At multilateral international events like UNFCCC COP 28 and the upcoming UN’s Summit of the Future, the importance of climate change education has begun to be widely acknowledged.
But this acknowledgment is not being translated to action everywhere.
It’s our obligation to build the foundations that will help implement a climate literacy model that ensures that this generation of youth and future generations are equipped to lead the way to net zero.
By Stacy Nyathi, Communications Project Officer, and Raquel Armendariz, Communications Project Lead at the Global Schools Program, UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
Time is running out. The urgency to combat climate change is more evident than ever, and the net-zero transition isn’t happening fast enough. In light of this scenario, we must ask ourselves, what can we do to accelerate the path towards net zero? Through increased climate literacy, there is hope that we can find the answer.
Climate literacy has multiple benefits to the journey towards a more sustainable world. From helping raise awareness of the extent of the climate crisis to empowering people to take action, integrating a sustainability-forward curriculum pays dividends. In fact, in some cases, climate change education (CCE) has unlocked larger financing for resources and projects towards adaptation and mitigation and engaged local community members by helping them receive grants to create green jobs, build a greener consumer market, or provide workers with occupational qualifications.
At multilateral international events like the UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 28) and the upcoming UN’s Summit of the Future, the importance of CCE has begun to be widely acknowledged. But this acknowledgment is not being translated to action everywhere. If we know that climate literacy is so important, why are countries not adequately integrating sustainability-forward content in their national curricula?
In a 2021 UNESCO study on getting schools climate-ready, the organization found that almost half of the countries reviewed either had no reference to climate change in their curricula, or, if mentioned, the “inclusion was usually very minimal.”
Similarly, in 2022, Education International analyzed nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and uncovered that no country utilized education as a tool for climate action. And while the recent Declaration for Climate Change and Education to enhance CCE was launched at last year’s COP 28, only 39 UN Member States signed the Declaration.
Though widespread adoption of climate education is lacking, there are several countries like Italy, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and Colombia, that have made great strides in promoting climate education. This is in part because these countries have strong legislatures, policies, and strategies in place to adequately support CCE. For example, Italy has more than 100 laws and legislative decrees that address climate change. In 2020, the Italian Education Ministry made climate change mandatory across the country. Indonesia introduced CCE as a core competence at primary level, and the Republic of Korea launched its Third Master Plan on Environmental Education in 2020, which includes the Ministry of Education’s five-year budget for environmental education projects. CCE has instigated an environmentally conscious youth. A study in Korea indicated that 42% of young people considered climate change a personal threat compared to just 19% of adults. Similarly, Colombian youth are at the forefront of climate activism, as they successfully sued their government to put more efforts towards curbing deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. These countries and others are examples that when CCE is prioritized at the national level, it strengthens the commitment to advancing sustainable solutions and accelerates learning such as systems thinking and action-oriented or ethical learning.
By prioritizing CCE nationally, environmental education can also be seen as a tool to solve climate challenges within the region. Climate change education should therefore be adapted to the local context of countries and regions and cover topics such as adaptation, mitigation, and local solutions. In Peru, for example, one teacher used education for sustainable development to promote preserving the town’s natural resources to minimize the effects of climate change. In Nigeria, a teacher used the curriculum to prepare students to build capacities to implement solutions for human activities causing the climate crisis. Through climate literacy, teachers worldwide have the opportunity to pave a way forward to net zero through sustainability-forward curricula.
Half of the world’s population are 30 years or younger, and youth are critical agents of change, especially as they will likely face the worst effects of climate change. A global study by the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the People’s Climate Vote, indicated that an overwhelming majority of young people are concerned with mitigating climate change challenges. Therefore, youth are uniquely positioned to teach younger generations and inspire the older ones. They possess the sense of urgency and innovative ideas needed to further the climate change agenda. It is essential that we invest in youth and harness their passion to save our planet.
So as we gather to celebrate this upcoming Earth Day and reflect on the importance of caring for our planet and paving the way for net zero, we must remember that we are failing to provide an essential tool for addressing climate change: education. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has emphasized time after time, we must transform education. It’s our obligation to build the foundations that will help implement a climate literacy model that ensures that this generation of youth and future generations are equipped to lead the way to net zero.