When I saw a headline in the Baltimore Sun describing a new executive mandate for "environmental literacy" in Maryland, I had no idea what was being discussed, but I was fairly sure it was going to be bad. After reading all of the details, my expectations were fully met. Governor Wes Moore issued an executive order this week mandating that students in Maryland have tools and resources that will "empower Maryland youth to conserve and restore the state’s natural resources in the face of climate change." He also wants to ensure that students graduate with the skills needed to "survive and thrive in a green economy." My first thought was that he might want to figure out a way to ensure that the kids are actually showing up for school to begin with, given Baltimore's horrid truancy rate.
Gov. Wes Moore issued an executive order Monday establishing an environmental literacy program in an effort to empower Maryland youth to conserve and restore the state’s natural resources in the face of climate change.
“We owe it to the people of Maryland to keep our drinking water clean, keep our air safe, and preserve our national treasures — from the Western Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay,” Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement Monday evening.
Moore announced the creation of the Maryland Outdoor Learning Partnership, which is charged with conducting a review of climate change education efforts and providing recommendations to ensure students engage with the environment and have access to environmental education.
As a rule, I always try to be supportive of measures that ensure clean water, less air pollution, and the preservation of wildlife, particularly endangered species. Who doesn't support those things? However, the measures taken need to be reasonable and not break the bank in the process. But why must liberals always take those admirable ideas and muddy them up by adding, "because of climate change" at the end? That's what Wes Moore was doing. It was a bit of showmanship for Earth Day, along with attending a tree-planting ceremony where he talked about pollution reduction and, of course, combatting climate change.
If we could do away with all of the posturing, elected officials could actually do productive things to address environmental issues. We used to manage to somehow do that back in the day under the administrations of both parties. We could start by finding some people in need of jobs and putting them to work planting a trillion trees. Without expending too many resources, we could be breeding and restocking depleted fish populations and building better salmon ladders in western rivers. A lot of carnage could be avoided if we banned windmills in areas where the bigger eagles and the California condors live. The same could be done for endangered whales by shutting down offshore wind farm construction. But those last two items would enrage the climate alarmists, so they likely won't happen.
For the most part, I don't have much of a problem with Wes Moore wanting Maryland school children to learn about conservation and environmental protection. It would have been better if he did it legislatively rather than using an executive order, but it's still a noble goal. The problem here is that you can rest assured this new program will take all of those valid, important lessons and pollute them by indoctrinating the children into the cult of the climate alarmists. By all means, get the kids outside and let them explore nature, assuming there is any left conveniently close to the schools. But don't fill their heads with nonsense. There is plenty that they could be learning that could prove productive and beneficial to the natural world without forcing them to learn to drive electric vehicles.
Before any of that can be done, however, other issues will need to be prioritized. Offering children an expansive education is a noble goal, but their entire families have to be engaged to ensure that they are able to receive it. As noted above, 58% of Baltimore students are classified as being chronically absent. Children who do not show up for class don't receive an education. Rates are lower in other parts of the state, but Baltimore is particularly problematic. Also, even for the students who show up, good teachers are required. A study last year showed that 23 school systems in Baltimore had zero students who met grade proficiency levels in math. Reading proficiency levels were similarly abysmal. Wes Moore's ambitions are admirable, but he first needs to develop the infrastructure required to deliver that sort of education to Maryland's children. Statistics suggest that such an infrastructure does not currently exist.
