Climate Education
vs. The Climate Crisis
Authors:

Editors:

Bryce Coon
Master of Education
EARTHDAY.ORG

Jacob Wunsh
Master of Arts, English
EARTHDAY.ORG

Dennis Nolasco
Master of Education
EARTHDAY.ORG

Sarah Davies
EARTHDAY.ORG

Emily Walker
Master of Education
EARTHDAY.ORG

CONTENTS
01 An Introduction to Climate Education ������������������� 3-8
A Brief History
It’s not just about science classes

02 The Social, Environmental, and Economic Benefits ��� 9-15
Climate anxiety & social emotional learning
Green Muscle Memory
Growing the Green Economy

03 How the Historical Context
Transforms Education Systems ������������������������� 16-17
04 The Current State of Climate Education ��������������� 18-26
Italy
United Kingdom
Australia
Chile
India
MexicoMoroccoGhana
The United States
The fight against climate education in the U.S.

05 The Role of Multilateral Organizations ���������������� 27-28
UNFCCCUNESCO
GPE
GEF

06 Where do we go from here? ���������������������������� 29-33
Associated costs and funding
Curriculum development
Distribution
Evaluation
Accessibility
Teacher training
Actions needed

Sources �������������������������������������������������������� 34-38

2

01
AN INTRODUCTION TO
CLIMATE EDUCATION
EARTHDAY.ORG wrote this report to introduce climate
education, evaluate the current state of climate education, andexplore next steps.
This report is intended for anyone who wants to learn more
about the subject and provides the background necessary to
advocate for increased access to climate education. We are ata critical moment in the fight against climate change and it
is imperative that education is recognized as a key part of thesolution.
z Environmental Education: “Environmental education is a processthat allows individuals to explore
environmental issues, engage inproblem solving, and take action
to improve the environment. As
a result, individuals develop a
deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills
to make informed and responsible
decisions.” (EPA1)z Climate Education: “Climate education is cross-cutting by nature,
meaning it encompasses many
topics like math, civics, economics
and history. Similarly, all aspectsof our daily lives are connected toclimate — from the food we eat,to the way we travel to work, tothe products we buy. The interconnectedness of the systems
involved in climate change

3amplifies the need for environmental and climate education to
include concepts outside of STEM
(science, technology, engineeringand math) like the arts, English,
economics and history. Individuals
connect to the environment indifferent ways depending on theirown individual identities basedon how they live, where they wereraised, and what fields of study
they choose for their careers.”(EARTHDAY.ORG2)

A BRIEF HISTORY
Environmental education can trace
its roots as far back as the Enlightenment in the 1700s with philosopherssuch as Jean Jacques Rousseau3and Louis Agassiz4 advocating forstudents and thinkers alike to study
nature and its natural processes. This
however evolved into the Conservation Education Movement5 aroundthe time of the Dust Bowl in the
1930s in the United States. Wisconsin
became an early leader in the environmental education movement bymandating that preservice teachers
have “adequate preparation in theconservation of natural resources.”1970 was a critical year for environmental activists. In the year prior,
Nixon signed into law The National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA)6, which remains a pillar ofenvironmental law in the USA today.
This was followed by another major
legislative accomplishment, theNational Environmental Education
Act of 1970, which helped to create
the Office of Environmental Education in the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. On the wave of
this environmental activism, millions
marched for the first ever Earth
Day7 on April 22nd, 1970. The effortsof Denis Hayes, one of the foundersof Earth Day, led to over 20 million
Americans (10% of the United States
population at the time) taking
to the streets to protest the issueof pollution. The year ended with
Nixon signing the Clean Air Act8 on
December 31st.
4

Awareness of the environment andour impact on it continued to growand would eventually lead to the
National Environmental Education
Act9 in 1990. This act required the
EPA to provide national leadership toincrease environmental literacy. The
EPA also established and funded the
Office of Environmental Education to
implement this program. The transition from simply learning about theenvironment to fully realizing not
only our power, but our responsibility
to it, was fully underway. Internationally, other countries in Europe
and Asia began creating their own
environmental education offices. As
we moved into the 21st century, thethreat of climate change morphedfrom a distant concern of some individuals to a very real existential threat
to humanity. During this time, there
were efforts made to standardize thefederalized U.S. education system as
demonstrated with the creation of
the No Child Left Behind Act10.

This move towards national standardization led to the creation of the
Next Generation Science Standards11(NGSS) in 2013. The NGSS recommended man-made climate change
be taught beginning in fifth grade
and incorporated into all scienceclasses. The aim of these standards
was to improve science learning drastically; however, these standards are
not mandated or tested. Because ofthis, in many places, they are merely
suggestions to educators. Currently,
teachers are simply encouraged tocover these standards. This results insome districts opting to do so whileothers do not.
Internationally, a number of conferences on environmental education
have been held demonstrating theuniversal recognition that we mustteach our children about the planet
and its systems. The first intergovernmental conference on environmental education12 was held in 19775

in Tbilisi, Georgia. This conference
outlined the subject and its importance was organized by UNESCO
and UNEP. In 1987, UNEP hosted
countries in Moscow to develop the“Outline international strategy foraction in the field of environmental education and training for the
1990s.”13 The product of the conference outlines key pillars of environmental education that influence
research today, including access to
information, teacher training, andprograms and materials. In the late1990’s and early 2000’s, the lensof environmental education was
widened to include sustainability andeventually climate change, This wasdemonstrated at the 1997 Environment and Society: Education andPublic Awareness for Sustainability
Conference14 in Thessaloniki, Greece,
and the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Education
towards a Sustainable Future15 in
Ahmedabad, India, in 2007. Morerecently, climate education has
been featured at the United Nations
Conference of the Parties. COP27 in
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt featured thefirst ever climate education pavilion16
and climate education was featured
in the Education Pavilion at COP28
in Dubai, UAE.

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT SCIENCE CLASSES
I support
climate change
education inschools

I support
climate change
education inschools

TEACHERSPARENTS

Students in their science classes
across the world are increasingly
exposed to the scientific principles
behind climate change, exploring
concepts such as greenhouse gas
emissions, rising global temperatures,and the consequences for ecosystems. But climate education must
be embraced more widely, across allcore subjects and electives — not justscience.
In 2006, the National Oceanic andAtmospheric Association (NOAA),
in partnership with others, fundeda workshop to debate the needfor a common set of curriculum
guidelines specifically for climate
education. Guidelines that could
be implemented at local, state,
and national levels. This discussion
resulted in an interagency effort thatwould produce the Climate Literacy:
The Essential Principles of Climate
Sciences17 guide, now in its fifth reiteration. It was a highly commended
piece of work focused on teachingclimate education in science andearth science classes. This has left
educators in other subjects lacking
supporting materials to teachclimate education in their subjects.
A significant portion18 of educators in6the United States believe it is important to teach climate education totheir students. The need to teachclimate education across curriculum
is recognized internationally.
SURVEY: CLASSES IN WHICHSTUDENTS LEARN ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE

83%

Science

20%

History
Social Studies

13%

English &languages

12%

Economics

5%

Technology &Engineering

4%Ethnic studies

4%

Math

3%

Art & Music

2%

Other

2%

For example, a survey by University
College London, UCL19 discoveredthat teachers in Great Britain — notjust those teaching geography andscience — would like to include
climate change in their classes. Butof those who had started doing
this, 70.5% of them had been forced
to train themselves on the subject
rather than receive formal training.



