Sustainability and climate issues across the curriculum- where to start?

By Divisha Patel

‘Sustainability’ has become a major buzzword of the 21st century, and will continue to rise in importance in the coming years. Teaching sustainability is often shoe-horned into Geography and Science lessons as some may not believe it is relevant to other subject areas or may not feel confident teaching the core principles of sustainability. However, teaching sustainability, especially climate change, must now go beyond science and data, and must develop knowledge and values that allows students to understand their role in a rapidly changing world. Given the changes in the physical environment, alongside the global resources and financial instability we are experiencing, it is important that we equip and support students in understanding how their lifestyles may change, and heed their wellbeing concerns, such as eco-anxiety. 

Over the year, I will be writing a blog post per term to help us towards incorporating sustainability and climate education in our curriculum:

1. Where to start?

2. Current opportunities and curriculum planning

3. Goals for the future

   
   

This week and the following week marks the period of time for which world leaders will be attending and discussing climate-related issues at the COP27 summit. COP27 is an annual summit for governments to agree steps to limit global temperature rises. This will be the fifth time a COP has been hosted in Africa. The IPCC says Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. Currently, 17 million people are estimated to be facing food insecurity in east Africa because of drought. Not only will some of these communities have familial links with WA students, but also these communities may have been home for our first-generation immigrant students. 

Until now subject areas and teachers have been able to keep sustainability and climate education at arm’s length due to contending curriculum demands, however the UK Government have recently set out plans in line with their ‘Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy’ which is going to change the landscape of how sustainability and climate education is addressed in schools. 

Initiatives within the Government’s strategy include:

• Secondary school students will be able to study the natural world through an exciting new GCSE in Natural History which will be introduced by September 2025

• Greater support for teaching climate change at all levels, and by 2023, there will be new requirements for further education teachers to build sustainability into their teaching

• A new Climate Award in recognition for students’ work to improve their environment, with a prestigious national awards ceremony held every year

• The rollout of carbon literacy training to support at least one sustainability lead in every nursery, school, college and university

  
  

It is important that we are aware of these changes, and where possible, get on the forefront of them. WA recently welcomed the directors of UCL’s new ‘Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education’ and the Geography department have been working with academics at Imperial College’s Grantham Institute whose vision is to create ‘a sustainable, resilient, zero-carbon future.’ But our work shouldn’t and can’t stop there…

What are our next steps as a school? 

• Discuss the social implications of sustainability and climate change, for example, with your tutor groups, discuss the importance of public transport and recycling

• Celebrate the ongoing environmental science work by people such as Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenborough 

• Use website such as Green Choices and Eco Schools to inform planning in your subject areas 

• Engage with and contribute to the research from UCL’s Centre for Sustainable and Climate Education here. They have great articles and webinars for you to learn more about their key foci

• Speak to members of the Geography and Science departments if you want further advice on how to incorporate sustainability and climate education into your curriculum areas  

  
  

There are many, many other steps we can take as a school to enhance our sustainability and climate education delivery, but hopefully, reading this article and giving pause for thoughts about what this means to you and your subject area, is a step in the right direction, for both our school; our local communities; and the global community.