Understanding climate change education

Education is key to tackling the climate crisis

Education is a vital component of climate change action because it plays a crucial role in equipping current and future generations with the holistic knowledge and skills to address climate-related challenges.

We believe that amplifying student voices and developing their critical, creative and communication skills are key to finding solutions to the climate crisis. We want to inspire and empower learners to solve problems by considering the challenge from different perspectives – at local, national and global levels.

By embedding climate change in our curriculum, we can help Cambridge schools deliver a climate change education that combines understanding, evaluating, caring and responding. This will give learners the confidence to thrive and make a positive impact in our changing world.

What does good climate change education look like and how is it delivered?

Building on research from the University of Cambridge, our experience as the world’s largest provider of international education programmes, and insight from our global community of 10 000 Cambridge schools in over 160 countries, we champion world-class climate change education.

We believe that:

• local context matters. We work with Cambridge schools to equip students with the skills they need to respond creatively to national and global climate challenges. Our teaching and learning programmes give students the skills they need.
• the breadth of the climate crisis requires a multi-disciplinary response. As a major issue facing society, multiple subjects can contribute the skills required to understand and tackle climate change. That’s why we have developed a climate change education framework and are integrating climate change education throughout the Cambridge Pathway, reaching all stages of school curricula.
• learners need a balance of knowledge, skills and attitudes to effectively respond to the climate crisis. As well as integrating climate change knowledge throughout the Cambridge Pathway, our active learning approach is key. This approach develops learners’ critical, creative and communication skills to inspire action and make a positive impact. Our Cambridge learner attributes build the attitudes and values to drive action in climate change.

Working together to make change happen