Climate education in secondary school and the pedagogical implications

Climate change continues to be a threat to the existence of humankind as it destabilises societal, economic and ecological systems (WHO, 2015), and uncertainties around climate change can create significant challenges when trying to adapt and mitigate the consequences. Consequently, climate change requires a global response, with everyone making a positive contribution through responsible behaviours to preserve our environment. The collective action to fight climate change is seen in the recent COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, with various countries, organisations and individuals suggesting ways to improve our planet and living conditions. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 13) focuses on climate action and indicates that we should take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (UN, 2021). The climate crisis has seen a cataclysmic impact, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing exponentially, and the UN suggests that the highest priority areas should be protected. They include food security and production, terrestrial and wetland ecosystems, freshwater resources, human health, and key economic sectors and services. Subsequently, the UN decided to educate people on climate change through harnessing climate and sustainable development goal synergies by creating e-learning courses to share the science, evidence and tools to facilitate this learning