contexts spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and foster pride in how chemistry shapes the future of our own community.”

Linking topics on sustainability in chemistry lessons to real-life contexts relevant to students improves engagement and understanding. But experts suggest that unless contexts are included as part of exams, they may not be prioritised in teaching. This is because teachers are already grappling with heavy workloads and time constraints.

The RSC want to bridge this gap between curriculum and real-world chemistry. It is calling for UK governments to take action to ensure contemporary sustainability and climate change content is included throughout national chemistry curriculums and assessments.

Annette Farrell, Royal Society of Chemistry education policy programme manager, said:

“The role of the chemical sciences in addressing some of the most pressing sustainability challenges today cannot be overstated – and is seen wherever you look across the UK. Chemistry is at the heart of everything from the development of new green technologies to pollution prevention and the design of recyclable, biodegradable and reusable materials.

“Yet our report shows there is work to be done to improve young people’s understanding of how chemistry can shape sustainability in practise and in their local community. We need to make sure our chemistry teachers have the time and autonomy to link the chemistry curriculum to local, national and global real-life contexts their students can relate to, in order to ensure the UK has a strong pipeline of talent for the years to come.”

The Royal Society of Chemistry also asking the government to take a coordinated, holistic approach to embedding climate change, sustainability and the environmental impact of practical chemistry across national curricula. It believes that this will give students a clearer and more connected understanding of how chemistry relates to global challenges.

The RSC also call for exam boards to strengthen these links by making conceptual connections explicit. Boards might also integrate environmental evaluation into assessments, ensuring sustainability becomes a core part of scientific learning and practice.