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Spanish authorities have announced that they will teach children as young three years old how to deal with environmental disasters, in order to counteract the impact of climate change.
The plan comes following a twelve-month period overshadowed by a mass of forest fires across the countryside and the torrential DANA storm in Valencia that claimed the lives of more than 220 people – highlighting the very real impact of climate change in Spain.
The scheme aims to teach children of any age how to deal with disasters like floods. wildfires. earthquakes. and volcanic eruptions.
The aim, according to the education ministry, is to provide pupils with ‘the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to deal with emergency situations in a safe and effective way’.
Videos, infographics, and media will be used to deliver the information.
The induction will also cover accidents involving chemical, industrial, and nuclear hazards.
The training will last at least two hours for infants and primary school children, while older students should receive four hours.
READ MORE: Heatwaves in Europe caused 62,000 deaths last year, with Spain being the worst affected.
The education ministry released a statement saying: “Infant school children aged 3, 4 and 5 will learn how to recognize an alarm, and the first signs and dangers, as well basic safety principles.
“Older kids will learn how to find high ground during a flood, and shelter under a table if the earth begins to shake.”
It said students would also be taught about ‘the differences between information and disinformation in emergency situations’.
The lessons learned from the project were part of the ten-point plan that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez unveiled to protect the nation against climate change.
He said, “Let us put aside ideological issues and listen to science, reason and common sense.”
A recent study revealed over 62,000 people in Europe were killed by extreme heat last summer – with Spain recording the second highest death toll across the continent.
The total number of heat-related deaths in Spain is 6,743, which is less than the figures for the summers 2022 and 2023.
The downward trend is not likely to last long. This August, 2,177 people died from heat-related causes – a 71.3% increase from the same month last year.
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