The British Council has released a research report ‘Global priorities for enhancing school-based climate change and sustainability education’ which aims to share the ways in which international non-governmental organisations can enable climate change and sustainability education to flourish, including through partnership and reciprocal learning, and dialogue between educators, policy makers, young people and children across the world.
This report provides an overview from the research literature as to what constitutes ‘quality’ climate change and sustainability education. Some bullet points of the insight as below:
- Three country case studies demonstrate that climate change and sustainability education require varied approaches which are sensitive to context.
- India: well-established environmental education integrating a range of subjects as part of formal schooling.
- Iraq: arts-based and student-centred approaches supported by wider communities provide significant opportunities.
- Zambia: conservation and raising-awareness of the links between climate change with the major economy activities (agriculture and tourism) are the key approaches.
- Whole-school approaches, which draw on participatory and creative approaches from multiple disciplines which attend to the scientific, social, ethical and political complexities, are recognized as valuable in the context of climate change and sustainability education.
- Teacher professional development is key mechanism for enhancing climate change and sustainability education across the world.
- Enhancing leadership across school communities is vital strengthening climate change and sustainability education for all children and young people.
- Sharing good practice across regional and national contexts is a vital part of strengthening climate change and sustainability education across the world.