Experts urge government to address climate emergency in national curriculum reforms

The CAR is a review of the existing national curriculum for England, commissioned by the Department for Education and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE.  

The letter, published today and led by Professor Nicola Walshe (Pro-Director Education and Executive Director of the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education) together with sustainability charity Global Action Plan, urges Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education, to ensure that the new National Curriculum adequately prepares young people for the challenges of tackling the climate emergency.

The joint statement adds to growing calls for Professor Becky Francis, Chair of the Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR), to establish a formal expert sub-group on sustainability education.

The letter, which will remain open for others to sign, highlights the urgent need for the National Curriculum to reflect the reality of the rapidly changing world, where climate and environmental crises will directly impact future generations. It calls for a curriculum that equips young people not only with the knowledge and skills to understand the crisis but also with the tools to actively engage in building a climate resilient sustainable future.

Signatories include some of the UK’s leading experts in climate, education and sustainability, including UCL’s Professor Chris Rapley (UCL Earth Sciences) and Professor Mark Maslin (UCL Geography), Sir David King of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group and Dr Morgan Philips, Director of Education at Global Action Plan.

Professor Walshe said: “Education is the key to unlocking a future where the next generation is equipped to deal with the climate crisis. The National Curriculum must reflect the urgency of the environmental challenges we face and ensure that all students leave school with the knowledge, understanding, and capabilities to address them.

"This is not just a question of teaching more science but engaging with environmental issues across the curriculum and transforming the entire educational system to embrace sustainability at every level.”

Dr Phillips added: "Young people today are inheriting a world on the brink of climate and ecological collapse. It is essential that the National Curriculum equips them not just with knowledge of these issues, but with the practical skills, and the desire, to take meaningful and collective action. Today’s National Curriculum for England is failing to do this, sustainability and climate change education needs to be at the heart of its next iteration."

The letter was coordinated by the UCL Centre for Climate Change & Sustainability Education and Global Action Plan.

The full letter is on the Global Action Plan Website.

Links

• Full letter on the Global Action Plan website
• Professor Nicola Walshe’s academic profile
• UCL Centre for Climate Change & Sustainability Education
• IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society
• The Curriculum Assessment Review

Image

• iStock. Credit: Davide Zanin

Media contact

Kate Corry

k.corry@ucl.ac.uk