Climate change: education for sustainability
Climate change can no longer be ignored. Emissions continue to rise, and as a result, the temperature is also increasing: the Earth is now 1°C warmer than it was two centuries ago. However, this is not the only impact climate change has on the environment. There are other consequences, such as intense droughts, extreme weather, and even the increased risk of severe forest fires, such as those in Portugal and Spain this summer. The rise in temperatures has also destroyed important ecosystems worldwide and made life difficult for certain people in developing countries. Currently, research indicates that around 3 million people live in highly vulnerable countries, mainly because global warming poses a risk to livelihood resources such as food security and agricultural productivity.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the impacts of climate change are close to becoming irreversible. While this may sound alarming, the IPCC highlights that there is still a chance to stop this from happening and improve the situation and the quality of life of the people who live in these highly vulnerable countries.
There are agreements and frameworks in place that focus precisely on reducing these impacts, such as the Paris Agreement or the Sustainable Development Goals. However, this change cannot be achieved only by getting the countries to agree to switch to renewable energies or by implementing regulations for all governments to follow.
Nevertheless, many believe it is necessary to start from the bottom, which means educating the younger generations so that they will lead the change in the future and not make decisions that will be detrimental to the planet. It must be done by raising young people with the values and motivation needed to think critically and protect the environment. That way, once it is time for these younger generations to take the reins, they will make more conscious choices and focus their innovations on achieving a more circular and greener economy.
Luckily, these generations are already becoming increasingly active in fighting climate change. Numerous initiatives and movements, such as Fridays for Future, founded by Greta Thunberg, have organised strikes and protests asking governments to take action against global warming.
In this context, in June 2022, the Council of the EU adopted the Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development because of the concern for the environment and because climate change, sustainability and the green transition are already one of the main topics in the European Union. This Recommendation aims to provide countries with a guide to support the inclusion of these topics into all phases of training and education. Therefore, sustainability education in the EU intends to involve young people through an engaging and dynamic learning environment and offer support for educators and promote local partnerships to build sustainability competencies and tackle climate change.
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