UNESCO.education Sector Responses to Climate Change

7/30/2019 UNESCO.education Sector Responses to Climate Change

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Background Paper with International Examples

Responses to

Climate Change

Education Sector


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Responses toClimate ChangeEducation Sector

Background Paper with International Examples


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Published by UNESCO BangkokAsia and Paciic Regional Bureau or EducationMom Luang Pin Malakul Centenary Building920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, KlongtoeyBangkok 10110, Thailand

UNESCO 2012

All rights reserved

The designations employed and the presentation o material throughout this publication do not imply the expression o anyopinion whatsoever on the part o UNESCO concerning the legal status o any country, territory, city or area or o its authorities,or concerning the delimitation o its rontiers or boundaries.

The authors are responsible or the choice and the presentation o the acts contained in this book and or the opinions expressedtherein, which are not necessarily those o UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.

UNESCO Bangkok is committed to widely disseminating inormation and to this end welcomes enquiries or reprints, adaptations,republishing or translating this or other publications. Please contact [email protected] or urther inormation.

Design/Layout: Sirisak ChaiyasookFront cover photo: UNESCO/S. Chaiyasook and UNESCO/CLI LINKS

TH/ESD/12/OS/009-E
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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ContentsList o acronyms iv

Foreword v

1Introduction 11.1 Impacts o Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Climate Change Education 4

2.1 Education or Sustainable Development (ESD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42.2 Climate Change Education (CCE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3Analytical Framework o Climate Change Responses in the Education Sector 8

3.1 Climate Change Education Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4 Climate Change Response in the Education Sector: International Examples 13

4.1 Solar Schools in Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134.2 Cross-Sectoral Programs in Republic o Korea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144.3 Provincial Policy Making in Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

4.4 Eco-Schools in Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.5 Schools as Shelters: Experiences rom Bangladesh and India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.6 Indigenous Knowledge in Assam, India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.7 Gender Responsive Participation in Sri Lanka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174.8 Disaster Risk Reduction Mainstreamed into School Curricula: Lessons rom Madagascar . . . .184.9 Asian University Network o Environment and Disaster Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .194.10 Kids ISO 14000 Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204.11 Sandwatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

5Conclusion and Way Forward 22

5.1 Challenge o Climate Change Responses in The Education Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .225.2 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Reerences 26

Appendix 1 30

Appendix 2 32

List of TablesTable 1: The possible sequencing o educational responses 9

Table 2: Framework or analyzing international examples o responding to climate change in edu-

cation sector 12

List of FiguresFigure 1: Total number o eco-schools unded during the 1997-2006 fnancial years 16


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List of acronymsClimate Change CC

Climate Change Education CCE

Disaster Risk Reduction DRREducation or All EFA

Education or Sustainable Development ESD

Environmental Education EE

Hyogo Framework or Action HFA

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC

Millennium Development Goals MDGs

Non-governmental Organisations NGOs

Organisation or Economic Co-operation and Development OECD

Small Island Developing States SIDS

Sustainable Development SDUnited Kingdoms Department or International Development DFID

United Nations Childrens Fund UNICEF

United Nations Decade o Education or Sustainable Development DESD

United Nations Environment Programme UNEP

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC

Voluntary Service Overseas VSO


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ForewordAsia-Pacic has the largest population and astest growing economy o any region in the world. With itsdiverse geography and topography, it is also a region acing negative impacts o the eects o climatechange. The signicant oreign investment and impressive development gains the region has achieved

over the past several years are at high risk o leveling o or even reversing as countries must divertscarce resources to cope with climate change phenomena, such as sea level rise, severe storms, andweather variability, all o which exert inconceivable pressure on ood and water supplies, and livelihoods.Moreover, the region is not only likely to be negatively aected by climate change, but it is also on trackto contribute to its exacerbation. Studies suggest that by 2030, Asia will generate close to hal o theworlds total carbon emissions.

It is thus critical that Asia-Pacic increases its knowledge and understanding o climate change phenomenaand that governments establish working mitigation and adaptation strategies. Due to the drastic changesbeore us, the education sector has a undamental role to play in developing the knowledge, skills andcapacities o individuals and communities to adapt to climate change and to support mitigation eorts.

Viet Nam has recognized its own vulnerabilities to climate change eects, namely increased severe

rainall, drought, and slow onset hazards such as sea level and temperature rise; and the Governmenthas identied climate change adaptation as one o its top priorities. In 2010, the Viet Nam Ministry oEducation and Training (MOET) took an important step in this area by developing the MOET ActionPlan on Education Sector Response to Climate Change. As part o the action plan development process,UNESCO Viet Nam commissioned this study, Education Sector Responses to Climate Change, to betterinorm MOET and partners working in the sector.

Recognizing the important role education has to play in addressing climate change and the valuablework undertaken in Viet Nam, the MOET and UNESCO have agreed to share this study as an e- publicationor wider dissemination in the region and beyond. Through its review o academic research and projectdocuments, the study explores the relationship between the education sector and climate change, andits core messages are relevant to all countries.

We trust that this publication will prove benecial to all those working on combining theory and practicein the education sector, and all those concerned with addressing climate change.

Nguyn Vinh HienVice-MinisterMinistry o Education and Training,

Viet Nam

Katherine Muller-MarinRepresentative and HeadUNESCO Hanoi

Gwang-Jo KimDirectorUNESCO Bangkok


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UNESCO/S. Chaiyasook


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Introduction

1.1 Impacts of Climate Change

According to the most recent report rom the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007),eleven out o the last twelve years have been the hottest on record since 1850. The IPCC also estimatedthat the average global surace temperature rom 1850/1899 to 2001/2005 has increased by 0.760C.The global sea level increased at an average rate o 1.8 mm per year over the period 1961 to 2003 and,over the 20th century, sea levels rose by 0.17m. Since the middle o 20th century human activities havecontributed to global warming, a phenomenon which is expected to continue to increase at a aster ratein the 21st century i there is no eort to address it.

Climate change (CC) is a key priority or international development as its impact is likely to bedisproportionately elt in developing countries. This is because developing countries are generallywarmer, more prone to rainall variability, more dependent on agriculture the most climate-sensitiveo economic sectors and as a result o low income have limited risk mitigation inrastructure, both

physical and nancial (e.g. insurance) (Stern, 2007). Increased instances o drought, ooding and severeweather events as well as incremental environmental change through processes such as inundation,desertication and salination are likely to exacerbate existing problems related to agricultural production,communicable diseases, migration streams, poverty and conict (Bangay and Blum, 2010; Smith andVivekananda, 2007; UNICEF UK, 2008; WHO, 2008). Consequences or the majority o people in Asia andArica as well as those living in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are likely to be particularly signicant,although the specic nature o climate threats will vary between countries.

Climate change presents an international challenge o a magnitude not previously encountered. Itsimpacts have the potential to exacerbate existing tensions and create new ones, which, in turn, haveimplications or stability and security at a local and international level. An eective response to climatechange and its associated biophysical and socio-economic impacts will thereore need to be multiaceted

and inherently political.



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1.1.1 The negative impact of climate change on education

To date the majority o research on education and climate change has ocused on the impact oclimate and associated environmental changes on schooling. According to two recent publications,Save the Childrens (2008) Legacy o Disasters and UNICEF UKs (2008) Our Climate, Our Children, OurResponsibility, it is children who will be hardest hit by the eects o climate change. These impacts will be

seen, or instance, in the direct eects on educational provision associated with increasing incidence osevere weather events (e.g. drought, ooding, cyclones, heat waves). Over the longer term, incrementalenvironmental changes (e.g. sea level change, salination, changes in season patterns, desertication, soilerosion, species loss, etc.) are also likely to result in deteriorating livelihoods, which impact upon bothhousehold expenditure on schooling and the nutritional status o children (Bangay and Blum, 2010).

