Is sustainability a key part of education?

Downplaying the discussion of climate change and sustainability in education may be a mistake
school classroom

On 11 June, England's education secretary Michael Gove revealed the draft new syllabus for the geography GCSE exam: it mentions climate change once. This adds to the news in March that the government plans to drop references to sustainability and climate change from the curriculum for under 14's.

According to UK Youth Climate Coalition, which opposes the changes, Gove is determined to restructure education on a more factual basis, without giving students the opportunity to explore wider issues like sustainability.

These developments have been met with objections, arguing that the subject of climate change and sustainability are crucial topics for the education of future generations. Experts worry that these changes to the curriculum risk diluting sustainable development in schools.

"The UK has been ahead with the sustainability school agenda, but I'm worried that they're now stripping back the work that we've spent 10 years developing with the schools," says Anna Birney from Forum for the Future, a non-profit group promoting sustainable development.

For years, charities and non-profits have been encouraging and helping schools integrate energy into education. One of their main strategies is using energy efficiency projects in schools to teach children about sustainability, by making it part of their learning experience.

"Putting solar panels on the roof of a school building can be a way to show children how much energy can be saved," explains Birney. "But teachers can also use it as an engagement tool for lessons in science and maths."

Schools don't have to create lessons dedicated solely to the environment and energy to teach them about these issues. The point is that this knowledge can be diffused in core subjects like maths, science and even literacy lessons. For example, students from Worcestershire and Warwickshire schools wrote letters to their local MP to voice their concerns about climate change and the environment as part of their literacy lesson.

Studies conducted by Ofsted have shown positive results from schools that integrated sustainability into their curriculum. In some cases, children were getting better marks and were seen as more positive about learning in general. According to Birney, children get excited to learn about real life issues and the prospect of making a change.

While some groups suggest that lessons on sustainability should be taught in higher education, it would appear that the ideal age to start engaging students in these issues is actually primary school. Mike Wolfe from CREATE, another non-profit dedicated to sustainable development, explains that interest on the subject peaks between the ages of 9-14. Later, students have less time to sacrifice as workload increases for GCSEs and A-levels.

Wolfe adds that interest in environmental issues then picks up again in young adults in their 20s. Surveys shows that both school children and university students value lessons in energy and the environment and appreciate that these issues are important for their future.

My next post will look at the psychology behind energy consumption. Why do we use more rather than less energy? The rollout for smart meters is scheduled for 2015, but are we ready to share information on our energy consumption?

Katherine Portilla is a science journalism MA student at City University London and will be investigating issued related to energy consumption for her final project. In the next few weeks she will interview experts and explore various sectors related to the subject. She can be contacted via email on and on Twitter @katherine_op