By: Jacob Kim
The world is changing faster than we ever imagined. Hurricanes that used to be rare now tear through communities every year. Wildfires rage longer and burn hotter. Floods, droughts, and heat waves leave people struggling to rebuild their lives. For young people today, the reality of climate change is not a distant possibility but an everyday experience. As our planet heats up, it’s not just our environment at stake—it’s our future. In the face of this crisis, how we educate the next generation needs to change, and it needs to change now.
UC San Diego has taken a bold step by making climate change a graduation requirement for all students, regardless of their major. This is more than just a new box to check off. It reflects a fundamental truth: climate change touches every part of our lives, and understanding it is crucial for everyone, not just scientists or environmentalists. Whether you’re studying business, engineering, literature, or health, climate change is shaping the world you will live and work in. It’s not just about knowing that the world is warming—it’s about understanding how to navigate and solve the problems that come with it.
This isn’t an isolated experiment. It’s the future of education. UC San Diego’s move is just the beginning of a transformation that needs to sweep through every school, college, and university. Why? Because climate change isn’t just an environmental problem—it’s a human problem. It’s about whether future generations will have clean air to breathe, food to eat, or homes that aren’t destroyed by rising seas. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Imagine studying business without considering how climate change will disrupt entire industries. Imagine studying engineering without knowing how to build cities that can withstand extreme weather. Imagine studying medicine without preparing for the spread of diseases fueled by a changing climate. It’s unthinkable—because these aren’t hypothetical situations anymore. This is the reality we live in. And yet, too many educational institutions are still treating climate change as if it’s someone else’s problem, something for environmental science majors to deal with while everyone else carries on as usual. But “as usual” no longer exists. Every student needs to be prepared, no matter their path.
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Energy Outlook 
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