Education is a powerful enabler of climate change prevention

Led by CoP-26, more countries are committing themselves to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This includes improving energy efficiency, developing alternative energy sources, reducing overall energy consumption and using regulation and policy to reduce wastage.

These measures require funding, public consent and lifestyle changes. They will also have a profound impact on the industrial structures and economic policies of countries, which can cause a short-term blow to the global economy.

But these actions are an important step towards ending the indiscriminate exploitation of low-cost natural resources around the world, which is now taking a toll on the environment and fueling the climate crisis. Asia and the Pacific are responsible for nearly half of global greenhouse gas emissions and more than 60% of the region’s people work in areas that are susceptible to changing weather patterns. Clearly, the fight against climate change will be won or lost in Asia and the Pacific.

This is why Asia and the Pacific must foster a new paradigm of economic development that can transform climate actions into drivers of economic growth that are ecologically sustainable and climate-friendly. Following this new paradigm requires a fundamental change in the mindset and lifestyle of the future generations.

Education in the region and beyond can and should be an active agent in catalyzing climate mitigation and adaptation in line with global agreements. Education can be transformative in at least three ways.

First, universal values ​​such as global citizenship and sustainable development must be included in the mainstream, foundational and formative years of study. It will help students to become self-directed, lifelong learners. It will also help increase self-awareness, enable cultural change, and transform the mindset and lifestyles of future global citizens—equipping them with the tools they need to lead and actively support sustainable development.

This is why youth leaders like Greta Thunberg and Malala Yousafzai are inspiring millions of young people around the world to make societies smarter, greener and more inclusive and resilient.

Second, greater investment and a better quality of expenditure in education, especially for disadvantaged and marginalized groups, including girls and women – are the best strategies to support sustainable development. The more educated people a country has, the better is that country’s ability and agility to prevent or mitigate future threats.

Third, education can be more responsive in preparing experts, innovators and leaders with the skills to tackle climate change and other related development challenges. Such challenges include converting waste into energy, increasing food production and reducing food waste to sustainably feed a growing population, the transition to clean energy and transportation, and the creation and preparation of green jobs.

Education is the cornerstone on which the world needs to build a successful transition from effective short-term climate action to sustainable, structural means of long-term change that are based on fresh minds.

Developing this education system will require extensive collaboration between central and local governments, schools, universities, communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector. This collaboration is critical to developing education policies that will prepare and engage students in sustainable development through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) projects.

There are already good examples of climate change education led by some governments. Italy requires all students in higher secondary education to take no more than 33 hours of climate change classes each year. The Department of Education in the Philippines has committed to accelerating climate literacy and supporting climate action in schools. The Republic of Korea has launched a project to convert schools into green campuses that will showcase education programs to conserve the environment and use environmentally friendly energy.

The international community, multinational corporations and international NGOs are equally important in harmonizing and providing this assistance. The Paris Agreement calls on its signatories to conduct educational and public awareness campaigns on climate change and to ensure public participation in programs to achieve their goals.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched the Climate Change Fund in 2008 and has since actively attempted to mainstream climate change issues in education. The Bank is supporting clean energy in a number of education projects, including preparing graduates with green skills.

The Ban Ki Moon (BKM) Foundation for a Better Future is urging governments and the international community to prioritize environmental education, encourage young international leaders, and empower women and youth.

ADB and BKM Foundation will collaborate to mobilize more partners, resources and expertise and build a better way back from the pandemic.

At this critical juncture in the history of humanity, we must now re-imagine education. This will lead to an early-stage mindset change that will help equip global citizens and the innovators of tomorrow with the skills to address climate change and nurture the long-term health of our planet.

Ban Ki-moon and Bambang Susantono are, respectively, presidents of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation for a Better Future and former Secretary-General of the United Nations; and ADB Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development.