Evidence o the supply side consequences o extreme weather events is already emerging. The atermatho Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh in November 2007, let 74 government primary schoolsdestroyed and another 8,817 damaged. An estimated 103,664 children were aected as a result. Theestimated cost o reconstruction and reurbishment was more than US$82 million (Das, 2008). Similarly,the 2000 ood in Cambodia destroyed approximately 18 per cent o the countrys schools, impacting theeducation o 500,000 children and costing US$1.6 million in rehabilitation costs. Subsequent research inCambodia has also demonstrated that school absenteeism and drop out are higher in ood-prone areas.

Moreover, there is evidence that ooding inhibits completion o school programs, with schools locatedin ood-prone areas subject to at least one and a hal months o closure due to ooding (ADPC, 2008).

The cumulative eects o extreme weather events on both initial enrolment and longer-term educationalperormance are not well known. Research in India, however, concludes that women born during oodyears in the 1970s were 19 per cent less likely to have attended primary school (UNDP, 2007). It would alsoseem sae to conclude that interrupted and/or impeded access to education has a detrimental impact onlearning outcomes, reducing the likelihood that children and young people especially girls will be ableto break the cycle o poverty (Elimu Yetu Coalition, 2005). A urther and important implication that theCambodia and Bangladesh examples demonstrate is the signicant nancial burden that rehabilitationcosts exert on constrained education budgets. Emergency responses to extreme weather events andtheir atermath thus have the potential to undermine investment in improving the quality o education.

1.1.2 Climate change: A challenge for response

In recent years, climate change has received signicant global attention. Climate change presents aunique challenge. The spatial resolutions o many climate change projections are too coarse to enableeective adaptation at the local or regional level. The gap between climate orecasts and projections andthe needs o resource managers pose challenges to eective responses. Climate change also requires riskassessment on the basis o uncertain knowledge and the acknowledgement that solutions will requirepolitical and ethical choices as well as technical innovation.

The world is changing rapidly economically, ecologically, technologically, culturally; in terms opopulation, international relations, social structures, etc. These changes result in increased tensionbetween development and sustainability. In recent years, accelerating climate change has drawn

increased attention to this tension. Warnings rom scientists have increased and a mood o urgency marksthe present situation. Should the educational system neglect this and continue as usual or should itrespond to these challenges, and how?

Communities are acing with new risks and have to address these. Communities must be able to assess anumber o interdependent aspects and decide upon a suitable course o action. What would be enough and what would not be enough? Should we do it in this way or that way? Their ability to qualiy thesekinds o considerations and decisions is undamentally an educational issue.

Traditionally, educational institutions were established and structured on the basis o a strong belie inobjective knowledge and orming the right answers to every question. In this light, the task o educationwas to provide students with the truth and correct techniques. This role is still valid as actual knowledgeand ecient techniques are crucial prerequisites or rational action. Yet it should not be the singularapproach. Climate risks contain a degree o uncertainty and addressing them requires being able to


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assess the interplay between a number o aspects, including ethical considerations o what is good andbad, rather than o solely aiming to uncover the truth.

Furthermore, the balancing act between tackling long-term sustainable development issues and moreimmediate economic imperatives is another challenge or the education sector. Globalization hasdrawn attention to the relationship between the competitiveness o country workorces and student

perormance, particularly within science. The eect on the educational system has been a greater ocuson empirical tests and perormance indicators, and less willingness among teachers and schools toexperiment with new approaches to teaching and learning. Both these actors impact negatively on theinnovative, interdisciplinary and competence-centered aspects o climate change education.

1.1.2 Barriers of incorporating climate change into the education sector

Clearly there will be signicant challenges to integrating in education the knowledge and skills requiredto respond to the impacts o climate change. The level o incorporation o climate change issues willvary greatly depending on the level o education, and the local and national contexts being addressed.In primary education, or instance, a core concern is when to introduce the issue o climate change.This decision is important in order not to righten children and young people, but to empower them to

understand and critically engage with environmental change.In secondary education, tensions exist between a centralized curriculum and the need to promote locallybased and locally appropriate knowledge. Overloaded curricula requently present additional challenges.Identication o the most appropriate issues and areas o knowledge will require cooperation betweenlocal, national and international actors. Educators at all levels will also need support and training todeliver quality education about complex, climate related topics in ways which are both relevant to localenvironmental, social and political contexts, and which meet wider educational targets (e.g. literacy,numeracy, employability).

The chronic shortage o scientic knowledge and expertise around climate change and its impacts inmany developing countries are also a key concern or educators and policy makers at both secondaryand tertiary levels. As an OECD study reported in the 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report stated:

The PISA 2006 assessment o scientic literacy among 15-year old students oers some importantlessons. Strong perormance in science and awareness o global environmental problems tend togo hand in hand, and both are associated with a sense o responsibility supporting sustainableenvironmental management. Conversely, weak perormance in science is associated with lowerawareness o environmental problems. Failure in scientic education will mean less widespreadandless inormedpublic debate on issues such as climate change and wider environmental problems(UNESCO, 2008).

There are, however, some opportunities or exchange between institutions across the globe, whichcould assist with skills and technology transer, and capacity development. Examples include initiativessuch as DFIDs DELPHE program or higher education (British Council, 2008) and UNEPs Mainstreaming

Environment and Sustainability in Arican Universities project (Gough and Scott, 2007), as well as thelong-term eorts in international proessional exchange and skill share by NGOs such as Voluntary ServiceOverseas (VSO).


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Climate Change Education

While there is emerging awareness o the current and potential impacts o climate change on educationprovision and learning, it is also clear that education ormal and non-ormal, rom primary through

to tertiary and adult education has an important role to play in addressing this change. Education isrecognized as an important rst step in increasing resilience (Boniacio, A., Takeuchi, Y. and Shaw, R. ,2010).The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Article 6: Education, Trainingand Public Awareness (also known as the New Delhi work program) recognizes that education mustplay a key role in a holistic response to climate change at local, national and global levels. The HyogoFramework or Actions (HFA; 2005-2015) priority 3 ocuses on increasing resilience and building a cultureo saety and resilience at all levels through the use o knowledge, innovation and education, and Goal 2o the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) discusses the importance o primary education in reducingpoverty.

2.1 Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Since the 1960s, a large body o research has sought to understand the links between increasing knowledgeo environmental and development concerns, and social and environmental change. This work has usedvarious terms and denitions, including development education, environmental education, educationor sustainable development, among others (Bourn, 2008; Palmer, 1998; Scott and Vare, 2008; Sterling,2001). Education or Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a widely promoted philosophy in the lasttwo decades.



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The concept o ESD emerged in the late 1980s alongside international discussions o environmentalprotection and sustainable development. It was given much o its shape at the United Nations Conerenceon Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and in the resulting Agenda 21:

Education, including ormal education, public awareness and training should be recognized as aprocess by which human beings and societies can reach their ullest potential. Education is critical

or promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity o the people to addressenvironment and development issues. While basic education provides the underpinning or anyenvironmental and development education, the latter needs to be incorporated as an essential parto learning. (UNCED, 1992)

ESD continues to receive international attention through the current UNESCO-led UN Decade oEducation or Sustainable Development (DESD; 20052014). The aims o the Decade are to integrate theprinciples, values and practices o sustainable development into all aspects o education and learning,and to encourage changes in behaviors that allow or a more sustainable and just society or all (UNESCO,2006). Key eatures o ESD include:

A concern or high quality education, which is interdisciplinary and holistic, osters critical thinking andproblem solving, and is participatory and locally relevant;

An attention to values, including respect or others, or dierence and diversity, and or the environment;

An acknowledgement that ESD will be shaped by diverse perspectives and will take place across arange o learning spaces, rom ormal and inormal, and early childhood through adult lie (UNESCO,2006).

Both Agenda 21 and DESD, international policy rameworks, suggest ESD does not simply representa single, new curriculum area or schools (e.g. environmental studies), but rather a more integratedapproach to providing appropriate education and training in a diverse and rapidly changing world.Furthermore, both rameworks strongly connect ESD eorts to international interest in both increasingaccess to education and providing high quality through Education or All (EFA) and MDG eorts. Theseassertions are supported by a signicant body o academic research and policy (Bangay and Blum, 2010).

