Since its entry into force, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Article 6 has recognised the importance of ‘education, training and public awareness’ in mitigating ‘dangerous human interference with the climate system’. Article 12 of the Paris Agreement (2015) reaffirms this recognition.This document provides a status report on the implementation of climate change education in countries. It outlines key findings from an analysis of country submissions to the UNFCCC Secretariat as part of UNFCCC reporting processes and highlights achievements and remaining gaps in the area of climate change education.
The analysis shows that almost all countries include some reference to climate change education in their country submissions under the UNFCCC reporting processes. This shows a certain level of commitment, which provides a good basis to further scale up educational responses to climate change. However, important gaps remain. Addressing them will be crucial in order to fully mobilize the power of education in response to this greatest challenge of our times.