Early Education Addresses Climate Change

Researchers in South Africa explore environmental change education within early childhood learning. They frame ecological crises—including climate change and biodiversity loss—as urgent issues demanding new educational approaches. The chapter connects environmental degradation to unsustainable practices and emphasizes the need to start shifting behaviors during early childhood.

Researchers note that current South African curriculum, specifically the Life Skills component, promotes holistic development. However, they find teaching leans toward knowledge delivery instead of transformative learning. They propose early, integrated, and creative teaching methods to foster environmental understanding and lasting change in behavior.

The chapter also positions environmental issues as a matter of children’s rights, given young people’s vulnerability to environmental risks. While the curriculum supports interdisciplinary learning, further work focuses on how to effectively implement transformative pedagogies. Researchers acknowledge more study is needed to determine how to best foster critical thinking and active citizenship in young learners.