This condense report summarizes the findings of a global survey and focus group discussions on young people’s learning experiences and demands on quality climate change education, based on responses from about 17,500 young people across 166 countries.
The findings shed light on how young people are currently experiencing climate change education and what they want to see differently in the future around five key aspects: learning content, ways of teaching and learning, the learning environment, school management and learning partnerships. According to the report, currently, 70 per cent of the youth surveyed cannot explain, can only explain the broad principles, or do not know anything about climate change, as they feel a lack of quality in the current way climate change is taught.
The observations gained through the study are intended to inform the discussions on climate change education and Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) at COP27 in Egypt and beyond. Under its global framework on Education for Sustainable Development ‘ESD for 2030’ and through the Greening Education Partnership launched at the UN Transforming Education Summit, UNESCO aims to get every learner climate-ready by supporting Member States’ efforts to integrate climate change education holistically in education policy and practice. Based on the demands of young people presented in this document, UNESCO and its partners will work to translate youth demands into a curriculum guide for policy-makers and educators.