OF TEACHERS SURVEYEDSAID THEY HAD
RECEIVED FORMAL
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
RELATED TO CLIMATECHANGE AND
SUSTAINABILITY

Teachers around the world are
putting climate education on theschool agenda, one way or another,because they can see its value. The
Teach for All Global Network20 listed
these examples of teachers supporting climate education at the grassroot level:z Teach For Zimbabwe fellow Edson
Dongo and his student Tiyiso
describe the Learners in the Fight
Against Climate Change initiative.21
z Teach For India alumnus Nikhil ji
Sharma shares how his students
are developing concrete sustainability solutions.22
z Teach First Deutschland fellow
Jens Becker discusses his
students’ agency in creating CO2
Backpacks that make the conceptof carbon footprints tangible.23
z Teach For Pakistan fellows Maha
and Rabia and their student
Abdullah share the story of
Abdullah’s locally-rooted climate
leadership.24
7

The support for interdisciplinary
climate education exists because
teachers recognize that climate
education provides the knowledge“for individuals and communities
to know and understand about
Earth’s climate, the impacts ofclimate change, and the approaches
to adaptation or mitigation.”25 To
develop a comprehensive understanding of the climate crisis among
students, it is imperative for climate
education to be embedded throughout all courses and grade levels, K-12,
globally.



OF EDUCATORS DO NOTTEACH CLIMATEEDUCATION IN THEIR
CLASSES BECAUSE
THEY DO NOT BELIEVE
IT ALIGNS WITH THEIRSUBJECTA recent U.S. poll found that 65% ofeducators reported not teachingclimate education in their own
classes because they did not believe
it aligned with their subject.26 But
climate education aligns with all
subjects: students could be reading
about climate refugee stories intheir English class, considering
the avenues for advocacy in Civics,
learning about how the climate crisis
causes inequity in Economics classes,
and understanding the impact ofplastics, made largely from oil, on
greenhouse gas emissions in Earth
Science classes.
This approach allows for all students,
regardless of their areas of academic
strengths, to confidently engage inclimate education. It will also provide
students with cross-content knowledge valuable in developing effective
solutions. It also means climate education cannot be obscured in just a
few standards in one subject area.

8

02
THE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL,AND ECONOMIC BENEFITSAt EARTHDAY.ORG we believe there are three core reasons why
all students should be provided with quality climate educationin school. We outline these reasons here, in summary, and thendetail them in the remainder of this chapter:
1. CLIMATE ANXIETY:
Students are increasingly anxious about the state of the planet and many are
suffering from climate anxiety. By engaging with the topic and using social
emotional learning techniques, teachers can play an important role in alleviating this anxiety to support their students’ well-being.
2. GREEN MUSCLE MEMORY:
Once we provide students with the information they need to modify their
behaviors and to reduce carbon emissions, it will become second nature
to them. That is why, to develop green muscle memory, climate educationneeds to be taught consistently to children across all subjects, from Kindergarten to graduation.
3. GROWING THE GREEN ECONOMY:
If we are to find ways of mitigating and coping with the problems thatthe climate crisis is causing and will cause us in the future, we will needto motivate future generations to find solutions and develop new typesof industry. This will create massive economic opportunities. The U.S. has
9already invested $738 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act in the US1, theEU Green Deal2 is a trillion dollars, and China’s investments3 in renewables
and battery technology potentially reaches as much as $3 trillion. This public
investment is a means of competing for more private investment and consequently green jobs. Climate education is how we can prepare young people
for this future and teach them the skills they will need to join this growing
green workforce to help drive the global green economy.

CLIMATE ANXIETY & SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNINGSURVEY: 10,000 YOUNG PEOPLE (16–25 YEARS),FROM 10 COUNTRIES RESPONDED

75% SAY

83% SAYTHE FUTURE IS
FRIGHTENINGPEOPLE HAVEFAILED TO
CARE FOR
THE PLANET

65% SAY

GOVERNMENTS
ARE FAILING
YOUNG PEOPLE

Students today have another important reason for fully understanding
climate change — the emergence ofclimate anxiety.4 Climate anxiety is areal and fundamental distress about
the impact of climate change onhumanity.5 This goes beyond merely
worrying about climate change andbecomes overwhelming and, in somecases, debilitating.
Students are constantly receiving
news about the state of the planet’s
climate, but their learning is notalways standardized, thoughtful,accurate, or age-appropriate, and thiscan have damaging effects on ourchildren’s mental health. Although
all ages can experience stress fromclimate change, younger adults
report the highest rate of psychological distress.6 If we are going to

40% SAY

56% SAY

THEY AREHESITANTTO HAVE
CHILDREN

HUMANITYIS DOOMED

tackle the mental health crisis thatis impacting them,7 then we needto look at the role climate change isplaying and how climate education
can address this concern.
In 2021, Bath University8 publishedtheir results from a survey carriedout across 10 countries, in collaboration with five universities, which
was described as landmark. They
asked 10,000 young people, aged
16–25 years of age, about climatechange and how it made them feel.
The results are shocking:z Two-thirds reported feeling sad,afraid, and anxious.
z Three-quarters of them said
they thought the future wasfrightening.

10z 56% said they think humanity isdoomed.
z There was most concern in the
global south.

This shows eco-anxiety
is not just for environmental
destruction alone, but
inextricably linked togovernment inaction
on climate change. The
young feel abandoned andbetrayed by governments.
Caroline Hickman, Lead Author,
Bath University

Currently, students are exposed
to climate disasters and alarming
headlines in the classroom and athome — often without the time orunderstanding to fully process it all.
If a teacher wants to ‘make room’ todiscuss the latest climate disastermaking headlines, they have to findthat time in one of their existing classperiods. But that is not easy to do
and is often unsatisfactory:z One class period is not enoughtime to provide context, analysis
and discussion in a meaningfulway.
z This might mean that teachers
unintentionally emphasize the‘doom and gloom’ scenarios
without having room for discussing solutions.
z If this is the only time a student
gets to discuss the issue of climate
in a classroom and it is not taught
well or standardized, it could havea potentially negative impact on
students.

The overwhelming number ofstudents experiencing climate anxieties and fears, some 75% according
to the Bath University-led survey,
demonstrates the need to addressthese issues in the classroom andone tool to help do that is by usingsocial-emotional learning (SEL) skills.
Social emotional learning9 is aprocess that allows young people toacquire and use emotional IQ, knowledge, and skills to develop healthy
identities, to manage their emotions,find empathy and maintain supportive relationships with friends,
family and mentors. SEL helps young
people to make responsible decisions
for themselves and for others. Today,
27 states in the U.S. have adopted
social-emotional curriculum.10
Embedding social-emotional skills
within climate education can achieve
the following:z Develop coping skills to alleviate
anxieties about the climate crisis.
z Strengthen problem-solving skills
and strategies about planetary
health.
z Create a sense of resilience which
increases student agency foraction.
In addition, this approach allows
teachers and students to explore
climate justice11 and equity. Developing these social-emotional competencies while learning about
environmental stewardship leads toa reciprocal relationship12 that has
a positive effect on the planet andpeople.

11

Teaching about climate education
positively influences the mental
health of young individuals13 byproviding avenues for activism andfostering a sense of belonging andagency, particularly for marginalized youth. Furthermore, studies14
indicate adolescents utilizing meaning-focused coping strategies in thecontext of climate change experience heightened positive affect, life

satisfaction, and optimism; they also
engage in more pro-environmental
behavior compared to their peers.
Teaching climate education also has
another tangible impact: it createsa green muscle memory that overtime actually reduces our carbon
emissions and instills good planet
stewardship behaviors, making theminstinctive.

