Greening every curriculum
Vision: Embrace a life-long learning approach that integrates climate education into school curricula, technical and vocational education and training, workplace skills development, teaching materials, pedagogy, and assessment.
Goal: The number of countries which include climate education in school curricula at the pre-primary, primary, and secondary levels will have at least doubled from the current ~45%.
A green curriculum integrates climate mitigation and adaptation in teaching and learning from pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary school levels as well as in teacher training. It emphasizes the interconnections between the environment, economy, and society, engaging students across cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioral domains to inspire action for sustainability. 
Greening curriculum guidance
This Guidance responds to the calls from young people for a holistic approach to climate change and sustainability in the curriculum. It outlines a common language on how quality climate change and sustainability can be reflected in the curriculum by setting expected learning outcomes per age group (from 5-year olds and up to 18+ age group, including a lifelong learning approach).
The Guidance sets 4 key principles of greening education:
- Action-oriented
- Justice-promoting
- Quality content
- Comprehensive and relevant
Under these principles, the Guidance lists the key concepts and topics of climate change education under the Environmental, Social and Economic domains and sets out specific learning outcomes for each topic across the cognitive, social and emotional and behavioral dimensions.
A 10-step roadmap
The Guidance provides a 10-step roadmap for countries to implement greening curriculum.
- Step 1. Review existing education policies for footholds and rationales for strengthening the presence of greening education in the curriculum.
- Step 2. Establish and ensure inclusive participation of stakeholders in the curriculum development process, including youth and community members.
- Step 3. Decide on curricular strategies for infusing greening education within and across subjects and grade levels in schools, as well as recommendations for the non-formal education sector.
- Step 4. Develop a detailed curriculum that ensures action-oriented learner outcomes, including the use of transformative and ‘place-based’ pedagogy.
- Step 5. Prepare and pilot sample instructional resources within and across subject areas to test the new curriculum and solicit feedback from numerous stakeholders, especially youth.
- Step 6. Finalize, produce and distribute learning resources, including suggestions for assessment, with an associated communication and publicity strategy.
- Step 7. Provide substantive orientation to greening education for textbook writers, examination board staff and other stakeholders, and obtain any necessary approvals.
- Step 8. Provide educators with quality pre- and in-service training and continuous professional development opportunities, in cooperation with higher education institutions and CSOs.
- Step 9. Implement the Guidance through whole institution approaches and strengthen partnerships between schools, CSOs, municipal authorities and the private sector to implement greening education.
- Step 10. Monitor and assess the results of education programming on climate change competencies in an ongoing manner.
Key dates
- June 2024
Release of publication - July onwards
Unpacking the Greening curriculum guidance in countries by adapting the guidance for national curriculum review and update, developing teaching and learning materials in accordance to the guidance, and conducting capacities building activities using the guidance - By 2030: 90% countries green national curriculum by 2030.
Contact
For more information, please contact gep@unesco.org
