Case studies available
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, made more intense and damaging due to climate pollution, has caused 2.3 million days of lost learning across Queensland and New South Wales, says advocacy group Parents for Climate.
"Unnatural weather extremes, worsened by burning coal and gas, are shutting down schools at an alarming rate. It's time for urgent action to make schools fit for the future," said Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton.
''We've been tracking weather related-closures of schools and early cleaning centres since the start of 2024, and the numbers are staggering. The data we've collected shows 1,804 schools across QLD and NSW have closed for at least a day, with most closed for much longer.
"At least 650,000 students have been affected and at least 2.3 million days of learning lost due to cyclone-related closures in March."
Days closed |
Number of schools closed |
Percent of total |
1 |
4 |
0.25% |
2 |
34 |
2.13% |
3 |
494 |
30.88% |
4 |
1068 |
66.75% |
As more frequent extreme weather forces hundreds of schools to close, Parents for Climate is calling on state and federal governments to protect students by installing solar-powered air-conditioning and considering a shift in school term dates to avoid summer extremes.
Mr Seton said our kids' safety and education is under threat.
"Schools in a country like Australia should have enough solar and battery power to stay open when the grid is disrupted by extreme weather events.
"After an unnatural weather event, it's in everyone's interests for schools to reopen as soon as possible and adapting to power disruptions and heat extremes will help. All schools should have enough solar to run even if the grid is down, so secure power can also run air conditioning when it's dangerously hot.
"Last year the Philippines decided to move their school term because of extreme heat impacts. If governments aren't prepared to build schools for today and tomorrow, then we're calling for an inquiry into how schools will adapt to guarantee kids' safety and education."
Parents for Climate is urging governments to:
Install solar-powered air conditioning and battery storage in all state schools and early childhood centres, prioritising lower-income communities.
Investigate shifting school term dates to avoid increasingly severe summer weather impacts.
A recent Zurich-Mandala Climate Risk Index report warned that two-thirds of schools in Australia currently face high climate risk. This is set to rise to 84% by 2060, with students projected to endure 34 heatwave days per year.
"This is a crisis. If we continue to burn fossil fuels and governments don't act now, more children will suffer, more schools will close, and our education system will be increasingly disrupted," said Mr Seton
Case studies available:
Kate Smolders, Brisbane
"I just keep thinking about how I was in my 30s before I experienced my first natural disaster.
"But this is the second time my six year old has experienced something like this, and for my 12 year old it's the third.
"We flooded in 2011 and 2022, and we sold our last house as a result. In this house I don't consciously worry about flooding, but when you hear that rain there's still something in you that goes, "Oh here we go again."
"It's like hypervigilance, Everyone's a bit on edge."
Amy Shemwell, mother of one, Brisbane (UK-born - no previous experience with weather events like this)