GREEN MUSCLE MEMORYGreen muscle memory is the term
EARTHDAY.ORG created to describe
learned behaviors that become
instinctive, that move us toward
net-zero carbon emissions and which
occur with little conscious effort.
The key to developing a green
muscle memory is learning andrepetition. Teaching children thatmodifying their own behavior canmake a real difference in their own
lives and in the lives of those aroundthem. It is easy to identify times
in which learning has resulted inbehavior changes in individuals suchas wearing seatbelts, wearing sunscreen, and eating a healthier diet. Allof these behaviors are learned. Once
we are told the consequences of ouractions or of our lack of action, thevast majority of us modify our behaviors, Including children, and start toperform these tasks with little or nothought.

12

Universal climate education works
in the same way. Once we provide
students with the information theyneed to modify their behaviors andto reduce carbon emissions, it will
become second nature to them.
That is why, to develop green muscle
memory, climate education needs
to be taught consistently to children
across all subjects, from Kindergarten to graduation.
At first glance, it may be difficult toconnect these individual climate
lessons to a meaningful decrease inCO2 emissions, but learning leads
to real awareness and measurable
behavioral changes.15 For example,
following Greta Thunberg’s protests
around climate change, 30% of Swiss
residents surveyed16, said they had
made changes to their transportation, buying, and recycling habits. In
one country alone, that is millions ofindividuals making daily decisions
that combat the climate crisis.
Notably, students completing a
one-year university-level course on
climate change17 exhibited a significant and lasting reduction in
individual carbon emissions, withan estimated decrease of approximately 2.86 tons of CO2 per year per
student. The data strongly supports
the potential of climate education tocontribute meaningfully to addressing environmental challenges.
Additionally, research suggests awell-designed climate education
curriculum18 can be as effective as
established climate change mitigation techniques, emphasizing thepivotal role education plays in sustainability efforts.
A 2020 study from the Departmentof Meteorology and Climate Science,
San José State University, San José,
California19 supports this idea andidentified a connection between
climate education and decreases instudent carbon emissions. According to the study, if 16% of secondary
school students around the world, in
middle and high-income countries,
studied climate change, it would
result in cutting almost 19 gigatonsof CO2 by 2050.20 This is equivalent
to removing emissions from nearly
80 million homes.
While these early metrics may
benefit from more data and further
analysis, it is clear that climate education in our schools will have a
direct impact on carbon emissions
across the planet and initiate realchange.
13

coworkers. An Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change from theUnited Nations in 202022 outlines
how structural changes to our
behavior, our green muscle memory,goes beyond individual accountability and can instinctively help us makebetter decisions in our everyday
lives which collectively have a muchbigger impact on the health of theplanet — for example, future architects will design greener buildings,
future city planners will make biking
more accessible and landlords will
decide to install energy-efficient
appliances.23

In addition, when students andyoung people learn about climate
education, it can have network
effects21 that positively influence
friends, family, neighbors, andIf we use climate education todevelop a planet-friendly green
muscle memory in our children,these green behaviors will work theirway into their adult lives and, as aresult, into the business world andindustry of the future.

GROWING THE GREEN ECONOMY
In response to the growing climate
crisis, we have seen the emergenceof a wave of green technologies
and industries: from an explosionin electric car production to anincreased demand for solar panels
to the creation of wind farms. Thisnascent green economy is faced withthe challenge of minimizing carbon
emissions, drastically reducing all
kinds of waste and pollution (especially plastics), increasing energy efficiency, and protecting biodiversity.
Oxford Economics projected24 thatthe transition to a net zero emissions
environment by 2050 will create

new industries worth $10.3 trillion
to the global economy. This will
create a waterfall effect as renewableenergies and green technologies
create more markets for more typesof green goods and green services.
The green economy is already receiving vast amounts of public funding
from the United States’ Inflation
Reduction Act, the EU Green Deal,and China’s investments in renewables and battery technology. The
Global North is backing the green
economy as a means of competingfor more private investment andconsequently green jobs. Climate

14

education is how we can prepare
young people for this future andteach them the skills they will needto join this growing green workforce to help drive the global green
economy.

NEARLY HALF OF YOUNGPEOPLE SURVEYED FELTTHEY DID NOT HAVE
THE RIGHT SKILLS FOR A
SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN
THE GREEN ECONOMY
Considering the vast economic
potential, we need to ensure climate
education is truly universal, and isavailable across the Global Southas well. Given that children start
to make decisions about potential
career paths25 at a young age, weneed to provide young people witha better understanding of climatechange, the green economy it will

create, and how they can best participate in this economic revolution andits benefits.
The World Economic Forum26 DavosLabs Youth Recovery Plan from 2020
found that almost half of young
people felt they did not have theright skills for a successful career inthe green economy, and according to
the World Economic Forum’s Futureof Jobs Report from 2020, employers estimated that four in 10 workers
would need to be reskilled.
Given that research demonstrates
that when students know more
about a field, such as STEM, they
are much more likely to consider acareer in that field, we need to better
prepare our children for the jobs thatwill be available to them. Consideringthat 91% of teenagers27 already thinkthey know what career they want, weneed to introduce students to green
economy job options early on.

15

03
HOW THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
TRANSFORMS EDUCATION SYSTEMS
It is not easy to create change in the United States education
system; it is a highly decentralized system with strong politicalforces. However, it has been done before when the state of theworld and political will align.
For example, the Industrial Revolution demanded more education to
support the innovations of the time.
To support this mission, more school
was required: “from 1818 to 1858
the number of students in the UK
exploded from 675,000 to 2,500,000”
and “the government required thatevery child that worked in a factory
get at least two hours of education per day.”1 Another example
comes from the space race. Afterthe launch of Sputnik, Washington
created the National Defense Act
in 1958 which provided more than
one billion dollars2 for science education. The effects of this were seen
in classrooms across America — “Inclassrooms, educational tools began
to change. Lab kits and overhead
projectors were added, and educational films became part of the curriculum.” More recently, it was recognized that computers would be key
to a prospering economy and schools
incorporated computer literacy
programs.
Computer literacy is a critical casestudy to analyze as a pathway for
mandatory climate education in K-12
public education.
Companies such as Apple3 were
early innovators who tried to makecomputer classes as much a partof the American education system16

as Math and English classes. In theearly days4, typing classes preparedhigh school students, mostly women,
for secretary positions. However, as
technology advanced, there wasless of a gender divide, and the ageof students receiving these classes
became lower.
Computer literacy initially started
with a narrow scope and was compartmentalized as its own class.
However, as society and the worldchanged and evolved, so did themethod of teaching computer
literacy, which became deeply
embedded into the other subject
areas. Which is why we see school
districts, such as Fairfax County
Public Schools in Virginia, adding
their own curriculum in addition
to the state-mandated computer
literacy standards; their ‘Digital Citizenship’5 curriculum is described as“[...] the norms of appropriate, responsible behavior (and its positive andnegative impact on self and others)with regard to technology use.”
Computer literacy demonstrates theimportance of including key stakeholders, including businesses, tosupport implementation and stressthe economic advantage of adoption
and developing an interdisciplinary
approach.

17

04
THE CURRENT STATE OF
CLIMATE EDUCATION
Climate education is taught around the world today and we canlearn from their successes. This section provides a history andanalysis of climate education in the United Kingdom, Australia,
Chili, India, Mexico, Morocco, Ghana, and the United States.

