Climate Change Education - (Columbia University Earth Institute Sustainability Primers) by Luo Cassie Xu & Radhika Iyengar

About the Book

This book provides a framework for putting climate change at the forefront of educational agendas and pedagogical tools for teaching climate science across local and global settings.

Book Synopsis

Climate change affects every person and society, every community and industry. Education at all levels, in all disciplines, and both inside and outside official institutions must now address climate change and its many effects on social and environmental systems. This book provides a framework for putting climate change at the forefront of educational agendas and pedagogical tools for teaching climate science across local and global settings.

Cassie Xu and Radhika Iyengar present evidence-based teaching practices and strategies that are grounded in a broad conception of education and emphasize a systems approach. They share examples of effective approaches in diverse learning environments--not just in classrooms and other formal settings but also informal contexts with communities and families. This book makes the case that students and other learners need to understand climate science and the physical and social impacts of climate change not only to be good citizens but also to be well prepared for different career paths. Xu and Iyengar highlight systemic barriers and inequalities, reflecting on how to bring marginalized voices and perspectives into educational spaces. Providing a foundation for interdisciplinary environmental education, this book underscores that how we teach future generations about climate change will shape our future.

Review Quotes

Th[is] book offer[s] valuable guidance to educators at all levels, from universities to primary schools...on teaching climate change.-- "Yale Climate Connections"

Climate Change Education is more than an emergency call. It is a direct challenge - an all-hands-on-deck strategy - for scientists, policymakers, educators, and the broader community to mobilize forces in response to the climate crisis. Our survival depends on our capacity to work together to center ecological literacy and justice across the curriculum, while transforming cultures and institutions toward more sustainable futures.--Iveta Silova, Professor and Associate Dean of Global Engagement, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University

Drawing from the latest in climate change education and education for sustainable development, this primer provides educators with the essential foundations in instructional design and pedagogical approaches for action-oriented, justice-centered teaching and learning for climate action. Curriculum developers and researchers will also benefit from the case studies of climate change education in action. Cassie Xu and Radhika Iyengar bridge theory with practice, bringing to life a diversity of what climate change education can look like across learning environments around the world.--Christina Kwauk, research director, Unbounded Associates

To understand climate change, it is important to understand what shapes it in natural, social, and economic spheres. Climate Change Education's systems thinking approach speaks professionally to teaching and learning about climate change in all its interconnected complexity.--Lucia Rodriguez, director, Global MDP Secretariat

Xu and Iyengar place education for sustainable development and climate education in a clear yet broad context, providing a highly adaptable framing and applications for different learning spaces. An important read for policy makers, educators, and researchers alike.--Matthew A. Witenstein, Dayton University

Xu and Iyengar's holistic systems thinking approach to teaching will lead to fruitful discussions of the historical context of climate change and its multifaceted nature.--Latasha Wright, chief scientific officer, BioBus

About the Author

Cassie Xu is the former director of K-12 and continuing education at the Columbia Climate School, where she led efforts to establish the Office of Education and Outreach.

Radhika Iyengar is a research scholar and the director of education at the Columbia Climate School's Center for Sustainable Development.