On Saturday afternoon, CNN weekend host Fredricka Whitfield devoted a segment to promoting University of California-San Diego implementing a new requirement that their students take at least one course on the climate, presumably as a way of promoting the liberal theory that humans are to blame for recent natural disasters.
Even though extreme weather from this year like hurricanes and flooding are not unprecedented, Whitfield hinted at them as being a product of climate change as she began: "All right, fast-moving wildfires; historic and devastating flooding; supercharged hurricanes wiping communities totally off the map. Climate change is not a future threat, but a daily reality."
She then added: "And one California college is taking a bold move in an effort to combat it. US -- I mean UC, rather -- San Diego has become the first major public college in the U.S. to require undergraduate students across all majors to take a course on climate change."
The CNN host then brought aboard UC -an Diego Professor Wayne Yang, who explained that it was the students who decided they wanted the course, and then added that "...we've given them a big problem, and we feel like we should give them every solution possible. And so we would like them to have the full backing of their education to solve climate change."
Whitfield soon cued up her guest to push for all colleges and universities to some day have such a course requirement: "Okay, so, I mean, California obviously no stranger to the impacts of climate change. Is it your hope that all colleges and universities in California or even perhaps across the country will adopt similar requirements?"
The two continued talking up such a course:
PROFESSOR YANG: Yeah, I would say even across the world, so that's part of the COP summit and climate talks -- climate education at the fore, and we're actually hoping we can take a lead roll in that, but I'm getting reached out to. I just got off the phone with San Diego State yesterday from the University of Santa Cruz in Santa Barbara to UC Davis. People all over the country reaching out about this, so it is a lot of excitement. We need everyone on board really. It's all hands on deck to solve this problem, and it's not going to come from one university, one college, or one course.
WHITFIELD: So important. What are the students telling you?
PROFESSOR YANG: Oh, they're -- I mean, you can see them glowing about it. They're always ready to talk to the news about it, and what they're saying is that, prior to this, they knew climate change is a problem -- the question is: What do you do about it? And so they want to know: What can their education do to prepare them for -- there's going to be these future jobs solving climate change that don't even exist yet. And so we're trying to get there.
The CNN host concluded: "Well, what an incredible start, and what a great stab, you know, at being solution-driven."
Transcript follows:
CNN Newsroom
October 19, 2024
3:46 p.m. Eastern
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD: All right, fast-moving wildfires; historic and devastating flooding; supercharged hurricanes wiping communities totally off the map. Climate change is not a future threat, but a daily reality. And one California college is taking a bold move in an effort to combat it. US -- I mean UC, rather -- San Diego has become the first major public college in the U.S. to require undergraduate students across all majors to take a course on climate change. That's about 7,000 students. Wayne Yang is a professor and provost of UC San Diego's Muir College, named after the environmentalist writer, founder of the Sierra Club, Don Muir. All right, Professor, good to see you. You spearheaded this initiative. Why was this important to UC San Diego?
PROFESSOR WAYNE YANG, UC SAN DIEGO: Yeah, great, thank you so much, Fredricka. I'm one of many people on the shoulders of giants. UC San Diego actually started with -- started climate change science with the Keeling Curve -- so that's Charles David Keeling who's -- that's why we know how much carbon is in the atmosphere is because of his work. So -- but this is really a student-driven initiative. It was the number issue with our students before COVID, and this requirement's unusual because it's the only time we've ever asked students for their opinions, to be honest. We don't ask them if they want to take (audio gap). But this went before our students for a vote -- it was unanimous. And they're trying to spread the word to other universities.
WHITFIELD: That is so fascinating.
PROFESSOR YANG: I will say -- yeah. But, you know, we've given them a big problem, and we feel like we should give them every solution possible. And so we would like them to have the full backing of their education to solve climate change.
WHITFIELD: Mm-hm. I mean, there are 40 different classes that could be used to fulfill this requirement. So what are among the things that we're talking about?
PROFESSOR YANG: Yeah, I mean, any major you could study this, so if you're a business major, economics, you can study the economics of climate change which is incredibly important if we need an economic structure that helps us solve it. One of my favorite courses is in computer science and engineering. Professor Leo Porter teaches this class that takes our devices and everywhere from the life cycle device from extraction all the way to use and disposal and how -- what the carbon footprint is at every stage is so that we can learn how to reduce that. We've got biology courses in climate change.
We just hosted the second heat and human health summit with all the doctors from Kaiser and the nearby hospitals. Obviously, urban planning -- we can study climate solutions for regional transportation. But even in arts and humanities and writing programs, so our -- currently, we have a couple thousand students reading Climate Optimism. So I think the idea is that there isn't one solution for climate change -- there's a hundred solutions. So we're hoping to get (audio gap) courses.
WHITFIELD: Okay, so, I mean, California obviously no stranger to the impacts of climate change. Is it your hope that all colleges and universities in California or even perhaps across the country will adopt similar requirements?
PROFESSOR YANG: Yeah, I would say even across the world, so that's part of the COP summit and climate talks -- climate education at the fore, and we're actually hoping we can take a lead roll in that, but I'm getting reached out to. I just got off the phone with San Diego State yesterday from the University of Santa Cruz in Santa Barbara to UC Davis. People all over the country reaching out about this, so it is a lot of excitement. We need everyone on board really. It's all hands on deck to solve this problem, and it's not going to come from one university, one college, or one course.
WHITFIELD: So important. What are the students telling you?
PROFESSOR YANG: Oh, they're -- I mean, you can see them glowing about it. They're always ready to talk to the news about it, and what they're saying is that, prior to this, they knew climate change is a problem -- the question is: What do you do about it? And so they want to know: What can their education do to prepare them for -- there's going to be these future jobs solving climate change that don't even exist yet. And so we're trying to get there.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, all right, well, what an incredible start, and what a great stab, you know, at being solution-driven. Professor Wayne Yang, thank you so much. All the best to you.