ITALY
In 2019, Italy became the first country1
to make climate education compulsory in their national curriculumat every grade level. One of the key
events spurring Italy into taking action
in regard to climate change is theimminent threat of danger with risingwater levels in the city of Venice.2

faster progress on education there
will be no chance of achieving thegoal of net zero carbon emissions
by 2050.”3 Following this, Italy implemented sweeping reforms requiring
each student, starting in elementary
school, to receive 33 hours of climate
education per year.

Leadership in Italy took notice of thiscrisis and its connection to climatechange. Minister of Education,
Lorenzo Fioramonti, decided it wasnecessary to dedicate significant
effort and money toward climate
education and crafted legislation
to do so. He states that, “Without

However, within a month of the legislation passing, Fioramonti resigned,
citing a lack of funding.4 This story
highlights the importance of supporting climate education legislationand policy with the funding quality
curriculum and successful teacher
training require.
18

UNITED KINGDOMThe United Kingdom’s Department
for Education has developed a comprehensive sustainability and climatechange strategy with the goal of
making the UK’s education sector
a global leader in sustainability andclimate action by 2030.
The strategy5, aligned with recommendations from the Committee
for Climate Change, aims to prepare
young people for a world impacted
by climate change, reduce emissions
from education and care buildings,
adapt education infrastructure toclimate change effects, and enhancebiodiversity and air quality in andaround educational settings. The
strategy focuses on key action areas
such as climate education, green
skills and careers, and international
collaboration.
Through engagement with educators, specialists, experts, and young
people, the Department of Education
aims to inspire action on the international stage and support the UK government’s 25 Year Environment Plan
and Net Zero Strategy.6 The strategyemphasizes collaboration withthe education sector and ongoing
involvement with young people as it
is implemented.

AUSTRALIA
Climate education in Australia7 has
become an increasingly prominent
aspect of the national curriculum,
reflecting a growing recognition of
the importance of environmental
awareness and sustainability.
The Australian curriculum incorporates sustainability as one of its
cross-curriculum priorities, ensuring
students engage with climate-related content across various subjects.
In Geography and Science, students
explore climate change, delving into
topics such as the impacts on ecosystems, global patterns, and humancontributions to climate variability.
Efforts have been made to integrate real-world examples relevant
to Australia’s unique environmental context, fostering a connection
between classroom learning and thecountry’s diverse ecosystems.

While there are ongoing challenges,
including the need for consistent
implementation and comprehensive teacher training8, Australia hastaken a positive step by committing
to include climate education in its
national curriculum. This reflects a
commitment to equipping the next
generation with the knowledge andskills necessary to understand andaddress the complex challenges
posed by climate change.

19

CHILE
Chile has been making efforts tointegrate climate change education
into its curriculum to address thegrowing global concern about environmental issues. The country recognizes the importance of preparing
its citizens, particularly students, tounderstand and respond to the challenges posed by climate change.
In recent years, there has been an
increased emphasis on environmental education in Chilean schools. The
Ministry of Education9 has taken
steps to incorporate climate-related
topics into various subjects, including science and social studies. This
interdisciplinary approach aims toprovide students with a comprehensive understanding of the causes,
impacts, and potential solutions toclimate change.
Furthermore, NGOs and environmental groups such as the Columbia
Climate School10 have played acrucial role in promoting climate

education in Chile. They often collaborate with schools and educational
institutions to organize workshops,
seminars, and outreach programs
that focus on climate change awareness and sustainability.
Challenges persist, including theneed for more standardized andstructured climate education11
across all levels of the education
system. Additionally, teacher training
programs related to climate change
might need more support to ensure
educators are well-equipped todeliver effective and engaging
lessons on this complex topic.
Chile has recognized the importanceof climate education and has taken
steps to integrate it into the national
curriculum. Ongoing efforts involve
collaboration between government
bodies, NGOs, and educational
institutions to ensure a comprehensive and standardized approach toclimate education in the country.

INDIA
In 2003, the Supreme Court of India
mandated12 that schools include
environmental education at all levelsof formal schooling. Later, in 2023,
this mandate was extended13 by the
University Grants Commission (UGC)
to all undergraduate programs in the
country. India’s 2020 National Education Policy14 emphasizes the significant role climate education must
play in educating the workforce ofthe future; indeed, the terms climatechange and climate science bothmake an appearance as early as thethird paragraph of the document’s
introduction.
Despite these victories, widespreadclimate literacy has yet to take holdin India, with 54% of the population
either unaware of climate change asa problem or reporting to know justa little about it (Yale15). To address
existing gaps in public awareness of
the issue, top Indian universities havedeveloped environmental education
degree programs to train young
20

people on how to identify and implement climate mitigation solutions.
New programs include a BSc major
in environmental science and sustainability at Azim Premji University,
the Anant School for Climate Action
at Anant National University, and the
Ashoka Centre for People-Centric
Energy (ACPET) at Ashoka University(Forbes16).
NGOs also contribute to the growthof climate education in India. The
Teachers Training Program on
Climate Change has trained over
500 teachers to help young people
understand the causes of climatechange, its impacts, and what can bedone to mitigate them. This programis offered remotely through thelearning management system (LMS)

Moodle and received a U.N. Global
Climate Action Award.17
Another NGO example is the Citizen
Consumer and Civic Action Group(CAG), who in February 2023 developed a climate education curriculum for two Chennai-based schools
serving students of mixed socioeconomic backgrounds. The lessons
in this curriculum were designed
to foster critical thinking and curiosity among young people. Excitingly, it worked. 75% of students atthese schools demonstrated a basic
understanding of the causes andimpacts of climate change, up from
55% beforehand, and even teachers’
understanding of the subject
improved by 25% (Forbes18).

MEXICO
The Mexican government has allocated $4.4 million dollars19 to the
National Institute of Ecology andClimate Change to use towards
climate education in public schools.
Mexico’s 2022 Nationally Determined
Contributions20, submitted to theUnited Nations, also recognizes theneed for climate education and how
climate change disproportionately
affects women more than men.
However, it does not delve into specifics about how they will implementchanges to the current national curriculum to include climate education.
Climate change is explicitly
addressed in Natural Scienceand Geography21, encompassing
concepts like energy consumption,
air pollution, global warming, risks,and vulnerability. Students primarily
acquire cognitive knowledge aboutclimate change and are urged tomodify their behavior to mitigate
vulnerability, with a focus on raisingawareness about Mexico’s ecologicalfootprint. The textbooks emphasize
Mexico’s contribution to emissions,drawing attention to the principles ofclimate justice.
Non-governmental organizations
are also stepping in to assist withclimate education in Mexico. One
such example is América Latina
para la Educación Climática (ALEC)22
which aims to promote climate education across Latin America throughproviding resources, expert convenings, and teacher professional
development.
21

MOROCCO
In 2012, Morocco passed the National
Charter for the Environment andSustainable Development, which ismeant to provide a framework forthe pursuit of sustainability goals
throughout the country.
The Charter explicitly names thefight against climate change and, in
Article 8, clarifies the role of education in this fight. Specifically, it points
out “the need for environmental andsustainable development awarenessprograms, academic learning opportunities, and training for the peopleof Morocco.” (GEEP23).
In response to this mandate, theMinistry of National Education,
Vocation Training, Higher Education,and Scientific Research introduced
environmental curricula “at all levelsof formal education” by way of two
smaller sub-directorates (UNESCO24).
However, in Morocco, education was
decentralized in 1999. As a result,regional districts, environmental
NGOs, and civil society organizations
often work in tandem to implement
environmental education programming. To fill this space, NGOs haveprovided guidance and resources. Of
these, the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection25
has developed multiple programs
to support educators and students
wanting to learn more about protecting our environment.