2.2 Climate Change Education (CCE)

Climate change, and the individual and societal actions needed to address its challenges, are not newtopics or education. Both can be ound in environmental teaching materials rom recent decades.Indeed, Climate Change Education (CCE) has not emerged as an independent eld, but rather as anintegral part o Environmental Education (EE) and ESD. In act, CCE has only gradually developed its ownidentity during the last three years, and is thereore still in its inancy (Lsse et al., 2009).

In some countries, this recent development is driven by government initiatives concerning climatechange. The Chinese government, or example, has adopted climate change action plans which includespecic education initiatives. Thus, knowledge about CC will be included in basic, higher and adult

education with a ocus on awareness and participation in relevant activities (Yi and Wu, 2009). Similarly,in the Canadian province o Newoundland and Labrador, there has been a Climate Change Action Plansince 2005, which emphasizes CCE. In this province, the origin o the action plan may be attributed tothe clearly visible local eects o climate change (Nazir et al., 2009). The Danish governments 2009 ESDstrategy also launched a number o specic initiatives concerning CCE. New CCE initiatives under therubric o EE and ESD can likewise be ound in other countries (Breiting et al., 2009). In Australia, whereESD is well established, the new and ambitious National Solar School Initiative has been launched underthe auspices o ESD but with specic reerence to climate change. This initiative has set a goal or allAustralian schools to be solar schools by 2016 (Chambers, 2009). In addition to these government-ledinitiatives, there are also examples o other concrete initiatives organized by NGOs and other institutions.Furthermore, in Brazil, various other stakeholders like the corporate sector, academic community andmedia are also involved in debating the role and place o CCE. This is true o many other countries as well(Jacobi et al. 2009; Lsse et al., 2009).


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2.2.1 The future of CCE

At present, CCE is still a peripheral topic in both educational research and practice. In research literature,CCE has been addressed almost exclusively as a domain o science education. Within the realm o practice,climate change is situated within EE and ESD, a minor theme within a peripheral area o the curriculum.Given the intense and growing interest in CCE, however, it is important to anticipate the possible scenarios

under which it could develop into a central ocus o education, and become an independent conceptand ocus area, whether labeled as climate education or climate change education. According to Lsseet al. (2009), there are three dierent possibilities:

One scenario is that CCE will develop independently o ESD, becoming a major theme within scienceeducation. This tendency is ound in the USA, where CCE has so ar been interpreted as educationabout the scientic understanding o global climate change (Feinstein, 2009). A similar picture can beseen in China, where CCE is comprised o science popularization activities aimed at raising awarenessand motivating students to ollow behavioral advice. This seems to be a restricted approach comparedto the general ESD policy in China, which is guided by our basic principles: values education, a holisticand interdisciplinary approach, increase o diversity and competence, and creative inquiry (Yi & Wu,2009).

Another possibility is that CCE will develop as an integral element o ESD, emerging as a trulyinterdisciplinary pursuit. This tendency is mentioned in the case o Australia, UK, South Korea andSingapore (Chambers, 2009; Blum & Husbands, 2009; Goh et al., 2009; Kim and Kim, 2009). Thisinterdisciplinary scenario may have dierent variations due to the act that ESD is not an exact category.For example CC may be integrated with ESD as part o a Green Growth strategy, or alternatively as anissue which includes global ethics, transormation o liestyles, social equity, limits to growth and otherkey topics o sustainable development.

A third scenario is a hybrid o the rst two, in which CCE is treated as an independent element underthe umbrella o ESD, with ESD serving as a collective term or a variety o independent ocus areasthematically related to sustainable development (SD). This scenario is embodied in the Danish nationalESD strategy, which contains a number o CCE initiatives that conspicuously do not place climate change

within the context o ESD, seeking instead to promote a general science education (Breiting et al., 2009).Dierent stakeholders will prioritize dierent scenarios and wish to inuence outcomes. There aremultiple opportunities or intervention. Breiting et al. (2009) note that education is conspicuous by itsabsence in the recently published Danish national climate policy document. This seems to be true oother countries as well. One reason could be that national climate policy documents target the populacewhereas education is within the purview o the Ministry o Education, which is let to translate the nationalclimate policy document into its own curriculum development or schools.

As is especially apparent rom the Danish report by Breiting et al. (2009), CCE eatures various stakeholders NGOs, teacher networks, consultants, and others - who interpret CCE and inuence whether it will beintegrated in a broader ESD ramework or whether it will imply a re-interpretation o ESD. As the samestakeholders are present in other countries as well, there is good reason to believe that the ongoing

international negotiation among them will have a decisive inuence on CCE and ESD over the next ewyears, thereby determining the role that education will play with respect to both climate change andsustainable development more broadly.

Although researchers warn that the emergence o CCE as a key eld may represent a step in the wrongdirection, this does not mean that the issue o climate change necessarily entails a narrowing o ocus tothe detriment o other issues currently included within ESD (Lsse et al., 2009). Indeed, discussions aboutclimate change can give rise to consideration o ar-ranging issues such as water shortage, agriculture,energy supplies, class tension, conicts o interest regarding the distribution o goods, economic growth,political governance, liestyles, and ethics. Climate change intensies the challenges within all theseareas, while climate mitigation and adaptation will certainly aect such intertwined issues. Seen in thislight, the contemporary ocus on climate change may be useul or ESD, even rom the empowermentperspective. For this to happen, however, CCE must be conceptualized as more than simply climate

change science, and CCE must be eectively integrated as a central theme within ESD, rather than anindependent eld.


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2.2.2 The role of research in the development of CCE

During this transitional moment, research in education sectors can play a signicant role in shapingthe relationship between ESD and CCE. First, researchers can help by clariying and documenting theexisting relationship. Second, research on CCE can ulll an innovative unction, challenging the pervasiveassumptions about CCE and deliberately working to bring about dialogue and long-term planning. The

nascent eld o CCE is currently in need o both clarication and dialogue. A national report rom SouthArica illustrates the constructive role o research in bridging CCE and ESD. Lotz-Sisitka (2009) describeshow climate change requires educators to transcend the local ocus o social learning projects byconnecting actions in one region to climate consequences in another. Lotz-Sisitka and Le Grange (2009)also point out that the empowerment view o CCE (where peoples empowerment to take actions) posesa ar greater challenge to the eld o education, as it is needed to oster action research with proactiveresponse to the climate change. There is a stark contrast between the enormity o this task and the limitedscale o current ESD projects around the world. The urgency and global nature o climate change reveal apressing need to develop and strengthen ESD, which means that researchers, as well as practitioners andother ESD stakeholders, are aced with an important task in the coming years.


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Analytical Framework ofClimate Change Responsesin the Education Sector

Although the role o education in addressing the challenges o climate change is being increasingly

recognized

1

, the capacity o education to contribute to adaptation and mitigation measures has yetto penetrate mainstream development thinking. In order or this to happen it is argued rstly that thepotential o the ull range o educational channels ormal and non-ormal, and rom primary throughtertiary and adult education should be ocused on. While recognizing the importance o content-specicconcepts such as ecology, we do not see the education sectors response to climate change as simplythe provision o new curriculum inputs; rather, the challenges o climate change require all concernedto look to undamentals and examine the degree to which existing educational provision is adapted toand prepares people or radically dierent utures. Furthermore, although the ocus o this ramework islargely on potential education impacts and responses to climate change in developing country contexts,we also recognize the central importance o the exploration o these issues in industrialized countries.

In practical terms, the integration o climate knowledge and skills into existing education systemsrepresents both immediate and longer-term challenges or responding to climate change. The immediate

task is to climate proo education systems (adaptation), while the longer term call is to develop educationsystems that equip learners with the requisite skills, knowledge and attributes to deal with uturechallenges. In many ways the latter is not new, but is at the heart o the very purpose o both educationand development agendas. What has changed, however, is the nature and urgency o the challengesaced locally, nationally and globally. Table 1 provides a generalized chronological view o the possiblesequencing o educational responses.

