10 Module title: : Introduction to Climate Education Where to learn more Resources: What Is Climate Change? | United Nations ClimateScience | ClimateScience How millennials can fight climate change – Debunking the Myth | The Hague Peace Projects 2. The role of education in addressing climate change Introduction Through systematic scientific investigation, we have known the causes of most environmental problems for several decades. Similarly, the effect of increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been known for years. However, this science-based knowledge has not brought about policy changes, legislation, or wide-spread behaviour changes that are required to adequately address climate change. Solutions to climate change will require engaging the social sciences, in order to develop the societal understandings, cultural keys, and political will that are needed for change to occur. As we look at the history of education, we see a number of examples where natural science education alone fell short of creating desired changes. For example, sex education that only taught the anatomy of human reproduction did not lower the pregnancy rate. Anti-smoking education that focused solely on naming the toxic and carcinogenic components of tobacco s0moke did not reduce smoking. We know from years of experience in environmental education that knowledge and awareness alone do not bring about large-scale societal change. However, education that includes awareness, knowledge, skills, values, and opportunities for participation does bring about in-depth learning and behaviour change. We need to keep this in mind as educational systems around the world define and implement climate-change education. Enabling young people to predict and cope with change is part of a quality education in the new millennium. Climate change education: what to teach? Climate change education has two obvious parts: climate and change. The climate part obviously falls under the umbrella of the natural sciences and has traditionally been taught in geography (e.g., climatology) and earth science (e.g., meteorology). Climate includes atmospheric composition and processes. This part of climate change education can be easily updated in formal education through cyclical revisions of the science curriculum that take place about every seven years. The second part—educating for change—is where the thought-provoking discussions on climate change education need to occur.
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