GHANA
Since the launch of Ghana’s National
Climate Change and Green Economy
Learning Strategy, in 2016, Ghana has
begun to integrate climate change
into their general primary school
education system.26 By 2019 they had
carried out several initiatives to getclimate education into classrooms:
z Identification of climate change
and green economy themes forinclusion in pre-tertiary curricula.
z Analysis to assess climate change
and green economy knowledge
among school children andteachers.
z Preparation of Teaching and
Learning Materials tailored to thenew primary curriculum.

z Training of over 600 primaryschool teachers to teach on
climate change.
As of late in 2019, 12 out of 16 regionsof the country had undergone
training and it was hoped that thiswould extend to include all the 275 of
the individual districts of the country.
Ghana is looking for partners toextend the teaching of climatechange and green economy literacy
to secondary education, and it is their
aim to work with teacher training
institutes to strengthen the focus on
climate change and green economy
in the standard training program for
all teachers eventually.
In 2021, Reverend John Ntim
Fordjour, the Deputy Minister of22

Education, of Ghana announced27
that his nation had made climate
education a priority in its reformed
standard based curriculum. He
stressed his country’s commitment

towards increasing the role education plays in building a more just andsustainable world through the implementation of education for sustainable development by 2030.

THE UNITED STATESDomestically, one of the biggest
challenges facing climate educationin the United States is that decisions
regarding education are often left toindividual states and school districts.
This creates a patchwork educational
system in the U.S. with different standards and different paths for implementation of new curriculum.
Many states follow the Next Generation Science Standards28 (NGSS),
which is an initiative first developedin 2013 by the National ResearchCouncil, National Science Teachers
Association, American Association
for the Advancement of Science, thenonprofit Achieve, and 24 U.S. states.
They recommended man-madeclimate change be taught beginningin fifth grade and incorporated into
all science classes. These recommendations are not mandated, however,and their implementation can vary
between states and districts.
Right now, 19 states and Washington,
DC, have adopted NGSS standards
in their entirety, and 25 additional
states have made some changes
in their own curriculum based onthese standards. Despite thesechanges, climate education is notreceiving the time it deserves in theclassroom in the US. A March 2016
study29, entitled Mixed Messages:
How Climate Change is Taught in

America’s Public Schools, by the
National Center for Science Education, found that 75% of public school
science teachers do cover climatechange. This sounds encouraging,but if we look closer we can see there
is still a lot of room for improvement
because a February 2016 survey30
of 1,500 middle and high school
teachers discovered that they spent
just one to two hours during theentire academic year on climatechange.
Many states focused on incorporating climate education, such as New
Jersey, California, and Maine, areusing third parties, organizations
such as Subject to Climate31, Climate
Literacy and Energy AwarenessNetwork (CLEAN32), and Ten Strands33
to create K-12 resources for theireducators. Others, such as Washington State, have created their own
resource hubs, such as ClimeTime.34
Though these states are offeringresources and partnering with nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations to create lessons for free, very
few are providing direct funding forteachers’ professional development,
training, and resources.
Several states have incorporated
climate education into their K-12
systems. Here is a deeper dive into
those states:
23

NEW JERSEYNew Jersey is the leader in climate
education in the U.S. education
system and, so far, is the first andonly state to integrate climate education across all grade levels, K-12, andsubject areas. They have also madea serious investment in training
their educators: “New Jersey set
aside $4.5 million in grants in 2023
to support and train educators andensure students in underserved
districts also have access to climatechange education. The state has
appropriated another $5 million
toward climate change education inits 2024 fiscal year budget.” –Laura
Fredrick, New Jersey Department of
Education spokesperson via NPR.35
Its schools are required to teachclimate change across all subjects,
including visual and performing
arts, health and physical education,science, social studies, world languages, computer science, and key
skills. The state of New Jersey has
created sample lessons for educators
to use in their classrooms.
Climate Columbia describes how
they achieve this:36 “Kindergarten
through second graders can explore
artwork responding to climatechange from different perspectives.
Grades three to five science classes
may teach how energy and fuel arederived from natural resources andtheir impacts on the environment.
Middle school students compare
the environmental effects of different technologies that tackle climatechange issues and evaluate them incomputer science class. High school
students collaborate with students
from other countries in social studies
class to develop solutions to environmental justice issues.”

As our state and our world move closer to clean energy andgreen technologies, we have a unique opportunity here in New
Jersey to properly equip our students to be at the forefront of thehigh paying jobs that power the future. The establishment of the
Office of Climate Change Education, led by the incredible Sarah
Sterling-Laldee and dedicated specialists, will help develop bestpractices and approaches to assist our best-in-the-nation teachersin educating the next generation of climate literate leaders of the
future green economy.
First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy37

WASHINGTON STATEThe Washington State Legislature
has demonstrated a steadfast commitment38 to climate education byearmarking $6 million for the subject,building upon the $10 million allocated in 2018.
By aligning with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS),
Washington became the pioneer
state to allocate funds explicitly for24

climate education, emphasizing
the integration of climate science
into teacher training initiatives.
The legislature initially appropriated $10 million over three years,
starting in 2018, to provide grants
for teacher training, establishingclimate science as a central theme.
These funds facilitated the establishment of ClimeTime39, Washington’s dedicated climate education
resource hub, symbolizing the state’s
proactive approach to equipping
educators with the tools and knowledge needed to incorporate climate
science into their classrooms.

CONNECTICUTIn 2022, Connecticut passed a law
requiring public schools to incorporate lessons on human-caused
climate change into their sciencecurriculum in line with the NGSS.
The new law was designed to ensure
climate education was not subject topolitical debate or budget restraints.
90% of students in the state werealready learning about climatechange, but the law40 was anotherattempt to make climate education
compulsory. Students learn aboutman-made climate change, solutions to it, and its impacts on different communities. Fifth, eighth, andeleventh graders are all tested on thesubject of climate change.

CALIFORNIAThe California Assembly is currently
deliberating on the legal mandate41
of integrating climate science into
school curricula. According to thebill, the proposed California courseof study for students would emphasize the causes and effects of climatechange, as well as methods for mitigation and adaptation. The Climate
Resilient California Schools report42
underscores the growing necessity
for climate education, emphasizing
the role of teacher training and the
preparation of students for careers in
the green economy.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed
legislation allocating $6 million forthe creation of free educational
resources43 on climate change andenvironmental justice, ensuring accessibility for all K-12 students in the state.
Additionally, Assembly Bill 13044 aims
to establish the California Center for
Climate Change Education at West
Los Angeles College, allocating $5
million for its development and initial
operations, focusing on fact-based
education about climate change andits direct relation to equity and environmental justice issues.
25THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATEEDUCATION IN THE U.S.
The story of climate education in the U.S. has to also include
examples in which states or school districts are actively fighting
against teaching that the climate crisis is real and that it isdamaging to the planet. For example:z Idaho state legislators rejectededucation standards mentioning
climate change.45

z Materials denying climate science
were approved to be included in
Florida’s state curriculum.49

z Texas State Board of Educationencouraged schools to consider
the positive aspects of fossil fuels.46

These examples of politicalinterference with regard to climate
education demonstrate a key
challenge to universal adoption.
Because educational standards are
adopted by individual states, theycan easily be impacted by the politics
or business interests of a given state.
This further demonstrates the needfor all individuals to understandthe realities of climate change andthe value of climate education in
addressing this crisis.

z A school district in Pennsylvania
halted the teaching of a book inwhich young adults are facedwith climate disasters.47
z A bill in Ohio required professors
to teach ‘both sides’ of climatechange.48

26

05
THE ROLE OF MULTILATERALORGANIZATIONS
Ensuring that all children have accessto quality climate education is amassive undertaking that will require
the support of and funding frommultilateral organizations. Below is
an analysis of several multilateralorganizations, their missions, and theimpact on climate education.

