Italy will make learning about climate change a compulsory part of the education curriculum from next year, in a move that makes it the first country worldwide to do so.
The causes and impacts of climate change will be an important component of civics classes, whilst students will also be required to broach the topic as part of other subjects such as maths and physics. The lessons will make up approximately 33 hours of the year, equivalent to about an hour a week.
For the youngest elementary school students, lessons are likely to come in the form of fictional stories that illustrate the critical role of the environment in supporting life on Earth. Older students will study the basic science of climate change, while high school students will study the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Italy’s education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti said the move aimed to bring sustainability to the core of education.
“I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school,” Fioramonti told Reuters.
“The entire ministry is being changed to make sustainability and climate the center of the education model.”
Students will commence working on the new climate change-themed lesson plans as of 2020. Australia currently has no overarching, national coordination of climate change education.
Positive Action
- In an effort to support Australian educators teach children about climate change, the Climate Reality Project have developed a number of education resources.
- Check out our Schools Tree Day lesson plans and digital worksheets for more ideas on teaching students about the value of the environment.
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Positive Environment News has been compiled using publicly available information. Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.