The path forward for education and climate action

What if, with a little leadership from global heads of state, there was an opportunity to catalyze a movement that simultaneously combats climate change, strengthens the civic health of communities, and bolsters teacher capacity?

When education helps students develop a strong personal connection to climate solutions, as well as a sense of personal agency and empowerment, it can affect students’ daily behaviors and decisionmaking in ways that reduce their overall lifetime carbon footprint. Imagine if 100 percent of students in the world received such an education! In 2019, Italy became the first country in the world to make education on sustainable citizenship mandatory in all schools.

On April 22—Earth Day—the Center for Universal Education and Education International hosted a webinar to discuss the path forward for education and climate action, and the recent Brookings policy brief “Unleashing the creativity of teachers and students to combat climate change: An opportunity for global leadership.”  As millions of students have engaged in civic action over the last several years by leaving school to protest the lack of progress in addressing the climate crisis, how can we flip the script? How can students, teachers, and schools be on the forefront of addressing climate action by helping support the development of young people’s green civic skills? What do teachers and student leaders need to do here in the U.S. and around the globe?

Viewers submitted questions via email to events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at #GreenCivicEd.