Education Uncapped: The Potential of the Education Sector in City Climate Action Planning

Children and youth are increasingly confronted with climate-related challenges that threaten their health, well-being, and opportunity, and every sector has a responsibility to act. Many cities have responded proactively by creating comprehensive climate action plans (CAPs) to mitigate, adapt, and build resilience. These strategies have profound implications for all community members, particularly children and youth. Despite this progress, systems and programs that support children and youth-early childhood, K-12 schools, and higher education-remain largely underutilized in these plans.

Education Uncapped examines the inclusion of children and youth, as well as early childhood, K–12, and higher education systems, in the climate action plans of the 40 most populous US cities. The report highlights bright spots of cities taking climate action across these three systems and finds a crucial opportunity: cities can more deeply engage children, youth, and the systems that serve them in climate action plans to build lasting change for a sustainable, resilient, and equitable future.