Climate Change Education and Curriculum Revision
Janssen Edelweiss Teixeira, Elizabeth Crawford
Abstract
Climate change is the single greatest threat facing livelihoods and well-being. During the past decade, countries globally have faced catastrophic weather events such as record-breaking heat waves, massive wildfires, drought, and flooding, indicating that climate change impacts are accelerating more rapidly than previously predicted. Climate change threatens to destabilize Earth's major biophysical systems that regulate the climate and support life-supporting biodiversity. In its 6 th Assessment Report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2021) warns that "unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to close to 1.5C or even 2C will be beyond reach". With numerous Earth system thresholds reaching tipping points, climate scientists, scholars, and policymakers are calling for transformational system change toward human and planetary well-being (Waddock, 2020). While no country is immune, susceptibility to climate change varies significantly by geographical region and sector (Cardona et al., 2012). As a large and densely populated archipelago nation, Indonesia is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. It ranks in the top-third of countries in climate risk with high exposure to hazards like flooding, extreme heat, landslides, and The Climate Challenge 1.0 Climate change is intensifying worldwide, and countries might be approaching a tipping point from which there will be no return to avoid extensive damages. While the impacts of climate change affect every country, nations like Indonesia are more susceptible to suffering its devastating consequences, such as irreversible resource loss and more frequent severe weather events. Preparing the next generation to mitigate and adapt to ongoing climate change requires systems transformation, including the integration of climate change education (CCE) across school curricula at all levels, from preschool to tertiary education, and the creation of a coalition of actors committed to climate action.