The Concept of Evolution was Once Called“Controversial”— Now Climate Change Has Replaced Its Notoriety

Climate Change is the New Evolution

A man was seated before a judge. The issue at hand? Monkeys. More specifically, a

concept related to monkeys that, once heavily debated, is now a common aspect of biological

studies in school: Evolution. We're all familiar with the classic “Survival of the Fittest” notion.

Circling back to the beginning, that man was teacher John T. Scopes, and in the 1925 version of

the state of Tennessee, he was ultimately convicted of violating a legal statute that prevented

evolution from being taught in public schools, since Scopes took it upon himself to educate his

students about evolution among monkey populations illegally. This case represents the social

controversy surrounding evolutionary teachings in school at the time, due to the religious and

social implications that it brought.

Present-day society proves that evolution is no longer a heavy controversy in public

schools. However, recent outlandish attempts, made by the state of Florida, to conceal a

different issue have brought a contrasting, yet paralleling concept into the focal view of the

nation, namely climate change. Climate change has replaced evolution’s once notorious

reputation, and this shift stands to bring more harm than climate change itself already has.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

“Florida man strikes again”— But this time with censorship

From 2022 to 2023, Florida rolled out a series of policy revisions, including an extensive book

ban. This book ban, which is expanded on in The New York Times’ publication “Florida at Center

of Debate as School Book Bans Surge Nationally”, is believed to be a form of censorship within

the state due to the regulation's restrictive attitude towards certain media genres, such as

LGBTQ, race, and unfortunately climate change topics. By doing this, Florida essentially

grouped climate change along with heavily debated topics in today's society, and this speaks to

the connotation surrounding climate change.

Climate change is now being labeled as a controversial issue, and its essence is being

removed from education in Florida. Despite Florida being known for its unique, and often

contentious, actions towards specific topics, it's still a fact that if this restriction spreads, it will

pose a huge issue for the world.

Do we have time for debate?

There are parallels between the history of evolution teaching and climate change teachings.

Just like evolution, “controversial” teachings of climate change can land a teacher right where

Scopes was for his evolution teachings, in front of a judge and facing criminal charges. But with

these parallels come major differences, differences that could mean the difference between the

destruction of Earth’s resources or a future of sustainability. Unlike evolution, climate change is

a ticking time bomb that is repeatedly being tempted by harmful anthropogenic activities. There

is no time for debate as to whether children, who are the future of this world, should know about

climate change or not. It should not be controversial for the kids of the future to be taught and

aware of the effect of climate change, just like it shouldn’t be controversial to teach about

evolution.

Regardless of the religious or social implications that people associate with evolution

and climate change, both are important to be taught to the youth, because it could generally

increase awareness and prompt the age group to take positive action. Evolution isn’t

controversial anymore, and neither should climate change. Just as evolution has become a

widely accepted concept that has aided in the cultivation of understanding in education, climate

change should be equally, if not more, recognized to be important in our education system.