UNFCCCThe United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) is an international treaty
among countries aimed at combating “dangerous human interferencewith the climate system” by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Launchedat COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco,
UNFCCC developed Action for
Climate Empowerment (ACE)1 Guidelines to provide a roadmap for education, training, and public awareness.

ACE recognizes that education is a
critical tool for reaching our climate
goals and supporting communities
through the climate crisis. UNFCCC
also supports climate education
through a library of over 2,100 climatechange learning materials including
materials specifically designed forteachers and students. Additionally, UNFCCC holds a database thattracks countries’ NDCs. Nationally
Determined Contributions (NDCs),
developed by the Paris Climate
Agreement, signal to the world thework a country intends to implement
to reach its climate goals. Including climate education in an NDC
develops the possibility for international organizations to allocate
funding to reach the stated climate
education goals.

27

UNESCO
UNESCO has made education a key
pillar to responding to the climate
crisis through its Education for Sustainable Development for 20302
framework. This framework will
integrate climate change awarenessinto curriculum, teacher training,and educational policy. Additionally,
UNESCO partners with 81 countries
and over 1,100 organizations in theGreen Education Partnership (GEP).
GEP works to mainstream climate
education through quality standards
and curriculum guidance. Anotherway UNESCO supports climate education is through their work at the
Office for Climate Education (OCE)established with France in 2020. The
OCE provides climate education
resources and support for teachersand students.

GPE
The Global Partnership for Education(GPE) is the largest global fund dedicated to supporting education initiatives in lower-income countries. GPE
connects 59 developing countries
with donor countries, civil society,students and teacher foundations,and the private sector to improveeducation outcomes. One pillar of
GPE is focused on supporting accessto climate education. To achieve this,GPE developed their Climate-Smart
Education Systems Frameworkthat seeks to “protect and advancequality, relevant, and equitableeducation, protect the planet’s life
systems, [and] promote climate
justice.”3 Climate education is also

supported in GPE through grants.
For example, Japan pledged 3 Million
USD to support climate education
across sub-Saharan Africa.

GEF
The Global Environmental Facility isa group of funds “dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climatechange, pollution, and strains onland and ocean health.”4 The GEF is a
key player in combating the climate
crisis and their commitment is illustrated by their financial commitment
to protecting the planet. The GEF has“contributed more than $23 billion
and mobilized $129 billion in co-financing for over 5,000 national andregional projects.”5 The GEF hasdone limited work directly involving
education through projects focusedon farmer field schools6 and resource
management7. However, theresources of the GEF and the potential of climate education to address
the GEF’s key goals offer the opportunity to develop many programs
that support teachers and students inunderstanding the causes and solutions to the climate crisis.
28

06
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Today’s youth are increasingly recognizing the imminent
challenges posed by climate change and are passionately
advocating for comprehensive climate education and solutionoriented measures.
For example, more than 50 youth
organizations have urged world
leaders to invest in and prioritize
climate education accordingly at
COP27 and COP28 under the bannerof the Climate Education Coalition1.
To address these urgent concerns
and fulfill the growing demand forextensive climate education, it isimperative to integrate climate education seamlessly across all subject
areas and grade levels. Achieving
this ambitious goal necessitates
the development of individualizedteacher training programs and curricula, ensuring educators are wellequipped to deliver all encompassing
and impactful climate education.

ASSOCIATED COSTS AND FUNDING
The potential sources of funding forclimate education vary greatly basedon location. In the United States, forexample, less than 8% of fundingcomes from the federal government2. This will require states anddistricts to provide the vast majorityof funding for climate education. In

other countries where the national
government is the main school
funder, like the UK3, funding forclimate education can be provided
for all schools in a country from asingle source.

29

Incorporating climate education into
all subjects will require increased
investment in public education. To
receive funding, it is critical thatcitizens understand climate education and how it will pay dividends forchildren and society. The main components requiring funding will be
the development of curriculum andteacher training.
Developing a climate education
curriculum is critical to ensuring
climate education reaches students.
Currently, 17% of educators do notteach about climate change because
they do not have the materials4.
The development of these materials
involves multiple costs, including
research, material development,
distribution, evaluation, and systems
to increase accessibility. However,it’s important to note costs can vary
widely based on factors such as
location, the amount of curriculum
being developed, and the resources
already available for free use in
specific languages.

SURVEY: REASONS TEACHERS DON’T TEACH CLIMATE CHANGE
It’s not related to thesubject(s) I teach

65%
20%

My students are too young
I don’t know enough about it

17%

I don’t have the materials
that I need to teach it
I don’t believe
in climate change

17%State mandates that it should
be taught at a different level
My school does not allow it
Students have alreadylearned about it in school

8%
6%
4%
2%

Source: Poll of 505 teachers. This question was asked of the 55% of teachers who said that they do not teachclimate change. Respondents could select up to three answers. “Other” and “Don’t know” responses not shown.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
The first step in developing climate
education materials involves hiring
subject matter experts and educators
to create engaging and accurate curriculum materials. Quality curriculum
will provide students with a variety ofways to interact with climate education including textbooks, workbooks,

online resources, visual aids, infographics, and multimedia content.
To make climate education moreengaging and relevant for students,
there are a variety of technology
options to be developed and implemented, including interactive tools
and virtual reality lessons5.
30

DISTRIBUTION
Once materials are developed, there
will need to be a plan for their distribution. This will look different in different regions; it may involve a digital
hub for downloading the materials— or a budget for printing and distributing hard copies in areas withless access to computers or reliableinternet6—but the New Jersey Officeof Climate Education7 can provide aframework for the development anddistribution of materials.

EVALUATIONACCESSIBILITY

Before the materials are in place
for an extended period of time, asystem will need to be put in motion
to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum developed. To achieve this, researchers
must develop tools to evaluate theimpact on students’ knowledge ofthe climate crisis and any behavioral changes linked to increasingsustainability.

In many regions, it will be criticalto translate the curriculum into
multiple languages to reach abroader audience. Also, the material
will need to be adapted to include
cultural histories and contexts andto align with a variety of educational
systems. The materials should also
consider the accessibility and inclusivity of the material for students
with different learning styles andthose with learning disabilities.

TEACHER TRAINING
Once materials are developed, asystem needs to be in place to trainteachers. Firstly, training should
focus on increasing teachers’ understanding of climate change as lackof knowledge on the subject is acommon reason teachers do notcurrently teach it8.
Secondly, training should demonstrate how to incorporate these newmaterials into their classrooms. To
achieve both of these objectives,31

experts in climate education willneed to work directly with teachers
through a variety of professional
development opportunities such asworkshops, seminars, or local conferences on the subject.
A state or district will need to determine their own needs and costs totrain their teachers effectively, but
for reference, New Jersey set aside$4.5 million in grants in 20239 to
support and train educators andensure students in underserved
districts also have access to climatechange education.