Article 6 o the UNFCCC directs countries to consider education, training and public awareness asintegral to responses to climate change. Increasingly, country plans developed utilizing the UNFCCCramework do incorporate education-specic elements. However, the degree o success o such planswill be determined by the extent to which countries recognize and are able to adequately resourceresponses to extreme weather events, changes in seasonality, population movements, and demand sideand health impacts on enrolment, attendance and educational perormance. These challenges will needto be addressed both in terms o educational inrastructure as well as teaching and learning.

1 For example, see recent statements rom the G8: http://www.g8italia2009.it/G8/Home/G8-G8_Layout_locale1199882116809_Atti.htm.

http://www.g8italia2009.it/G8/Home/G8-G8_Layout_locale119988211http://www.g8italia2009.it/G8/Home/G8-G8_Layout_locale119988211http://www.g8italia2009.it/G8/Home/G8-G8_Layout_locale


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Table 1: The possible sequencing of educational responses

Climate Change Adaptation Climate Change Mitigation

School location risk assessment School/community water catchmentsystems created

Pedagogy and assessment systemspromote higher order thinking insupport o sustainable livelihoods

Climate prooed school design (e.g.ood and typhoon resistant design)

Incorporate design elements that createimproved learning environments (e.g.appropriate levels o natural lighting,sanitation acilities, reduced noise romrain)

Orientation towards new low carbontechnologies and sustainability.

Education sector adapted to seasonalitychanges (e.g. in timing o school year,exam calendar, textbook distribution)

Curriculum, assessment and teachereducation reorms regarding climatechange and disasters

Integrated school interventions thatprotect cognitive development

Disaster preparedness capacity,including to respond to internallydisplaced children, minimize schooldisruption, and respond to newmigration streams

Increased scientic literacy amongstudents at all levels

Reduced environmental impact oconstruction and education materials(e.g. minimizing use o burnt bricksand tiles in construction, utilizingmore energy ecient cooking

apparatus)Climate-related disaster risk reductionteaching and learning in school

Sharing indigenous knowledge orclimate change adaptation

3.1 Climate Change Education Interventions

3.1.1 Climate proofing education infrastructure

Climate change proong o educational inrastructure in order to minimize the risks and associatedcosts o weather-related damage is clearly an important starting point. This would entail better riskassessment in making decisions about school location and improved building design and maintenanceto better withstand severe weather events (Das, 2008) as well as slower incremental deterioration. Thismay include building school and community water catchment systems. A concerted ocus on schooldesign and upgrading oers opportunities both to reduce environmental impact in terms o materialuse (e.g. minimizing use o burnt bricks and tiles in construction, utilizing more energy ecient cookingapparatus), and also to incorporate design elements, which create improved learning environments(e.g. levels o natural lighting, sanitation acilities, reduced noise rom rain impact, spaces conducive orlearning).

3.1.2 Capacity to respond to displacement and migration streamsThe impacts o climate change are widely predicted to result in signicant population movements. Savethe Childrens (2008) Legacy o Disasters report, or instance, cites an estimate that by 2010 there will be50 million environmentally displaced people. The scale o such events ranges rom short term nationalpopulation displacement resulting rom extreme weather events to wholesale international populationmovements associated with the inundation o low lying islands. The need to respond to periodic orcedin- and out-migration o student populations who are displaced by extreme weather events suggeststhe need or climate prooed schools in terms o structures and unctions, and schools in buer zonescapable o accommodating expanded numbers o students at short notice. In addition to the structuraldemands o climate prooed schools, such movements present additional challenges in dealing with theunctional aspects o schools to meet both the specic educational needs o immigrants (e.g. languageo instruction) as well as the potential conict at classroom and community levels or the usage o the

schools during and ater the climate events.


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In extreme circumstances, such as those potentially acing some low lying islands, as well as in lowlandareas like Bangladesh and the coastal areas in the lower Mekong Region, there is a need to makepreparations or mass evacuation to mainland areas. In the most severe incidences it is likely that wholelowland region populations will have to evacuate areas that are inundated or become uninhabitable.Investment and preparations are thereore needed to ensure that these populations have the language,skills and qualications which will assist them in the relocation process, and in re-establishing healthy

lives and stable livelihoods in new locations.

3.1.3 Education sector adapted to seasonality changes

In addition to extreme weather events, climate change is also being implicated in changes in seasonality.In most countries seasons have shaped the timing o the school year, and in many developing countrieskey processes in the management o educational provision have evolved to accommodate associatedweather patterns. These include the timing and duration in which school building and maintenanceis practicable, the examination cycle and textbook distribution. Similarly, disease incidence (andby implication school attendance) is also known to ollow similar patterns. Given the signicanceo seasonality in many developing countries, school systems will need the capacity to align with thechange. Countries with signicant regional climatic dierences will also need to consider the benets o

decentralized decision making about the timing o key education dates and processes.

3.1.4 Re-orienting teaching and learning

As outlined above, in the context o climate change there is a clear need to reconsider existingapproaches to education, and especially their potential to provide learners with education and trainingthat will help them respond to a diverse and rapidly changing world. Educational responses to climatechange should not consist solely o adding new inputs to curricula. Addressing climate change alsorequires the promotion o key areas o knowledge and skills. These will be needed at all levels (primary,secondary, tertiary, and adult education) as well as via diverse modes o delivery (ormal, non-ormal, andproessional development).

A range o specic topics and content areas are needed to address environmental change and impacts,and these may vary signicantly depending on particular contexts and needs. However, an indicativeoutline o key areas o knowledge and skills includes:

a. Knowledge of climate change and wider environmental processes

This includes both specic, content-based knowledge (e.g. climate, deorestation, habitat loss, water cycle,soil erosion, air pollution) as well as awareness o strategies to address pressing environmental concerns(e.g. reducing carbon consumption, encouraging low carbon development, reducing deorestationthrough sustainable orest management, improving water and waste management).

b. Knowledge of local environmental conditions, associated risks and management strategies

The precise content o this area will depend on local and national contexts and concerns. Possible topicsmight include: the annual ood cycle and how to manage it; sustainable agricultural methods; existingareas o pollution and potential strategies or improved water, soil and waste management; sustainableorest management; and awareness o valuable endemic species (both ora and auna) and how toprotect them.

Education on climate risks and vulnerabilities, and their increasing trends, as well as options or reducingclimate risks are important in creating the required culture or climate change resilience. Public awareness,education, and specic knowledge programs targeted at community, local and national governmentsand at international levels depending on requirements are also a ocus under the theme o knowledgeand education. Development interventions, such as compulsory primary education and optional highereducation systems, as well as other sectors, such as media, need to be used as vehicles or sharingknowledge and providing education on climate risk reduction.


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New knowledge is important to understand vulnerability trends, particularly in the context o climatechange. Similarly, local knowledge, especially traditional systems o knowledge, also provides options toengage in sustainable development. It is important that systems o knowledge sharing and educationtake this into consideration and acilitate eective sharing across levels.

c. Disaster risk reduction (DRR)

This is a relatively new area o work in international development and research in which countries aresupported to identiy and plan or emergencies, such as natural disasters as well as other environmentalrisks, such as water contamination, soil erosion, deorestation (leading to landslides), and disease resultingrom inappropriate waste disposal. The underlying idea is that hazards only become disasters i society isunable to cope with the ensuing disaster risks and impacts; thus, the goal o DRR is to increase societysrisk response capacity and reduce their vulnerabilities. The ocus o DRR is requently based at thecommunity level, or which a ull range o tools and methodologies has been developed or community-based DRR, including community disaster committees, community evacuation and rescue plans, andlocal rst-aid training (Chambers, 2002; Maceda et al., 2009; Mercer, 2010; ProVention Consortium, 2006;Twigg, 2007). Recent research suggests that these participatory strategies can have a considerable impacton community health and well-being2.

