people and planet

1
KEY MESSAGES
Living sustainably requires a huge shift in mindset.
Education has to be part of that change.
1
Education can help people understand and respond to environmental issues.
a. It helps develop the right knowledge, skills and technical solutions that can change
environmental behaviour.
b. Education is clearly shown to be the best tool for climate change awareness.
c. Education is the most effective means of curtailing population growth.
d. Education improves disaster preparedness and reduces vulnerability to climate-related disasters.
e. Green schools, well-designed curricula and hands-on learning outside of school can strengthen
people’s connection with nature.
2
Outside of school, we must learn through communities and throughout our lives.
a. Learning among communities encourages people to reflect on their values, and participate more
actively in shifts towards sustainable living.
b. Traditional – and specifically indigenous – knowledge, passed down through the generations, is a
major resource for adapting to climate change.
c. Providing instruction in local languages in school helps knowledge be shared among generations
and communities outside school.
3
Education systems must be careful not to encourage unsustainable lifestyles.
a. Learning for economic growth alone will not bring sustainable solutions.
b. Education systems and curricula must reflect the critical basis of indigenous communities’
knowledge, which rests on deep intercultural respect, along with openness to plurality of knowledge
systems and cultures.
4
Schools need to take a holistic approach to tackling environmental challenges.
a. Both teachers and students need to learn about climate change and its underlying causes.
b. Pedagogy needs to encourage collaboration and participation.
c. Schools need to engage with their surrounding communities.
d. Green operations and facilities need to be built.
5
The private sector must encourage lifelong learning to fight climate change.
a. Efforts could include workplace learning, joining in multistakeholder partnerships to develop
environmental solutions, reducing companies’ ecological footprint, and funding greener schools.
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CHAPTER 1 | PLANET: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY