Intergenerational dialogue offers a powerful approach for addressing the moral complexities of climate change education by creating spaces where diverse perspectives can transform learning

The article begins with the author recalling a childhood memory of holding her father's hand while crossing the gap between a train and platform on the London Underground, using this metaphor to illustrate the persistent gulf between youth-led advocacy for climate action and the lack of substantive educational reform to prepare young people for climate-altered futures. In England, this "gap" is evident in how young people have articulated their desire for a coordinated review of school curricula focused on climate change and sustainability education (CCSE), while policymakers continue to overlook these demands.

The author contrasts two Western responses to environmental problems identified by Bonnett (2012): the approach favored by policymakers, which focuses on technical solutions with minimal impact on underlying conceptions of "the good life," versus the approach called for by young people and teachers that sees environmental problems as requiring fundamental change in our conceptions of what constitutes a good life.

A key criticism raised is that the Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change strategy in the UK lacks meaningful recognition of teacher education as fundamental to equipping teachers and young people to live with climate-altered futures. The strategy claims that policies and frameworks already exist to support teacher professional development in CCSE, but analysis reveals no explicit mention of climate change or sustainability in key documents like the Core Content Framework for Initial Teacher Training or the Early Career Framework. A recent survey showed that fewer than 13% of teachers in England engaged with CCSE during their initial teacher education (ITE).

This stands in contrast to Scotland, where Learning for Sustainability (LfS) is integrated into teacher education and school leadership. The Scottish approach weaves together global citizenship, sustainable development education, outdoor learning, and children's rights to create a more comprehensive framework for sustainability education.

The author argues that despite these policy absences and constraints in England, teacher educators can still respond to the temporal, spatial, and moral complexities of climate change education through their existing ITE programs. She proposes understanding teacher education as a site for moral education where fundamentally changing conceptions of "the good life" is central to CCSE.

The article explores intergenerational dialogue as a promising approach for climate change education. Unlike simple intergenerational communication (where adult teachers talk to children), intergenerational dialogue involves intentionally creating spaces for meaningful and reciprocal exchange between generations. This approach:

• Enables greater connection between adults, children, and young people
• Can be empowering for all involved
• Supports the creation of new ideas and perspectives
• Strengthens trust and community through learning about and from different groups

The author then examines how intergenerational dialogue can help teacher educators engage with two key facets of the moral complexities of climate change education:

1. Temporal aspects: Classrooms are fundamentally intergenerational sites where multiple generations can explore responses to changing contexts over time. In teacher education, classrooms become multi-generational spaces that bring together varied temporal perspectives on climate change. Through intergenerational dialogue, participants can critically engage with questions of values related to climate change impacts across past, present, and future generations.
    
2. Spatial aspects: Drawing on Massey's (2005) conceptualization of space as more than just location but as a complex context where relational and fluid agency is enacted, the author suggests that teacher education inherently involves different spaces (schools, universities, communities) where dynamic learning occurs. Intergenerational dialogue can be understood as a "messy entanglement" of cultural, material, and relational conditions that challenges linear notions of teacher development and allows for context-specific climate education that draws on diverse spatial resources.

While recognizing that incorporating intergenerational dialogue involves negotiating tensions between youth agency and adult power, the author argues that it can afford children, young people, and student teachers greater relational agency by bringing together and critically examining varied perspectives across temporal and spatial dimensions. This approach requires time and support for critical reflection so that teachers are not overwhelmed by climate change-related existential crises.

The author concludes with a return to her opening metaphor, suggesting that through intergenerational dialogue as a signature pedagogy, we can continue to "mind the gap" in climate change and sustainability education.