Trends in Climate Change Communication and Education: Insights From Country Profiles

• In Event: Research-Policy Collaborations for Climate Communication and Education

Abstract

This presentation will share results from country profiles of CCE provision across 80 countries. This work is a partnership between the MECCE Project and Advisory Committee member, the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report. A detailed and standardized web search protocol was followed to collect information and documents from each country in a consistent way. Examples of the documents collected include National Communications, Nationally Determined Contributions, laws, policies, curriculum documents, and websites of relevant government agencies. More than 500 experts, including national ACE focal points, national delegations, the GEM Report, and MECCE Project team members, have been invited to review, update and validate the information in the country profiles.

Each country profile describes: the context for CCE, including relevant government agencies, laws, policies, plans, terminology and budget allocations; climate change education policies and curriculum in primary, secondary and tertiary education, teacher training, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and adult education; climate change communication (public awareness, public access to education and public participation); monitoring and evaluation.

To identify trends across the country profiles, measures were developed to help support policy coherence and peer learning across countries. The preliminary mapping of the measures suggests that, while infrastructure for quality CCE exists in most countries, mainstreaming of quality CCE across sectors remains primarily aspirational. The paper will share key results from the measures created, such as the extent of legislation and policies that support mainstreaming climate change into formal education curriculum, and the inclusion of social and emotional learning in primary and secondary education national curricula. Countries are also increasingly focusing on CCE policies, plans, strategies and activities on Indigenous participation, knowledge, and gender.

The country profiles aim to support peer learning and global monitoring of progress in CCE. As the world unites to negotiate the steps needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change, the profiles indicate whether and how countries are engaging in CCE and in doing so helping to build global capacity for climate action within an urgent time frame.

Authors

• Kristen Bray Hargis, University of Saskatchewan

• Mariana Campos Rivera, University of Saskatchewan