On Friday 11 December 2009 the international think-tank International Alliance of Leading Education Institutes (IALEI) is publishing its research report "Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the Response from Education". This report contains eight specific recommendations on how education can become part of the solution to the climate crisis.

These recommendations come from a one year multi-national study that takes stock of how things stand with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in ten countries around the world, including Denmark.

The sustainable element in the think-tank's recommendations is that a change in mindset and behaviour require that we focus on incorporating sustainability into the education of young people. The think-tank is therefore sending a signal to the political negotiators for them to include education in the climate agreements.

Teachers must be trained in sustainable development

According to the think-tank, educational institutions will be better at integrating sustainable development into the everyday lives of school children and teach them about handling uncertainty and risks which are associated with climate issues.

One of the recommendations states that pupils must work more on a cross-curricular basis and become actively involved in questions on sustainable development outside the school environment. This presupposes new skills for school teachers.  Another recommendation from the think-tank is therefore to ensure that sustainable development becomes part of the training for teachers.  

"Work on Education for Sustainable Development in teacher training must be enhanced so we can equip future teachers to teach children and young people about sustainable development. This also implies that we need more further education initiatives to be implemented," says professor Jeppe Læsøe from the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University, who is the project manager for the report.

We must learn to handle uncertainty

With its eight recommendations, the think-tank points out that an ambitious venture for Sustainable Development is necessary if, as a society, we are to prepare citizens for handling climate issues, and the uncertainty that is associated with them.

"If Denmark is to be at the forefront with sustainability issues, we should take a completely fresh look at the educational system. For centuries the logic in the educational system has been that we must impart and teach children about certainties. Today the great challenge is, however, related to uncertainty, dilemmas and ethical choices".
 
And this is precisely what Education for Sustainable Development is about. Chris Husbands, professor at the Institute of Education London, who is also a member of the think-tank, explains why the climate issues require new skills and education: 
 
"Basic science behind climate changes is clear: the earth is heating up as a result of emissions of large amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. No one doubts this. But at the same time climate change continues to be more unpredictable and complex which makes it difficult to decide what is going to happen in the future. The implication is such that climate changes are just as much an educational problem as a scientific problem", says Chris Husbands.

The think-tank warns against cutting back on Education for Sustainable Development for factual scientific communication and citizen information. Education for Sustainable Development is about enhancing a general development of skills of its citizens, so citizens become competent at taking responsibility and incorporating new solutions to the climate problems.

International education alliance

International Alliance of Leading Education Institutes (IALEI) is the world's first think-tank within educational research. It consists of ten of the world's leading research and educational institutes within research and education. The think-tank is publishing today eight recommendations on how education can contribute to solving the climate crisis. The recommendations have been drawn up on the basis of the report "Climate Change and Sustainable Development, the Response from Education".

Facts

'Can Education Change the Climate?'
International conference on 11 December 2009 at the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University.

See programme and download the report and the eight recommendations from: www.dpu.dk/climate