While DRR has been quite community ocused, CCA experience generally stems rom global policyagendas, rather than DRRs practical implementation (Thomalla et al., 2006; Tearund, 2008). Whilst globalpolicies are essential in guiding practical action, policy and action at the community level where climatechange eects are being experienced are urgently required (DFID, 2005; Schipper and Pelling, 2006; Shea,2001; UNDP, 2004; UNFCCC, 2007).

It would thereore appear more eective, nancially and otherwise, to embed CCA within existing DRRtools. CCA strategies at the community level are similar to, i not the same as, DRR strategies. In addition,many indigenous communities have coped eectively with climatic extremes or centuries, albeit withlosses at times. Whilst todays rate o change may be reducing the viability o indigenous knowledge, itshould still be considered a valuable resource to draw upon or devising new technologies or techniquesor CCA (Anchorage Declaration, 2009; Campbell, 2006; Gaillard, 2007; Shea, 2003). For example, theintegration o indigenous and scientic knowledge may strengthen the ability o indigenous communitiesto cope with climate change, whilst retaining their traditional practices (Kelman et al., 2009; Mercer et al.,2008, 2009, 2010).

It is agreed that most DRR actions can contribute to CCA. However, there is no mechanism to transerthese actions or CCA. Thereore, the education sector can play a major role in transerring the experienceso DRR to climate change response. Based on this analysis, we propose a ramework in which climatechange adaptation actions are classied based on the ve priority areas o Hyogo Framework or Action(HFA): HFA 1: institutionalization, HFA 2: risk assessment, HFA 3: capacity building, HFA 4: vulnerabilityreduction, and HFA 5: emergency response (education in emergency). See Table 2.

2 See, or example, work by children in a climate change initiative (http://www.childreninachangingclimate.org/deault.php)
http://www.childreninachangingclimate.org/default.phphttp://www.childreninachangingclimate.org/default.php


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Table 2: Framework for analyzing international examples of responding to climatechange in education sector

Formal Education Non-ormal/Inormal Education

School Highereducation

(college/university)

Research Adulteducation

Vocabularyeducation

IndigenousKnowledge (IK)

Specic adaptation actions based on the ve priority areas o the Hyogo Framework or Action (HFA:2005-2015): HFA1: institutionalization, HFA 2: r isk assessment, HFA 3: capacity building, HFA 4: vulnerabilityreduction, and HFA 5: emergency response (education in emergency).

Based on the location, hazard intensity is dierent. Thereore, specic actions (or typhoons, ood,drought, earthquake, tsunami and landslides) can be proposed in the action plan.

It can have two components: on education, there can be 3R education or KIDS ISO education (ocusing onISO 14,000 or the kids).

For the inrastructure parts, it can ocus on standards/guidelines o: Building materials, Energy, Water,Waste, Sanitation, and 3R systems in the school. This can be used or existing schools (through eco-retrotting) or can be included in the building codes or new schools.

The eco-school concept can be a very good tool or a pilot demonstration.

Mitigation

Adaptation


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Climate Change Response

in the Education Sector:International Examples3

A number o successul practices have emerged that address dierent aspects o climate change

adaptation and mitigation, including in economically very poor regions. They are successul becausethey use indigenous knowledge and innovation, involve women and children in a meaningul mannerand make the best use o available resources and experience. Despite having eatures specic to thesocio-cultural contexts o the areas where they originate, most practices can be adapted and replicatedoutside their original milieu, benetting many more people.

Based on the analytical ramework presented above, this section will present a variety o good practicesto respond to climate change (also see Appendix 1, Table 3).

4.1 Solar Schools in Australia4

Climate change education is a relatively new eld in Australia. In July 2008 the Australian Association

or Environmental Education applied pressure to the Federal Government to improve its practices toeducate people about climate change. Climate change education is generally incorporated into ESDand not treated as a separate eld. The National Solar School Initiative is a major ESD program that hasclimate change mitigation as an element. This initiative began in July 2008 and replaced the previousGreen Vouchers scheme.

Through the National Solar Schools Initiative, schools are eligible to apply or grants o up to AUD$50,000or a range o energy and water eciency measures including: installation o a minimum 2 kilowatt solarpanel; energy ecient lighting; sky lights; shade awnings; and water collection systems (solar hot watersystems and rainwater tanks).

3 Examples are summarized in Appendix 1, Table 3. Summary o international experiences.4 See more details at Chambers, Dianne (2009): Sustainable development: The response rom education - Australian country

report, Melbourne Graduate School o Education, Australia.



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The objectives o the scheme are to allow schools to:

generate their own electricity rom renewable sources;

improve their energy eciency and reduce their energy consumption;

adapt to climate change by making use o rain water collected rom school roos;

provide educational benets or schools students and their communities; and

support the growth o the renewable energy industry.

A goal is or all Australian schools to be solar schools by 2016. Educational outcomes are seen as animportant aspect o this initiative, supplementing the environmental benets o reduced greenhousegas production and stimulation o the national renewable energy industry.

It has been claimed that while green schools cost two percent more to build, the nancial benetswere ar greater than this initial cost(Dianne, 2009). Furthermore, green schools are extraordinarily costeective in enhancing student learning, and reducing health and operational expenses.

4.2 Cross-Sectoral Programs in Republic of Korea5

In south Korea, climate change has been considered as a key theme o ESD and has been includedin school topics and subjects, such as: climate (geography), energy (science) and global warming(environment). However, a national curriculum or guideline or CCE has not yet been established.

Korea is striving to better inorm and educate its public about global warming and climate change toachieve a national consensus on the countrys commitment to international climate change eorts.Many national agendas have been set to encourage industries and individuals to voluntarily take part inthese initiatives. Systemic educational programs on climate change inorm the public about the adverseeects o climate change and propose preventive measures . By educating children and youth at theirearly stage about the important role they can play in preserving the environment, they can carry intotheir adulthood a changed perspective and attitude to make a lasting and positive impact on uturegreenhouse gas reduction.

To that eect, the government has promoted several activities in the education sector. The environmentis being instituted as an independent subject in secondary school curriculum to ensure systematizededucation concerning energy, climate change and other environment issues. At the primary schoollevel, the environment is introduced within each subject. The Korean government has also encouragedrelevant agencies to modiy or add entries to textbooks regarding climate change and green growth.

The government is also providing grants to 32 primary schools and junior high schools nationwide thathave been designated as research schools or energy conservation education. Government approvedtextbooks are put together and distributed to schools or use during discretionary activities hours whereschools can develop educational programs on energy conservation and climate change, both duringclasses and extracurricular activities. Further programs include energy conservation eld trips, lecturesand community campaigns..

In addition to activities geared towards young learners, Korea is addressing the goals o the UNFCCCthrough curriculum o education and training courses or personnel in relevant elds including those incharge o energy management industries, especially the construction sector, and regional governmentworkers who are responsible or energy management. These programs include:

Educational programs on the cause o climate change and atmospheric pollution or those in eldsrelated to hazard prevention, weather and environment.

Over 500 science teachers in primary and secondary schools attended the annual weather educationprogram or science teachers to better understand the mechanism and cause o climate change.

The weather education program or women provides homemakers with an opportunity to expandtheir knowledge on climate change by learning what climate change is and how it occurs.

5 See ull report rom Kim, Jong Wook & Chankook Kim (2009): National Report or the project Climate Change and SustainableDevelopment The Response rom Education. College o Education, Seoul National University, Korea.


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4.3 Provincial Policy Making in Canada6

Newoundland and Labrador was one o the rst Canadian jurisdictions to develop a policy to directlyaddress the issues o climate change, with a Climate Change Action Plan in 2005. In the plan, theprovince acknowledged that climate change is a serious issue and that concerted eorts are neededto reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The vulnerability o Newoundland and Labrador to the possibleimpacts o climate change, especially rising sea levels and the destruction o natural ecosystems, seemedparticularly salient to the provincial governments interests. The plan outlines government departmentscommitments or reducing climate change risks, and arms the role o education:

The importance o education in addressing climate change cannot be stated enough. Educationon this issue has to be broad enough to include all aspects o this phenomenon: science, direct andindirect impacts (biophysical, social, economic and health), measures or reducing greenhouse gasemissions and measures to adapt to a changing climate.

