Experts from Arab States, Asia Pacific and Latin America urge education systems to prepare for climate change
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The impacts of climate change (CC) already threaten livelihoods and security in many regions of the world. To help countries in the Arab region, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean reduce their vulnerability through education, UNESCO organized regional experts’ meetings on climate change education in Manila, Beirut and San José in 2014 and 2015.
In each region, some 100 experts, including representatives from ministries and non-governmental organizations, teacher educators and youth, developed recommendations to help education systems in the region prepare children and citizens to address climate change impacts.
Experts from all three regions called for the integration of climate change education into the curriculum across all levels, and to make use of participatory teaching and learning methods. They stressed the need to build teachers’ capacities to facilitate CC learning, and to support schools, institutes and universities in developing and implementing whole-institution approaches. These approaches include sustainable development principles in curriculum and teaching, campus management and school culture, as well as engaging with the local community and building on local knowledge.
All three experts’ meetings also helped prepare the implementation of the Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the follow-up to the UN Decade of ESD (2005-2014).
Find out more about the recommendations and the regional expert meetings:
Asia and the Pacific
Latin America and the Caribbean
Read more about UNESCO’s work on climate change education