ARTICLE: Will 2021 Be the Year Governments Commit to Quality Climate Education? A Growing Call for Action Ahead of the G-20.
From The Brookings Institution
- Title: Will 2021 be the year governments commit to quality climate education? A growing call for action ahead of the G-20
- Authors: Kathleen Rogers and Rebecca Winthrop
Want to learn more about how to advance climate literacy and justice in the United States?
Visit climateedpolicy.org, the home of the Coalition for Climate Education Policy. We are a diverse, non-partisan, and cross sector coalition of organizations advocating for federal policies and cross-agency efforts to advance climate literacy in the United States.
Summary: Momentum for climate change education grows across the globe. Those from across sectors including teachers, labor organizations, youth-led organizations, women's and justice groups, researchers, and environmentalists have stepped forward to champion climate change education action. They know civic engagement education/action and climate change education are tightly linked. For 30 years, governments have spoken on why climate change education is integral to addressing climate change, but climate literacy still sits at all time lows. Civic engagement also leads to better decision making by government in ways that foster sustainable policies and innovations.
Youth need to be prepared to lead in this changing world. Italy's education minister made climate change education a requirement for all students. While government recognition of climate change education is good, it needs to be strengthened and implemented in schools if climate change mitigation and adaptation are to proceed sustainably and with strong citizen support.