Furthermore, the plan promises continued support and unding to the Newoundland and LabradorClimate Change Education Center, which is part o a national network o public education and outreachhubs. The Centers work ocuses on educating the public about greenhouse gas emission reduction

measures and encourages actions to reduce personal emissions. Extended unding to the Center isexpected to assist with program development and expansion o public education eorts. The Plan isdescribed as complementary with the governments ongoing policy objectives and commitment tosustainable development. It is important to note that although the plan endorses increased publiceducation it does not specically address CCE in ormal education settings.

Nonetheless, the provincial department o education has also developed a specialized secondaryenvironmental science course, where climate change is an important issue incorporated throughout. Thiscourse is unique in that it takes an issues-based approach to the provinces most pressing environmentallocating these challenges globally, nationally and locally. It provides extensive local inormation anddetailed contextualized teaching strategies.

Newoundland and Labrador presents an example where CCE is at the oreront o ESD policies and plans,

and the two topics seem to be rapidly nding their way into school curriculum. Although it is dicult toully explain why this change is being so speedily eected in Newoundland and Labrador as opposedto the slower uptake in other provinces, the strong provincial recognition o these issues relevance tolocal interests may be a contributing actor. Both the provincial government and citizens seem to haveaccepted that sustainable development and climate change are important and need to be addressedurgently. I this is the case, then one o the reasons or the ailure o ESD and CCE in other places may stemrom a lack o deep engagement o the public and government. One way to strengthen ESD and CCEeorts in ormal education settings may lie in demonstrating to all stakeholders (teachers, students andeducational personnel) that these urgent issues are locally and personally relevant.

Another point o interest in Newoundland and Labrador is the multi-dimensional incorporation o bothcross-curricular and specialized courses. The concepts o ESD and CCE are inused into all subjects andat all levels o school curricular, so all students are exposed to the concepts o sustainable developmentand climate change at various stages in their ormal education. The issues are presented as complex,overarching ideas important to all aspects o lie; ESD is presented as developmental, growing in complexityand in tandem with students own cognitive growth. Such spiral curricula seek to build understanding ocomplex concepts overtime in developmentally appropriate ways. A dedicated course or older studentsallows them to engage in detailed inquiries into the provinces most pressing problems, one o which isclimate change.

6 See ull report rom Nazir, J., Pedretti, E., Wallace, J., Montemurro, D. and Inwood, H. (2009): Climate Change and SustainableDevelopment: The Response rom Education. The Canadian Perspective. Centre or Science, Mathematics and TechnologyEducation, Ontario Institute or Studies in Education, University o Toronto, Canada.


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4.4 Eco-Schools in Japan7

Since 1997 several ministries in Japan have collaborated on an eco-school program, established topromote environmentally riendly design and construction by equipping both newly constructed andrenovated school buildings with ecological eatures such as photovoltaic cells, solar thermal collectors,other new energy sources, use o wood, roo-top gardening and rainwater recycling. An eco-schoolcomprises:

Facilities: environmentally riendly design and construction;

Operations: intelligent and extended use; and

Education: benets or learning (Ministry o Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT),March 1996).

Through subsidies or grants, the government encourages local education authorities to build andrenovate environmentally riendly school buildings and to operate them in ways that are more intelligentand that extend the use o materials. The program also promotes using the buildings themselves aspractical teaching materials or environmental education.

A pilot project, the eco-school program was created within an inter-ministerial cooperation ramework.Currently, the ollowing our ministries work together to implement and subsidize the program: Ministryo Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT); Ministry o Agriculture, Forestry andFisheries; Ministry o Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry o the Environment.

Since the program began, more than 600 eco-schools have been built with nancial assistance rom theministries. As shown in Figure 1, the steady increase in these schools can perhaps be attributed to thegrowing interest o local education authorities in environmentally riendly design and construction. In linewith their interest and with todays public concern about the global environment, Japan is consideringapplying the concept o the eco-school to planning school buildings in general.

Figure 1: Total number of eco-schools funded during the 1997-2006 financial years

1838

58

99

157

245

342

440

541

609

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

In order to expand the eco-school concept, the government is planning a study by experts rom variouselds who will review the schools currently in the program to derive key elements rom the mostsuccessul models. They will consider how to introduce these elements into other school buildings acrossthe country, including new constructions and those undergoing major renovations. They will also lookinto other buildings daily operations, maintenance, repairs, etc.

7 http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/36/62/39344177.pd
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/36/62/39344177.pdfhttp://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/36/62/39344177.pdf


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4.5 Schools as Shelters: Experiences from Bangladesh andIndia8

In Bangladesh, the construction o cyclone shelters was initiated in the 1960s, and in the 1990s a majorprogram was undertaken or construction o cyclone shelters along coastal areas. Supported by a

ormidable early warning system and thousands o volunteers, these shelters have reduced the loss olives by providing sae havens or the population during cyclones.

Cyclone shelters, although useul in saving lives during cyclones and storm surges, can be urther eectivei their use at non-emergency times is determined appropriately. A shelter that is in constant use, is likelyto have proper maintenance. Extending their use as classrooms is perhaps one o the best ways to ensurethis. A good model that has emerged in India, is o schools that serve as multipurpose disaster shelters.These shelters also support community training and livelihood programs during non-emergency times,unctioning as schools, health and community centers.

In India, or example, local communities have mixed attitudes towards disaster shelters due to theiroten poor conditions. While most acknowledge that shelters are necessary and important, many areaverse to using the shelters present in their villages due to their poor upkeep, which creates doubts

about their structural strength. Cyclone shelters that have weathered over the years show signs o decaysuch as peeling plaster and crumbling ledges. Thus, people ear that the shelter itsel may collapse andcause them harm. Thus, the use o cyclone shelters as multi-purpose community buildings is essential inorder to attain maximum utilization, as well as to keep their structural strength intact through ongoingmaintenance. Schools are an appropriate unction, as they are used almost on a daily basis; urthermore,they contribute to education development priorities by providing more education acilities. However,sucient budget allocations must be made when designating shelters as multi-purpose buildings.

Besides, the shelters need to be maintained so as to keep their structural strength intact. Shelters needto be sae, and they need to look sae. One o the best ways or achieving this is to make them as multi-purpose buildings, housing other unctions that will keep the acilities in use and well maintainedthroughout the year. A good model that has emerged in India is o school cum multipurpose disaster

shelters. These shelters also support community training and livelihood programs during normal times.

4.6 Indigenous Knowledge in Assam, India

In India the people o Nandeswar, Assam have successully conserved soil and water through plantingbamboo. This simple yet ecient technique helps protect embankments rom being breached andprevents rapid run-o rom the river when it overows. Bamboo planted around shponds and paddyelds also prevents soil erosion and road damage. Thus, in addition to their traditional use or construction,crats and paper making, bamboo also helps reduce the ood-induced damages. As this plant is commonin many countries, this experience can be applied benecially beyond the boundaries o Assam.

4.7 Gender Responsive Participation in Sri LankaIn Sri Lanka, women in marginalized communities have taken an active part in the planning o anintegrated program or drought risk reduction, better land use and water management with the aim toimprove livelihoods. Women and men both worked on planning and deciding the ways each householdwould contribute and benet, and both were involved in identiying the crops, trees and making landuse plans which would increase resistance to drought. With decades o practical experience in managingtheir environment and knowledge o how climate change-related hazards aect them, they have usedtheir knowledge and experience to work out locally appropriate strategies. The process o capacitybuilding and empowerment has allowed women and men to take responsibility or the work being done.The process o social mobilization, particularly o women as equal and responsible partners, has enabledthe communities to improve and diversiy their livelihoods, taking measures that both sustain their

survival, and decrease the risk o drought and landslides. In addition to employing traditional knowledge,the program in Sri Lanka also beneted rom increased womens participation.

