Evidence
Base
There are some common misconceptions about climate and sustainability education which have been exposed by a growing body of research and are now also being addressed by the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
Teaching about climate change is more than simply caring for the environment. As important as it is to pick up litter, students need to understand that to address climate change we need to act on the causes of climate change. Other misconceptions include that climate change should only be taught as part of the secondary science and geography curriculum, that primary age children are too young to learn about climate change and that teaching climate change breaches political impartiality or causes climate anxiety and therefore should be avoided. These misconceptions are not supported by research and are increasingly being challenged by teachers, education leaders, academics and crucially, by students themselves. Evidence shows that climate change and sustainability should be woven through every subject for every age group across the whole curriculum.
