Written by Bran Howell, Education Specialist at The Eden Project, a COBIS Charity Partner

Intergenerational disagreements aren’t new - it wasn’t that long ago that shoulder-length hair was considered an act of rebellion, but such acts will pale into insignificance if we fail to address the climate emergency that we are passing on to the next generation - Fridays for the Future is just the opening salvo. Many young people are already anxious and angry about the inaction and denial that has characterised our generation’s response to climate change so far.

So why should it matter to us? I believe as teachers we should take note for at least three reasons:

• We care about the future of our students.
• The climate emergency has finally become mainstream and we are failing in our role of preparing young people for their future if we ignore it.
• Teaching climate-motivated students who don’t feel like their concerns are being heard is only going to make our job harder.

Like many others, the English education system hasn’t really moved on from the Victorian model where, essentially, we teach young people to become good employees and great consumers. Realistically these underlying principles won’t change quickly, but as soon as you start to take climate change seriously, the context, content and approach starts to look unfit for purpose and we need to rapidly develop alternative paradigms. When it comes to climate change, many curricula barely cover the science, let alone the solutions, and even less about the sorts of people we need to be if we want to respond to the climate emergency and still remain healthy and happy. 

Here at the Eden Project, we believe that education needs to become a culture and system that nurtures and rewards the sort of person we want to be standing next to in a time of emergency. Somebody who is equipped with the knowledge and skills needed and with the strength of character and resilience to use them well and wisely.

So how can we prepare young people for this brave new world?

One of the most important jobs that teachers can do is to step up to the challenge and use our skills, experience and passion to help prepare the next generation for the challenges that the 21^st century will continue to throw at them.

Many of the answers are out there, but just like the problems, we may have chosen to ignore them. So we need to change our script, become heroic characters and put ourselves and our students back in the driving seat. This might be a time of challenges but it is an opportunity: time to prove that humans are actually pretty cool and if we got ourselves into this mess, we can get out of it. An approach which frankly sounds more fun than most of the alternatives laid out before us at the moment.

Climate education can’t just be tackled in a lesson plan - this is bigger than all of us and it is going to need a societal approach. As educators, we need to be pragmatic, do what works best, and stop dithering. We can’t pretend climate education is for scientists, geographers or the green jobs sector.

Everything we do has a carbon footprint, including our jobs, so a zero-carbon future depends on every career changing and becoming a ‘green’ job. Consequently, if we are to prepare students for this brave new world, every subject we’ve ever taught needs the same treatment.

But, it’s not just about learning, it’s about attitude, and action. Schools need to walk the talk, be exemplars and lead the way, adopting an approach that models the practical and intellectual solutions, demonstrating that solutions are possible, here and now - and we really need to start now (yesterday would have been good).

Since the Eden Project opened 21 years ago we have been exploring and action-researching teaching and learning in support of Eden’s mission and our vision for children and young people who are inspired, motivated and equipped to create, and thrive in, a better future for all living things. To achieve this our work: 

• Fosters a deep connection to the natural world
• Teaches the knowledge and thinking skills to understand and manage the life support systems we live within and complex problems we face
• Develops the skills, imagination and resilience to work together for the benefit of all living things

We strongly believe that to facilitate real change children and young people need to be: ​

• Supported by teachers with resources and training to create nature-friendly, holistic learning for sustainability​
• Embedded in thriving, biodiverse and sustainable schools and communities

We’d love to explore the possibilities for different ways of working with our young people to create a positive future together. Check out our free resources, online programmes for students and professional development for teachers www.edenproject.com/learn/schools to find out more.