Education has not been prioritized as a solution to the climate crisis, yet we believe it is critical to reaching long-term mitigation and adaptation goals. Over 130 countries have targeted reaching net zero by 2050,9 which will require halving emissions each decade in the 2020s, 2030s and 2040s, While technological innovations are an important lever to accomplish this goal, especially for the first halving of emissions, reaching and sustaining net zero on the path to 1.5°C also requires relearning how to live on this planet and with each other, recognizing that our climate is already rapidly changing.

We see three primary areas where education can play a major role addressing the climate crisis. While there is some momentum in each of these three areas, more is needed to meet the moment, including greater coordination, scale of activity, and funding.

Teaching climate literacy for behavior change & collective action: Some estimate that as much as ~20-37% (~390-730 GT) of the emissions reduction needed to achieve net zero depends on individual and household behavior change. Reaching a 1.5°C world calls for a climate literate population; yet only three countries have formally integrated climate literacy into their curricula. This leaves the majority of teachers and students with a patchwork of resources for climate action, despite increasing calls for support by activists, teachers’ unions, and students themselves. Inspiring behavior change among students and making them agents of change will require a deep commitment to robust, action-oriented, empowering programming as opposed to mere ‘information dissemination’ about climate change and action. Moreover, teachers will need quality training and support to implement the curricula.

Cultivating skills for a “just transition” to a green economy: New economies will require transformative green skills, new forms of leadership and the re-skilling of those in impacted industries as well as communities that have historically endured social marginalization, including women and girls. In other words, these transition efforts should emphasize justice and equity, ensuring that barriers to entry, success, and leadership are eliminated, including harmful gender norms, structural racism, economic discrimination, and inequitable workplace policies. Handled correctly, this transition could deliver millions of new jobs in sustainable economies, while failure could result in mass structural unemployment, undermining public support for climate action. Yet fewer than 40% of NDCs reference skills training, and 1 in 5 have no plans for training or capacity development at all. Plans that do exist are often reactive rather than proactive, focusing narrowly on retraining for displaced workers rather than the transformative leadership skills needed at all levels of organizations and communities. Too narrow a focus on technical skills also risks reinforcing the gendered nature of our current economy, and risks reinforcing a status quo where women and girls are excluded from economic opportunity. Teaching the technical and transformative skills needed for an equitable green transition will require significant investment from both domestic budgets and development financing. For the greatest impact, these efforts should be in partnership with the private sector, trade unions and civil society, and guided by the principles of justice, equity, and inclusion – when done well, such partnerships can offer win-wins that deliver more equitable education and employment at the same time as they further a green economic agenda.

Building the capacity to adapt: Education is strongly connected to a person’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances – something that will be crucial for society as the effects of climate change intensify. But populations most vulnerable to climate change today are often those in developing countries with the least access to education-the majority of whom are women and girls. Improving access to education that builds adaptive capacity and removes barriers to empowerment is critical to building climate resilience. Moreover, schools that adapt themselves to be more resilient could provide protection, shelter in case of disaster, ensure food security through school meals and other support, bolster mental health and resilience, and help build the future workforce.

By leveraging the power of education to address these three areas, students are empowered to bring climate learnings from schools into communities, workers attain the technical and transformative skills necessary to thrive in the green economy, leaders are equipped to unleash the next tier of climate innovations and navigate a just transition, and citizens learn how to use their voice, consumer power, and political support to drive climate action. Make no mistake, if we don’t mobilize education for climate action now, we put current and future generations at risk of being ill-equipped for one of society’s most pressing challenges.