1 . How to Improve Climate Literacy
Climate literacy is the ability to identify, understand and explain information associated with climate science.
Over the past few years, many young people and educators have pushed for the inclusion of climate literacy in national curricula. So what are the best ways in which this can be embedded within already packed school timetables?
True climate literacy must address not only the science of climate change, but also issues of climate (in)justice, including how climate change affects people and places unevenly and contributes to inequalities within and across nations.
One way to do this is through visual storytelling. Storytelling, often involving drawings and paintings, has been used by human communities to pass on knowledge or tales of caution for at least 30,000 years — as you can see from the cave painting.
One effect of storytelling is its ability to create cognitive dissonance: the mental conflict and discomfort felt when a person’s behaviour isn’t in line with their beliefs. Stories that demonstrate the consequences of not acting eco-consciously — especially if those consequences are shown visually — can be a good way to do this, leading to individuals being more likely to take climate action in their own lives or by confronting corporate activities.
A.Therefore, the teachers we worked with remarked that lessons are typically focused on the physical processes of climate change. |
B.However, at present, much of climate change education is focused on the physical aspects of climate change, often at a global scale. |
C.The next stages of our research will reflect how a separated community has come together through this journey towards climate literacy. |
D.Being climate literate allows individuals to become active participants in the fight against climate change. |
E.This collective psychological distancing means many fail to recognise the urgency of the climate crisis. |