8 See more details at SEEDS Asia (2010). A guiding Note on School as Shelter: Potentials and Challenges. Kobe Japan.


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4.8 Disaster Risk Reduction Mainstreamed into SchoolCurricula: Lessons from Madagascar9

The Project I Protect My Country rom Natural Disasters was implemented rom April to October 2006by the National Oce or Disaster Risk Management (BNGRC) in close cooperation with the Malagasy

Ministry o National Education and Scientic Research. The Project was part o ongoing eorts tomainstream DRR into school curricula in Arica. Such eorts were recommended during a UN/ISDR Aricaregional consultative meeting held in Kenya in March 2006, attended by Ministry o Education ocialsrom 19 Arican countries. The workshop recommended that knowledge acquired during the workshopbe shared with primary and secondary school teachers. In line with that recommendation, selected localgovernment ocials and teachers were trained in Madagascar, a student manual and a teacher guide onDRR were developed, and DRR was mainstreamed into school curricula.

The Project was implemented by the BNGRC in close collaboration with the Ministry o National Educationand Scientic Research. Additional implementing partners were: the Ministry o Interior (through the localgovernment ocials mentioned above), the Ministry o Transport and Meteorology, UNESCO, UNICEFand UN/ISDR Arica, and curricula developers, proessional illustrators, and teachers. Their respective roles

were:The BNGRC acilitated the entire process, the training and necessary drills (to demonstrate some

practices), and promoted the idea o developing all-reader-riendly textbooks and mainstreaming DRRinto school curricula;

The Ministry o Education and Scientic Research worked on mainstreaming DRR into school curricula,examining approaches in light o the existing national curricula, and provided support to the designand development o the students manual and teachers guide;

The Ministry o Transport and Meteorology, through the National Meteorological Service, providedexpertise on cyclone, drought, and oods and supported the design and development o the studentsmanual and teachers guide;

Local government ocials rom three cyclone-prone east coast regions, curricula developers rom theMinistry o Education, and journalists were trained on DRR in order to drat some o the basic contentso the manuals;

The curricula developers, proessional illustrators, and teachers developed the contents and illustrationsor the two manuals; and

UNESCO and UNICEF supported the printing o the two publications, and UN/ISDR Arica providedtechnical advice and nancial support.

The Project was an eort to implement the Hyogo Framework or Action, Priority or Action 3: Usingknowledge, innovation and education to build a culture o saety and resilience at all levels. Moreimportantly, the Project helped mainstream DRR into the school curricula, a crucial step towardsinstitutionalizing DRR in society. This was a major objective pursued by the ongoing World Disaster

Reduction Campaign 2006-2007 under the theme Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School.The Project achieved several objectives in a single initiative: (1) raising awareness o DRR among teachersand local government ocials rom disaster-prone areas; (2) training the teachers on the DRR conceptand related activities; (3) developing a students manual and teachers guide; and (4) mainstreaming DRRinto the school curricula.

The process o developing the two manuals and mainstreaming DRR into school curricula involvednine stages that were implemented rom April to mid October 2006. The two manuals were developedthrough a participatory approach involving various stakeholders. The students manual explains how toreact beore, during and ater a disaster event with explanations o simple community DRR measuresor seven major hazards in the country: cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, oods, resand amine. The teachers guide provides guiding questions related to various risks in Madagascar. Both

manuals are in Malagasy, the countrys national language.

9 See the report at: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pd
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdfhttp://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdfhttp://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdfhttp://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdfhttp://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdf


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The Project beneted school students, teachers, ocials rom the Ministry o National Education andScientic Research and local government ocials rom three cyclone-prone east coast regions directly.It is expected that through these direct beneciaries the Project will also enhance their parents, relativesand communities knowledge including that o school dropouts - on how to react beore, during andater a disaster event.

This program is a clear example o how various actors can work together and contribute to climatechange adaptation via disaster risk reduction. For Madagascar, as island country, climate change has astrong implication in terms o enhancing disaster risks. Thereore, DRR education in school is the rst stepor adaptation to climate change, which, in turn, leads to climate change education.

4.9 Asian University Network of Environment and DisasterManagement

Support or DRR and CCA education at university level can complement eorts to mainstream DRR andCC education at primary and secondary levels. Kyoto University is providing assistance in this area throughthe Asian University Network or Environment and Disaster Management (AUEDM). Under this unique

initiative, 18 universities rom 13 countries have come together to share knowledge resources, advocateor policy change, and develop guidelines related to environment and disaster risk management.Prominent Asian universities are sharing inormation with stakeholders working on these issues beyondtheir national and thematic boundaries.

AUEDM partners jointly conduct research, share ndings and nd ways orward on these key issues inthe Asia-Pacic, a part o the world that is increasingly at threat due to rising disaster events and climatechange impacts. AUEDM also works closely with governments, corporations, international agencies andcivil society organizations to establish collaborations that eventually lead to reduction o risk or the mostvulnerable communities. AUEDM reects members commitment to implementation oriented educationand research in the eld o environment and disaster risk reduction. The objectives o AUEDM are to:

Share and work together (bilaterally or multilaterally) in promoting environment and disaster

management in higher education (ocusing on, but not limited to, post-graduate education);Seek possibilities o mutual collaboration on eld-based action research (ocusing on, but not limited

to, climate change adaptation);

Broaden the scope o education and learning in the environment and disaster management eldthrough collaboration with other stakeholders, such as NGOs and local governments; and

Document and publish knowledge products in the eld o environment and disaster management.

The ocus o the AUEDM is to present an opportunity or graduates rom a variety o disciplines to expandtheir experiences through a combined program o taught and research components. Compulsory eldwork/research is the means o gaining rst-hand knowledge and allows or deeper insight into the issuesassociated with risk and vulnerability assessment, preparedness, response, recovery, reconstruction,rehabilitation, development and the enhancement o community capacity in a broad range o disasterscenarios. Fieldwork plays a undamental role in the teaching o disaster management and climate changeadaptation in lessons through which students acquire practical skills, relevant beyond the classroom,such as observation; experimentation and investigation; problem solving; cooperation; communicationand decision making.


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4.10 Kids ISO 14000 Program

It is important or children to learn about natural and man-made phenomena, including their causesand how they can participate in response, mitigation and adaptation eorts. Given the human impacton the increasing requency and intensity o disasters, it is crucial to encourage children to developenvironmentally sustainable behaviors as individuals and as a group.

Furthermore, it is vital or humans to understand their relationship to both local and global considerations.In the case o climate change, countries must work together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in orderto reduce global warming. Thus, environmental education or children should include the ollowing:

Develop childrens sensitivity towards the environment, and an increase in their environmentalawareness;

Develop their understanding o the natural processes and the concept o sustainability;

Develop their understanding o the impact o human activity on nature and how to reduce negativeimpacts; and

Provide children with opportunities to practice working together locally and globally on environmental

issues.The Kids EMS Program was initiated by ArTech, Japan in 2000, and ollowing an agreement betweenArTech and ISO, the program is now called the Kids ISO 14000 Program. By 2005, more than 100,000children had participated in the program, which is expanding internationally through the work o UNorganizations such as UNU, UNEP and UNESCO, and international organizations such as ISO. The Kids ISO14000 Program is an environmental education program with the ollowing goals:

To stimulate environmental awareness o children;

To teach and promote active use o environmental management methodologies with children, such asthe Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle; and

To provide children with experiences to work together locally and globally through group networks.

It is possible and necessary to build synergies between such programs as the Kids ISO 14000 and othereducation activities in the ormal, non-ormal and inormal education sectors. One o the by-products othe Kids ISO 14000 Program is the increased environmental awareness o childrens amilies through theactivities o children in the home.

4.11 Sandwatch

Sandwatch is a grassroots network o schools and community groups working together to monitorand conserve local beaches and near shore environments, and to build these communities resilienceto climate change. Coordinated by a non-prot, The Sandwatch Foundation, the network started in theCaribbean in 1999 and has become an inter-regional activity involving islands as ar apart as Cook Islandsin the Pacic, Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, and the Bahamas in the Caribbean as well as countries in

Europe, Arica, Asia and South America. Sandwatch is supported by UNESCO through its education andscience sectors, and has received support rom the University o Puerto Ricos Sea Grant College Programas well as many national organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.

