Education for environmental sustainability: A manifesto

• Case study
• Environmental Sustainability and Resilience

Posted on 31 October 2021

The issue

Humanity faces a climate crisis. Education is needed to help the next generation adapt and respond to challenges associated with the changing climate, but our schools are not currently meeting the environmental sustainability needs of most young people. The British Educational Research Association (BERA) Research Commission 2021 brought together teachers and young people from across the UK to create a manifesto for change.

The research

The study aims to analyse the current position of education for environmental sustainability, what change is needed, and the barriers to this change. In May and June 2021, a series ofonline workshops was held, stimulated by provocations - videos and text produced by young people and environmental educators sharing their visions. Responses from over 200 young people and teachers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were received.

The outcome

In relation to policy, young people and teachers identified barriers to change as power imbalances, not being heard, lack of funding and lack of leadership from government. They also highlighted public discourse which individualises environmental action, and a curriculum and assessment system which doesn’t value - and crowds out - environmental sustainability.  

The manifesto calls for policy makers to:

• Initiate a co-ordinated review of the secondary school national curriculum in each of the four jurisdictions which has teacher and student involvement. This will identify ways to foreground and value sustainability within a whole school approach regardless of the subjects students elect to study.
• Identify ways that environmental sustainability can feature in existing accountability regimes eg inspection frameworks, professional standards for teachers, and policies to value sustainability work in schools
• Create an external, accredited award for students which has an environmental sustainability focus, similar to existing schemes such as Duke of Edinburgh, John Muir, CREST award, valuing individual and collective efforts and environmental leadership 
• Enlist the endorsement of respected public figures including politicians, celebrities, organisations and social media influencers to promote education for environmental sustainability.