Why education and climate cannot be siloed

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE EDUCATION HAS EVER FACED Spoiler alert: it is NOT moving humanity to Mars. We are educating for economies that destroy the planet (including us) instead of educating for a livable future. This is not an exaggeration. Global education systems still largely prepare students to succeed in extractive economic systems ones that prioritize growth and consumption over regeneration and care. We teach young people to adapt to the system, but rarely to question it. Meanwhile, the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and social inequality deepen. In fact, a global survey by Global Commons Alliance (2021) showed that 56% of young people believe humanity is doomed (the numbers are probably worse anno 2025) and many experts say that one of the most powerful tools we have is education. But here’s the paradox: education, as it is now, is too often part of the problem. We’re too busy meeting today’s deadlines to face tomorrow’s collapse. What’s even more disturbing: in multiple public surveys, including one from YouGov (2021), more people believe we’ll colonize Mars than solve the climate crisis on Earth. That belief isn’t rooted in scientific probability, it’s rooted in how disconnected we’ve become from the Earth and from our own agency to change course. Education should counter that. But instead, it often reinforces it. The systems we operate in (schools, universities, job markets) reward individual achievement, productivity, and standardization. But these same systems are not preparing students to live wisely and responsibly on a planet under stress. They’re not helping them develop a deep relationship with the natural world, or equipping them to make complex ethical choices in the face of uncertainty. This isn’t just a curriculum issue. It’s a worldview issue. Education has become a silent accomplice in the crisis. Not out of bad intent, but out of inertia. It’s overwhelming. It’s scary. But it’s also a call. A call to rethink what education is for. To redesign education to raise stewards, not just professionals. To teach for thriving, not just surviving. The real challenge isn’t teaching students to reach Mars. It’s teaching them to care enough about Earth to stay.

Education will play a vital role in accelerating energy transition. The younger generations are already engaged in climate issues and are a lot more knowledgeable on these issues than many of us were in the past. But I still believe there is a need for broader, more holistic education. Students need to learn what it means to rewire the entire economy to use energy differently, and how to make this process more efficient. Unfortunately a lot of this education is (understandably) focussed towards the sciences. When in reality, a lot of the transition drivers, both accelerators and inhibitors, are social, political and economic. We are dealing with complicated interrelated systems and, with siloed academic disciplines, this can lead to incomplete strategy and analysis. Academic boundaries mean that the sciences are too often unaware or neglectful of social issues and that the humanities lack understanding of the science. An approach that doesn’t look at systems in their entirety is always going to face unforeseen obstacles and pushback. Systems thinking needs to be more broadly taught if we are to build effective wide-reaching sustainable outcomes to the challenges we face. #education #energytransition #climate

Dubai Cares recently launched “Rewiring Education: The Climate-Education Nexus” during #UNGA79 week. This report, shaped by two years of consultations, as well as insights from the RewirEd Summit 2023 held at #COP28, brings together education and climate action stakeholders 🌍. The report underscores how transforming education systems is essential to tackling climate challenges. Key takeaways: 🌱 Early Childhood Development: Investing in early childhood education fosters environmental awareness and resilience from a young age. This is crucial for building the future problem-solvers of tomorrow. 📚 Embedding Climate Education: The report calls for climate education to be fully integrated across all levels of learning. By reshaping curricula, students can develop critical thinking and practical skills to address climate issues. Teachers play a pivotal role and must be supported with the necessary resources. 🤝 Collaboration Across Sectors: Cross-sector partnerships—between governments, businesses, and civil society—are essential to embedding education into broader climate strategies. Collective efforts will amplify the impact of climate education globally. 📊 Measuring Impact: To track progress, robust monitoring frameworks are necessary. Successful local models must be scaled up to ensure effective climate education worldwide. 🔗 Community Engagement: Schools and communities must work together to promote climate awareness and action. This collaboration connects classroom learning to real-world sustainability efforts, engaging students as active participants in climate solutions. The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges of our time, but education provides a powerful path forward. The “Rewiring Education” report offers a clear roadmap for turning ideas into action. Follow the 🔗 in the comments ⬇️ to download and read the report in full. #Education #ClimateEducation #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #TransformingEducation #ClimateCrisis #SDG4 #SDG13 #SDG17

Over 20 students displaced by the LA fires joined my classes recently–many with no foundational skills for my curriculum. This week at work: How to pivot and embrace student experience as the engine for learning. As the climate crisis creates more disasters that displace entire communities, getting students motivated to complete assignments with integrity and quality is becoming increasingly harder–how can you justify to a kid who lost their home and belongings that your worksheet or test is important? One of my key strategies for overcoming these challenges is to embrace that student experience, and leverage individual students’ curiosity, passion, and  desire to solve problems and make their world better. As it turns out, my photography students completed an assignment this week themed “Man vs. Nature,” a prompt I’ve used for years to drive creative work, and at the same time create awareness of issues like climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction. Students from Palisades High School (the school and many of the students’ homes were destroyed in the Palisades fire) have been scattered across Los Angeles, a good number of whom enrolled at my school. These students put their personal take on my assignment, using it as an opportunity to document and process the complicated feelings and thoughts they’re facing right now. As the climate crisis creates more disasters that displace entire communities and affects our teacher and student physical and mental health, the separation of school and real life is no longer a realistic or viable pedagogical strategy. Every lesson has to connect to current events and student experience. But disruptions like this also open up many opportunities. We get to meet new people that had been stratified by social class, race, and geography, and to learn from other schools and communities. Students or employees come to us with a variety skills, experiences, and cultural backgrounds, and it’s up to educators and leadership not only to support those individual needs, but to also draw upon those diverse talents to enrich our curriculum. Schools and employers will have to become more flexible, giving up traditions like funding based on attendance, and need to embrace remote work (even when so many companies–and the Trump administration–are pushing back against it to force workers to physically be in the office). And with physical and emotional experiences affecting students’ ability to concentrate, rigid status quo curriculum and assessment strategies are no longer ethically viable or productive (if they ever were). #education #projectbasedlearning #StorytellingWithPurpose #climatecrisis #LAfires

Employers today are strategically preparing for an uncertain future shaped by climate challenges. However, a concerning gap exists as many new graduates lack the essential environmental literacy crucial for navigating this evolving landscape, akin to the pivotal digital skills required two decades ago. Drawing insights from the recent Maharashtra flooding crisis, I delve into the imperative of infusing sustainability education throughout ALL academic curricula, transcending beyond the notion of specialized environmental tracks. Whether in economics, engineering, or literature, the integration of this knowledge is indispensable across all fields. Furthermore, forward-thinking employers are increasingly recognizing the value of recruiting climate-literate individuals to gain a competitive edge, foster innovation, and enhance resilience in the face of changing environmental dynamics. With the margin for error rapidly diminishing, it is evident that embracing sustainability education is not just a choice but a strategic necessity for businesses looking to thrive in an uncertain future. Explore my analysis for further insights, and your feedback is welcome.

I’ve worked on integrating sustainability into education systems for fifteen years. What’s become blindingly obvious in my experience is how climate touches nearly every aspect of schools. Most importantly, it affects our kids. Now. The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has an article out showing us how. Heat. Smoke. Floods. These cause stress, respiratory distress, pain, illness, & school closure. Those impacts cause learning loss that disproportionately affects poor & marginalized kids, 240+ million of them. We can’t wait to act on climate. Our kids need us to act today. https://lnkd.in/eywk9EpB