Sandwatch seeks to modiy the liestyle and habits o children, youth and adults on a community-widebasis, and to develop awareness o the ragile nature o the marine and coastal environment and the needto use it wisely. It is an educational process through which school students and community members learnand work together to critically evaluate the problems and conicts acing their beach environments andto develop sustainable approaches to address these issues. With a strong eld monitoring component,Sandwatch tries to make science live while remaining inter-disciplinary with applications ranging rombiology to woodwork, and rom poetry to mathematics.

Each Sandwatch school or group adopts a local beach and regularly takes a series o measurements and

tests o their beach using simple and readily available equipment. By measuring how the beach width,currents, waves, water quality and other actors change over time, ideally over more than a year, teams


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can determine whether their beach is stable and healthy or stressed and deteriorating, and the natureo the stressors. A Sandwatch climate change database, presently under design, is intended to providean inventory o beach data against which climate change impacts can be assessed rom 2010 onwards.

When a group identies a problem it can, with the community, develop a project to address andmitigate challenges. Project activities include alerting the media to potential problems such as water

contamination (rom sewage or agricultural runo or example), conducting beach clean-ups, replantingmangroves or dune stabilization vegetation, creating signage or proper beach use, monitoring andprotecting marine turtle nesting sites, or monitoring the eects o coral bleaching. By keeping the beachand related ecosystems healthy they are made more resilient and better able to adapt to climate change.

All Sandwatch groups are encouraged to regularly post their data, photographs and other project detailson the Sandwatch website10, as well as to contribute articles and photographs to the Foundations newsjournal, The Sandwatcher, which is published several times each year in English, Spanish and French.

Sandwatch representatives rom each country are also invited to participate in regional and internationalworkshops and conerences, where they share their experiences and data and orge partnerships withsimilar environmental groups. Video conerences and contests between teams are also regularly held topromote the charitys activities. In 2008 the Fiji government endorsed a Sandwatch video competition,

citing the cause o combating climate change as a national responsibility.

10 http://www.sandwatch.ca/
http://www.sandwatch.ca/http://www.sandwatch.ca/


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Conclusion and Way Forward

5.1 Challenge of Climate Change Responses in TheEducation Sector

Education sector responses to climate change are in early stages, and building a culture o climateresilience at all levels is a long-term strategy. CCE is a critical link in the construction o this new culture.This section discusses the key challenges and gaps along three main lines: (i) inclusive integration o CCresponses into school education; (ii) strengthening CCE or community resilience; (iii) climate proongeducation inrastructure; and (iv) empowering children or responding to climate change.

5.1.1 Inclusive integration of CC responses into school education

Integrating climate change response (CCR) into school education is a complex endeavor that requires

strong national political will, a systematic approach and sustained action. The institutional and technicalcapacity in many countries is still weak, and the nancial resources needed to build these capacities arelimited. In addition, there is resistance to incorporating climate change materials on the grounds that theormal curriculum is already heavily charged.

Indicators o perormance and eectiveness o the CC curriculum, which would serve as valuablebenchmarks or implementation, are also lacking. . There is a need to reach consensus on what theseindicators should be. In addition, reaching sta and children with disabilities in most countries remainsa huge challenge. Learning materials, teacher training, teaching methods, extra-curricular activitieshave yet to take into account their special needs. Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), Indonesia, is the onlyorganization that has reported assisting disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation educationactivities or children with disabilities. It supports the development o materials or children and teachers,including special teaching materials or dea and blind students. ASB also maps school hazards, developsaction plans and conducts drills. Many more activities like these, and the support o more organizations,are needed to address the needs o children with disabilities.



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Similarly, gaps exist with regard to materials and methodologies to assess the socioeconomic impact oclimate-induced disasters and programs or out-o-school children. These include working children, verypoor children whose amilies cannot aord their education, and those who or other reasons are not parto the ormal education system. The majority are still let out o school-based activities, and oten romcommunity-based programs as well. Children o primary school age who are out-o-school will continueto be especially vulnerable to climate risks unless they are eatured in a strategy and program or CCE.

Eective inormal CCE and other outreach methods need to be designed so that children who are notpart o the school system have the opportunity to reduce their vulnerability and enhance their resilience.These vulnerable groups are not part o climate change education eorts reviewed by this study, probablyor lack o reporting guidelines in this area. In any case, the inclusion o vulnerable populations in CCEactivities remains a recognized yet persisting challenge.

5.1.2 Strengthening CCE for community resilience

The key to eecting signicant behavioral change and building community resilience is public ownershipo CCE programs. Essential elements in this endeavour include participatory mechanisms, recognition othe role o women, a bottom-up approach and the quantitative and qualitative upgrade o community-

based projects. At the moment gaps exist in all these areas.Community-ocused projects should incorporate consistent participatory mechanisms. Local authorities,community leaders and members, project acilitators, all need to be given the opportunity to be genuineparticipants o CCE programs, rom planning and implementation, to monitoring and evaluation. It isimportant to bring about a shit o peoples mentality rom dependency on government relie to sel-reliance and preparedness. Engaging participation o all community members, especially women, poorand vulnerable people, is encouraged. Eective channels or bottom-up communication rom schoolsand communities to the policy-making authorities at the national levels are essential, but are still lackingin many cases.

Indigenous knowledge and local good practices have also not been suciently incorporated incommunity based activities. They either have not been disseminated widely outside their original milieu

or not suciently used. There is little evidence that the rich local knowledge o the environment andgood practices in CCR are being sought in CCE programs.

This review reveals that top-down approaches in CCE programs are commonplace. In some countries thisapproach is cited as a key actor behind the passive participation o the communities in the CCR activities(Alias et al. 2009). There is no doubt that national political commitment and nationally initiated programsprovide an enabling environment and impetus or CCR programs. However, they are not sucient orraising public consciousness on climate risks, or or changing mindsets to adopting behaviors thatpromote climate resilience. Top-down approaches need to be complemented by bottom-up methods,and the views and participation o ordinary citizens sought and valued. Considerable gaps remain inimplementing the kinds o activities that build individual and community resilience and mobilize theirparticipation in climate change adaptation, and mitigation planning and implementation.

There are, however, challenges in the actual implementation o bottom-up methods. Involvingcommunity members in the processes is time-consuming, while community expectations o quickresults and impact are oten unrealistic. Eective community mobilization also requires particular skills,but oten there are insucient qualied human resources. The experience o Bangladesh shows thatprogress in mobilizing peoples action also depends on whether awareness-raising programs succeed inaddressing the audience as a heterogeneous group, and how messages on CC are tailored to dierentsituations.

Moreover the community-ocused projects on climate change adaptation are still relatively ew. Wherethey have been reported, the projects, including those supported by civil society organizations, tend tobe limited in coverage and are not necessarily part o a coherent national CCR program. Compared toinitiatives at the national level, insucient attention has been given to community-level and community-led action, with the result that ormal and non-ormal activities are not yet integrated. As responsibilitiesor these programs oten all on dierent agencies, the tendency has been that each is designed andimplemented separately rom the other. Much remains to be done to dovetail ormal and non-ormal


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education strategies, so that programs are mutually supportive. Additional issues include weak verticaland horizontal coordination. Community sensitization programs have yet to emphasize behavior changecommunication, a strategy that enables awareness-raising activities to lead to changes in behavior andincreased community action

Currently the level o community awareness on climate change adaptation and mitigation is generally

low. Some countries outperorm in this aspect (Australia, Islamic Republic o Iran, Republic o Korea, andNew Zealand) where community programs are implemented systematically. In others, public awarenessactivities tend to be more sporadic, relatively small in scope and inadequate to reach the masses andall climate risk areas. Materials or public awareness activities and their

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UNESCO.education Sector Responses to Climate Change

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