Biology lecturer Prof Dr Corinna Hößle researches how pupils acquire ethical evaluation skills. In this short interview, she explains how experiments help pupils to understand climate change - and why this is important.

Mrs Hößle, why is climate change a topic for school lessons?

Because it is real. Children and young people are becoming increasingly aware of the threat. The "Fridays for Future" movement centred around the Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, which more and more young people are joining, is a good example of this.

How should the topic be addressed in science lessons?

I have developed teaching materials together with my didactics colleagues from chemistry and physics. It's not enough just to tell the pupils about climate change, they have to be able to experience it for themselves - for example by experimenting. For example, you could put mussel shells in acidified water and watch them dissolve. The acidification of the oceans is one of the biggest problems caused by global warming.

Isn't that too threatening?

The experiment does not stand alone. The teachers discuss the results with the class. They also encourage the pupils to think: What can I do about climate change? We didacticians call this 'ethical judgement'. They quickly come up with a few ideas, such as cycling more often or eating less meat. That is the central message: each of us can do something.

That sounds like a restriction. How does that go down with young people?

I don't think it's a restriction and we should also convey this to the pupils: I can behave in a climate-sensitive way without it hurting me. People like Greta Thunberg set an example. They are role models that appeal to young people. I even believe that what is happening in society right now - also brought about by good education - is at least as strong as political power, if not stronger.