ACTIONS NEEDED
It is with great urgency we call on leaders in government,
education, the media, and business to call for climate education.
Luckily, we have examples of quality climate education we canuse as a framework for bringing climate education to all children
worldwide. The evidence is clear: climate education has theability to combat the physical and psychological effects of theclimate crisis and to prepare the next generation to thrive in thegreen economy.
To achieve these goals, we propose the following
recommendations:

32

ACTION PLAN

1
2

Climate education should be incorporated into all subjects across all
grade levels as soon as possible to combat the climate crisis, address
the teen mental health crisis, and spur the green economy.

Leaders in government, business, and education should identify andpromote the mutually beneficial outcomes of climate education,
including green skills and green technology.

3

Leaders in government, business, and education should collaborate
to foster the political will to fund climate education.

4

Governments and international organizations should provide thefunds to implement climate education.

5
6

Governments should incorporate comprehensive, compulsory, andassessed climate education into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), outlined in Article 4 of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Funding for climate education should be allocated to experts, including voices from youth, educators, and civil society, to develop the
curriculum and teacher training needed for the successful implementation of climate education.

7

Climate education materials should be based on science, promoteclimate justice and equity, and be accessible to all learners.

8

Systems should be established to monitor and evaluate the effects ofclimate education and adjustments should be made as needed.

33

SOURCES
01: AN INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE EDUCATION
﻿1

https://www.epa.gov/education/what-environmental-education

﻿10

https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/
no-child-left-behind-an-overview/2015/04

﻿2

https://www.earthday.org/teach-in-toolkit/

﻿11https://www.nextgenscience.org/

﻿3

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1000297.
pdf

﻿12

﻿4

https://www.encyclopedia.com/
science/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/discovery-global-ice-ages-louis-agassiz

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/
video/intergovernmental-conference-environmental-education-tbilisi-1977

﻿13https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000075072

﻿14

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000116061

﻿15

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000146720

﻿16https://www.earthday.org/press-release/
earthday-org-launches-first-ever-climateeducation-hub-pavilion-at-cop-27/

﻿17https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/

﻿18

https://news.climate.columbia.
edu/2023/02/09/climate-education-in-the-us-where-it-stands-and-why-it-matters/#:~:text=In%20the%20U.S.%2C%20more%20
than,climate%20change%20education%20
in%20schools﻿

﻿5https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED491084.
pdf

﻿6

https://ceq.doe.gov/#:~:text=NEPA%20
was%20the%20first%20major,actions%20
prior%20to%20making%20decisions.

﻿7

https://www.earthday.org/history/

﻿8

https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview/clean-air-act-text#:~:text=The%20
Clean%20Air%20Act%20is,has%20made%20
several%20minor%20changes.

﻿9https://www.epa.gov/education/national-environmental-education-act-0#:~:text=The%20National%20Environmental%20
Education%20Act,Education%20to%20
implement%20this%20program.

34

﻿19

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2023/jul/teaching-climate-change-more-subjects-wouldempower-young-people-take-action#:~:text=The%20UCL%20survey%20found%20
that,did%20so%20by%20teaching%20themselves﻿﻿20https://teachforall.org/climate-education-and-leadership﻿

﻿21https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcoMXheDMVr/﻿﻿22https://www.instagram.com/tv/CclXHSVjUhs/﻿﻿23

https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ccf78Pvj4sA/﻿﻿24

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CcihclFDnRg/﻿﻿25

https://www.climate.gov/teaching/climate

﻿26

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/716359470/
eight-ways-to-teach-climate-change-in-almost-any-classroom﻿

02: THE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS
﻿1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_
Reduction_Act#:~:text=The%20Inflation%20
Reduction%20Act%20is,energy%20
security%20and%20climate%20change﻿

﻿13https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377632248_Integrating_mental_
health_into_climate_change_education_to_
inspire_climate_action_while_safeguarding_mental_health﻿2

https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/
news-and-resources/the-eu-green-deal-isit-the-real-deal﻿14https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/5/5/2191

﻿15https://www.euronews.com/
green/2023/09/10/fridays-for-future-gretasschool-strikes-led-a-third-of-swiss-citizensto-change-their-hab﻿

﻿16https://www.euronews.com/
green/2023/09/10/fridays-for-future-gretasschool-strikes-led-a-third-of-swiss-citizensto-change-their-hab﻿

﻿17https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC6999882/﻿﻿18https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/depression-and-anxiety-doubled-children-pandemic-study-says﻿

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/
s11920-021-01296-y﻿

﻿19https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0206266﻿

﻿8

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-58549373

﻿20

﻿9

https://casel.org/fundamentals-of-sel/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0206266﻿

﻿10

https://casel.org/systemic-implementation/
sel-policy-at-the-state-level/﻿

﻿21

﻿11

https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62183/
why-social-emotional-learning-is-critical-for-teaching-climate-justice﻿https://www.vox.com/23013748/un-climate-report-carbon-footprint-individual-action﻿﻿22https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-3/﻿﻿12

https://www.gesseducation.com/gess-talks/
articles/social-emotional-learning-a-beneficial-outcome-of-teaching-environmental-sustainability

﻿23

https://www.vox.com/23013748/un-climate-report-carbon-footprint-individual-action﻿

﻿3https://www.greeneconomycoalition.org/
news-and-resources/engaging-with-chinas-ecological﻿﻿4https://www.bbc.com/news/
world-58549373-civilisation﻿

﻿5https://sustainability.yale.edu/explainers/
yale-experts-explain-climate-anxiety﻿﻿6https://www.wmfe.org/2023-08-20/new-jersey-requires-climate-change-education-ayear-in-heres-how-its-going﻿

﻿7

35

﻿24

﻿25

https://oneh2.com/the-economic-benefitsof-reaching-for-a-net-zero-world/#:~:text=Green%20industries%20could%20add%20%2410.3,5.2%25%20of%20the%20global%20
GDP.

﻿26

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/08/
these-are-the-skills-young-people-willneed-for-the-green-jobs-of-the-future/﻿27

https://www.payscale.com/career-advice/teenager-career-choice-91-percent-teensthink-know-career-want/#:~:text=91%20
percent%20have%20a%20%E2%80%9Cdream,pursue%20after%20completing%20high%20school﻿https://www.oecd.org/berlin/publikationen/
Dream-Jobs.pdf

03: H
 OW THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT
TRANSFORMS EDUCATION SYSTEMS
﻿1

﻿2

https://www.payscale.com/career-advice/teenager-career-choice-91-percent-teensthink-know-career-want/#:~:text=91%20
percent%20have%20a%20%E2%80%9Cdream,pursue%20after%20completing%20high%20school.
https://www.npr.org/2007/09/30/14829195/
sputnik-left-legacy-for-u-s-science-education﻿

﻿3https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-you-wound-playing-em-oregontrailem-computer-class-180959851/﻿﻿4https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/10/the-gendered-past-of-typing-education/504572/﻿﻿5https://www.fcps.edu/resources/technology/
technology-literacy/digital-citizenship﻿

04: THE CURRENT STATE OF CLIMATE EDUCATION
﻿1

https://www.earthday.org/italy-first-country-climate-change-studies-in-schools/#:~:text=Italian%20schools%20will%20
dedicate%20nearly,the%20organization%27s%20environmental%20
education%20campaign.

﻿8

https://socialsciences.org.au/wp-content/
uploads/2023/06/Climate-Change-Education-Executive-Summary.pdf﻿

﻿9https://thegeep.org/learn/countries/chile

﻿10

https://www.climate.columbia.edu/chile-argentina-climate-impacts-and-risk﻿﻿2https://www.npr.org/2023/09/12/1197139620/
venice-endangered-climate-change﻿

﻿11

﻿3

https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/06/europe/
italy-climate-change-school-intl-scli-scn/
index.html﻿

https://www.mdpi.com/20711050/14/22/15212﻿

﻿12

﻿4

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/world/
europe/italy-education-minister-climate.
html﻿

https://www.ecology.edu/environmental-education.html#:~:text=Environmental%20
education%20was%20mandated%20
as,public%20interest%20litigation)%20
by%20M.C.

