Knowledge to Action: Imperatives for Climate Change Education

On 8 December 2023 UNU-IAS will organize a side event at the Thailand Pavilion of the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP28) with the support of the Government of Thailand. The session will focus the importance of climate change education in developing competency and commitment to climate action among youths. Drawing on personal experiences of educators and students, it will discuss ways in which climate change knowledge can empower young people to recognize their capacity and develop a sense of environmental responsibility. The event will also highlight eco-school activities in Thailand and Malaysia, and youth-led initiatives including online groups championing youth climate action.

Key discussion points will include:

• Why is climate change education important to teach to young people?
• How can knowledge of climate change be translated into action for climate change?
• What components of climate change education in various learning settings can instill relevant skills and facilitate pro-environmental behaviour among learners?

Language

This event will be held in English.

Programme

13:00–13:10 Introduction

13:10–14:10 Panel Discussion

Moderator: Jerome Silla (Research Associate, UNU-IAS)

Panelists: 

• Boonthawee Boonhai (Principal, Hua Hin Demonstration School, Thailand) 
• Kitzia Irina Oribe Aguilar (Student, UNU-IAS) 
• Lee Ken Voon (Principal, SM St. Patrick, Malaysia) 

14:10–14:30 Q&A and Closing

Organizers

This event will be organized by UNU-IAS with the support of the Government of Thailand.

Background

While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines climate change literacy as “being aware of climate change, its anthropogenic causes, and implications”, experts still debate as to what extent climate change education should cover to elicit pro-environmental behaviours among the young generation. According to the Climate Change Education Ambition Report Card, all countries failed to commit in extensively including climate change education in their Nationally Determined Contributions and/or National Climate Change Learning Strategies. Furthermore, while UNESCO data shows that 53% of the world’s national education curricula make reference to climate change at least once, global data on effective implementation is still lacking.