How can math teachers integrate environmental issues and solutions into their curriculum?

One of the ways I’ve been able to motivate my students to actively engage in their learning is to find out what excites them. Once you spark that interest, such as environmental issues, you can further the development of their math skills at any level. As a secondary educator in mathematics, the relevance of statistics, percentages and graphs is more easily engaging since they have a basic understanding of those concepts. It gets more interesting once you can teach them how to collect the data, analyze it and draw conclusions based on the samples they’ve collected. To be able to provide the students with an opportunity to create a project from start to finish along with constructively criticizing their own work is an experience in itself.

Student agency always makes things work better. Simply give students the option to tackle environmental issues in math class (and math issues in environment class).

Some way of interest to get math students involved and interested in the environment is to create math lesson that involve students with the environment. Example: would be to create lessons for students forecast the weather using mathematics to create their predictions. Such as gathering dew point numbers and using them to project the temperature and weather for a week. Then maybe student(s) with best outcome there names be submitted to local TV station

I used environmental data in an statistics exercise about the climate change (temperature). Students were surprised to figure out that mathematics can be usefull in concrete situations. It permits to increase the motivation and lifting barriers about a discipline not really liked in France.

Science teachers should integrate math in their curriculum to initiate students to mathematical modelling, through simple examples in topics about environment. Math teachers should teach math.

Finding the right materials might feel overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. I’d start with local environmental organizations or NGOs—they often have data sets and resources designed for educational purposes. Also, there are plenty of online databases (think UN environmental reports or even NASA’s climate data) that offer ready-to-use statistics for classroom activities. The trick is to turn those raw numbers into something students can play with, analyze, and reflect on.

Designing activities can be really fun if you think creatively. I’d suggest creating assignments where students calculate their own environmental impact—like figuring out the amount of water they use per day or estimating the energy consumption of their household. Another great idea? Have them work on math problems that involve renewable energy calculations, like how many solar panels it would take to power their school. Make it personal, and you’ll see their engagement soar.

Assessment doesn't have to be just about right or wrong answers. I’d suggest using project-based assessments where students present their findings on local environmental issues through data. For instance, they could analyze the air quality index over time and draw conclusions on the need for policy changes. This approach encourages critical thinking, and the process itself is often more revealing than the final answer.

The purpose of mathematics teaching is to teach mathematics, not to promote indoctrination regarding policy in environmental science.

Math teachers have a golden opportunity to weave environmental awareness into their curriculum, making learning relevant and engaging. It’s about encouraging students to ask questions about the world around them—How does energy use impact climate change? What’s the role of mathematics in creating sustainable solutions? I think the key is to guide them to see that math isn’t isolated from the pressing issues we face today. Share stories from communities affected by environmental changes and show them how they can be part of the solution—this will make the numbers they crunch feel much more significant.