Climate Change and Schools: Hazards, Exposure, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment

Abstract Climate change presents significant challenges to the education sector worldwide, threatening learners’ safety, development, learning outcomes and the overall quality of schooling. While education systems remain vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, they also have a critical opportunity to contribute to building climate resilience and adaptive capacity. Drawing on the concepts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s integrative Climate Risk Management Framework, this paper examines how climate hazards, exposure and vulnerabilities interact to escalate risks for schools and children. Through the analysis of global evidence and a child-centred perspective, the paper highlights that climate risks in education are shaped not only by environmental hazards but also by socio-economic inequalities, governance systems and institutional capacities. It also explores the cascading impacts of climate-related disruptions, including learning setbacks, psychosocial distress and widening educational inequalities, particularly among marginalised communities. The paper emphasises the significance of integrated risk assessments, climate-resilient educational planning and climate change and risk reduction education to strengthen school and community preparedness and support equitable, climate-resilient development.