How science textbooks in Texas address climate change is at the center of a key vote expected Friday after some Republican education officials criticized books for being too negative toward fossil fuels in America’s biggest oil and gas state.
The issue of which textbooks to approve has led to new divisions on the Texas State Board of Education, which over the years has faced other heated curriculum battles surrounding how evolution and U.S. history is taught to the more than 5 million students.
Science standards adopted by the board’s conservative majority in 2021 do not mention creationism as an alternative to evolution. Those standards also describe human factors as contributors to climate change.
But some Republicans on the 15-member board this week waved off current textbook options as too negative toward fossil fuels and for failing to include alternatives to evolution. One of Texas’ regulators of the oil and gas industry, Republican Wayne Christian, has urged the board to “choose books that promote the importance of fossil fuels for energy promotion.”
As a Texan I’m so thankful that my science books in elementary school talked about the ozone hole and the ones in middle school talked about the big bad man made CFC chemicals that caused it.
Heck, the last cool thing I remember was Al Gore being on the near back of the book talking about climate change hahahahaha.
Growing up it always seemed so weird to see the news talking about the south as an ass-on-backwards place where people were uneducated when we were taught the theory of evolution, chemistry, and forced to read books that are banned in some places today.
Idk, I honestly believe these guys in charge are all the dudes that got called dumb nepo babies by close friends, like they need to prove that their version of things (the version where god cares about what you do with your dick and hates if you like wearing skirts) must also be true since it has landed them so much success.
Selling your spine was what made you so successful. You meritless, stupid bastards.