Young people on greening education: Progress, challenges and opportunities

Putting youth at the center of climate discussions

During the event, we reminded the participants that historically climate education had been forgotten or neglected, and that often young people struggled to get the attention of policy makers. This limited the opportunities to get our efforts taken to scale. The Greening Education Partnership has represented a turning point - with governments and decision-makers now coming together to put education higher on the climate agenda, and the voices of youth now more strongly integrated.

It was encouraging to hear statements of support of the importance of integrating young's people's wishes and concerns into global climate discussions. Heather Saunders, Deputy Team Lead for Global Advocacy at the Global Partnership for Education, highlighted the importance of meaningful youth engagement. "We must build on the incredible voices of young people who are driving this movement," she said.

What are the gaps in greening education?

However, we also highlighted that several major gaps still hinder the possibility of quality climate change education. First, dialogues on climate education often operate within a 'bubble', engaging only those already familiar with climate issues. This restricted scope prevents vital information from reaching a broader audience, particularly youth, thus limiting their motivation and ability to address the challenges they face.

Justin Edwards, Director of Learning Experiences at Minecraft, also drew attention to the nexus of digital and green transformations. "Learners are not only in the classrooms; they are online," he said. "Let's use this as an opportunity to convey key messages and support learners to explore and engage with climate change issues using digital skills."

Moreover, climate change education frequently lacks local relevance. There is a strong need for practical, contextually-specific climate education that resonates with students by addressing impacts that are visible within their communities. Without this localized approach, students struggle to connect global climate issues to their daily lives, which limits their interest and engagement.

Young people are often excluded from decision-making processes related to climate change education. Despite being the primary beneficiaries, youth are often sidelined in the development and implementation of these initiatives. Their perspectives and innovative ideas are essential for enhancing the inclusivity and effectiveness of climate education efforts.

These gaps highlight the urgent need for a more inclusive and contextually relevant approach to climate change education. It is crucial that young people not only receive quality climate education but also actively contribute to shaping it.

What are the next steps?

There are three key next steps to accelerate progress inclusively.

The first is for countries to review urgently teaching and learning about climate change. The Greening Education Partnership co-developed with young people the new global guidance: Green school standardand Greening curriculum guidance. We urge countries to use them as key reference documents for this pressing and challenging work. We must build on the growing momentum in greening education and provide quality climate education to every learner.

The second Is to have regular stock takes such as this recent panel discussion gathering ministers, young people and other key players in climate change education. We must monitor progress on greening education, to maintain momentum and continuously understand new challenges and opportunities.

Last but certainly not least, we must engage young people in all these activities and harness their energy and enthusiasm. Most young people are students; most students are young people. Youth must be meaningfully engaged in greening education to ensure that any progress made is reflective of what we want and need.

• Greening Education Partnership