Climate change education is increasingly seen as an essential part of schooling. The main international test of 15-year-olds’ progress (which Australia participates in) has just announced the next round of testing will include environmental knowledge alongside English, maths and science literacy. Australia’s national curriculum (updated last year under the Morrison government) barely mentions climate change. But as a signatory to the […] … learn more→

qSixteen young Montanans who sued their state over climate change emerged victorious on Aug. 14, 2023, from a first-of-its-kind climate trial. The case, Held v. State of Montana, was based on allegations that state energy policies violate the young plaintiffs’ constitutional right to “a clean and healthful environment” – a right that has been enshrined in the Montana Constitution since […] … learn more→

The case for action on climate change no longer needs to be laid out. We see, almost daily, disturbing images of bushfires, floods or a mass extinction crisis. But however widespread that sense of urgency may be, we are struggling as a nation to respond in a substantive, coordinated way. One thing is clear: these responses will […] … learn more→

As centres of learning, universities have the potential to help whole communities learn about and address climate change. Education can lead us to change our attitudes and behaviour. It can also help us deal with the anxiety or fear of doom that can stun us into inaction. But there are aspects of how universities work that can […] … learn more→

Climate change is the most urgent crisis facing our planet today. Youth have repeatedly called for action on tackling this crisis, including improved climate change education. Yet despite the many pledges made at high-profile world conferences to implement climate change curricula in all schools, the follow through has been far from satisfactory. The federal government, as a signatory of […] … learn more→

Climate change is exacerbating pressures on every Australian ecosystem and Australia now has more foreign plant species than native, according to the highly anticipated State of the Environment Report released today. The report also found the number of listed threatened species rose 8% since 2016 and more extinctions are expected in the next decades. The […] … learn more→

We know young people are “angry, frustrated and scared” about climate change. And they want to do more to stop it. However, the school system is not set up to help them address their concerns and learn the information they seek. There are no explicit mentions of climate change in the Australian primary school curriculum […] … learn more→

You’d be forgiven for not having heard about the long-awaited new Australian Curriculum, which was released with little fanfare in the midst of the election campaign. But this update to the national curriculum (9.0), for foundation to year 12 students, is hugely significant. It will guide the education of young Australians for the next six years, […] … learn more→

Although in science we must always be willing to rectify theories with the new data that are observed, the evidence that we have available points to a clear confirmation that climate change is of human origin, as the latest reports of the Intergovernmental Panel of the Climate Change . To deal with it, there are two […] … learn more→

To the untrained eye, the small community garden on Coast and Straits Salish territory — on what passersby commonly know as the University of Victoria campus — might look unruly. Bursting with dandelions, lamb’s ear and grasses, it’s difficult to tell where the garden starts and where it ends. Wondering where those boundaries begin and end has […] … learn more→