﻿5https://www.gov.uk/government/
publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy﻿

﻿13

﻿6

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/
uk-to-lead-the-way-in-climate-and-sustainability-education﻿

https://www.universityworldnews.com/
post.php?story=2023080211544678#:~:text=All%20students%20at%20India’s%20
universities,country’s%20higher%20
education%20apex%20body.

﻿14https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_
files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

﻿15

https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/
wp-content/uploads/2022/10/climatechange-indian-mind-2022-d.pdf

﻿7

https://socialsciences.org.au/publications/climate-change-education/﻿

36

﻿16

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/takeone-big-story-of-the-day/india-is-most-vulnerable-to-climate-disasters-yet-climateeducation-here-falls-short/87649/1﻿

﻿17https://unfccc.int/climate-action/momentum-for-change/activity-database/teacherstraining-program-on-climate-change﻿

﻿18https://www.forbesindia.com/article/takeone-big-story-of-the-day/india-is-most-vulnerable-to-climate-disasters-yet-climateeducation-here-falls-short/87649/1﻿

﻿19

﻿20

﻿21

https://education-profiles.org/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/~climate-change-communication-and-education﻿
https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/
NDC/2022-11/Mexico_NDC_UNFCCC_
update2022_FINAL.pdf﻿
https://education-profiles.org/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/~climate-change-communication-and-education﻿﻿22https://www.alec.oce.global/en/projects/alec﻿23

https://thegeep.org/learn/countries/morocco#:~:text=Morocco’s%20National%20
Charter%20for%20Environment,implement%20school%2Dlevel%20EE%20
programs.

﻿24

https://education-profiles.org/northern-africa-and-western-asia/morocco/~climate-change-communication-and-education﻿

﻿25https://fm6e.org/en/﻿26

https://unitar.org/ghana-trains-over-600-primary-school-teachers-climate-change-andgreen-economy﻿

﻿27

https://earthjournalism.net/stories/ghana-heightens-climate-education-in-its-reform-curriculum﻿﻿28

https://www.nextgenscience.org/﻿﻿29

https://ncse.ngo/files/MixedMessagesReport.pdf﻿

﻿30

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.
aab3907﻿﻿31

https://subjecttoclimate.org/﻿﻿32

https://cleanet.org/index.html

﻿33

https://tenstrands.org/

﻿34

https://www.climetime.org/

﻿35

https://www.npr.org/2023/08/20/1191114786/
new-jersey-requires-climate-change-education-a-year-in-heres-how-its-going#:~:text=Race-,New%20Jersey%20first%20
in%20the%20country%20to%20require%20climate%20change,rolled%20out%20
this%20past%20year.

﻿36

https://news.climate.columbia.
edu/2023/02/09/climate-education-in-the-us-where-it-stands-and-why-it-matters/﻿

﻿37

https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/
news/562023/20230926a.shtml#:~:text=%22As%20our%20state%20and%20
our,said%20First%20Lady%20Tammy%20
Murphy.

﻿38

https://www.k12.wa.us/﻿﻿39

https://www.climate-literacy.org/

﻿40 https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/dec/17/climate-change-studies-connecticut#:~:text=’Face%20it%20
head%20on’%3A%20Connecticut%20
makes%20climate%20change%20
studies%20compulsory,-This%20article%20
is&text=Starting%20next%20July%2C%20
Connecticut%20will,part%20of%20its%20
science%20curriculum.
﻿41

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1939﻿

﻿42

https://static1.squarespace.com/
static/635dbc6808cab54e82a25127/t/
640f57089a49a966b5803dcb/1678726934033/Climate-Resilient+California+Schools﻿

﻿43https://tenstrands.org/governor-newsom-signs-climate-education-bill-into-law/﻿﻿44 https://www.climate-literacy.org/legislation
﻿45

https://www.wmfe.org/2023-08-20/new-jersey-requires-climate-change-education-ayear-in-heres-how-its-going﻿46 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/
texas-weakens-climate-science-education-guidelines/
﻿47

https://www.readingeagle.com/2023/03/25/
kutztown-school-board-two-degrees/37﻿48 https://kentwired.com/95361/world-nation/ohio-higher-ed-bill-would-require-instructors-to-teach-both-sides-on-climatechange/

﻿49 https://www.theguardian.com/
us-news/2023/aug/10/florida-ron-desantis-climate-vidoes-school-curriculum

05: THE ROLE OF MULTILATERAL ORGANIZATIONS
﻿1

https://unfccc.int/files/cooperation_and_support/education_and_outreach/application/pdf/action_for_climate_empowerment_
guidelines.pdf﻿

﻿2https://www.unesco.org/en/education-sustainable-development/esd-net﻿

﻿3https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/
rethinking-education-climate-resilient-future﻿

﻿4https://www.thegef.org/who-we-are﻿

﻿5https://copilot.microsoft.com/?form=MM146N&OCID=MM146N&ef_id=_k_
Cj0KCQiAw6yuBhDrARIsACf94RUH83INFdt1WO-pVTFqfB8gYt_t5k4mcWf0516Lv-

ABI0jXRwpHzIgsaAtxgEALw_wcB_k_&OCID=AIDcmmrf8ry2rp_SEM__k_Cj0KCQiAw6yuBhDrARIsACf94RUH83INFdt1WO-pVTFqfB8gYt_t5k4mcWf0516LvABI0jXRwpHzIgsaAtxgEALw_wcB_k_&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAw6yuBhDrARIsACf94RUH83INFdt1WO-pVTFqfB8gYt_
t5k4mcWf0516LvABI0jXRwpHzIgsaAtxgEALw_wcB
﻿6

https://www.thegef.org/sites/default/files/
publications/GEF_GoodPracticesBriefs_
Senegal_r2%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf﻿

﻿7https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/5716﻿

06: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
﻿1

https://www.earthday.org/climate-education-coalition/﻿﻿2https://usafacts.org/articles/how-are-public-schools-funded/#:~:text=In%20the%20
2019-2020%20school%20year%2C%20
47.5%25%20of%20funding,federal%20
government%20provided%20about%207.6%25%20of%20school%20funding.

﻿3

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/
education/education-news/school-fundingengland-nicky-morgan-teachers-strikeschools-north-south-a7120141.html﻿

﻿4https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/716359470/
eight-ways-to-teach-climate-change-in-almost-any-classroom﻿

﻿5https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/7/5814/
html#:~:text=Although%20much%20
remains%20to%20be%20discovered%20
about%20the,self-efficacy%20toward%20
science%20%5B%2022%2C%2030%2C%20
31%20%5D.

﻿6https://policytoolbox.iiep.unesco.org/
policy-option/distribution-of-teaching-and-learning-materials/﻿﻿7https://aftnj.org/topics/news/k-12/2023/n-js-office-of-climate-change-education-is-afirst-in-the-u-s/﻿

﻿8

https://www.npr.org/2019/04/25/716359470/
eight-ways-to-teach-climate-change-in-almost-any-classroom﻿

﻿9https://www.wmfe.org/2023-08-20/new-jersey-requires-climate-change-education-ayear-in-heres-how-its-going﻿38