Table of Contents

Foreword, by Alex Halliday
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I. Why Climate Education Needs Systems Thinking
1. Defining Systems Thinking and Climate Change
Part II. Climate Change Education and Future Workforces
2. Systems Thinking Skills and Outcomes
3. Strategies in Instructional Design
Part III. Examples and Case Studies of Climate Change Education in Practice
4. Climate Change in Formal Learning Environments
5. Community-Based (Informal) Education
6. Teaching Climate Change in Nonformal Settings
Part IV. The Future of Climate Education
7. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access as a Tool for Addressing Social and Environmental Justice
8. Role of the Columbia Climate School in Climate Education
Conclusion
Notes
Index

About the Author

Cassie Xu is the former director of K-12 and continuing education at the Columbia Climate School, where she led efforts to establish the Office of Education and Outreach.

Radhika Iyengar is a research scholar and the director of education at the Columbia Climate School’s Center for Sustainable Development.

Reviews

Climate Change Education is more than an emergency call. It is a direct challenge – an all-hands-on-deck strategy – for scientists, policymakers, educators, and the broader community to mobilize forces in response to the climate crisis. Our survival depends on our capacity to work together to center ecological literacy and justice across the curriculum, while transforming cultures and institutions toward more sustainable futures.
*Iveta Silova, Professor and Associate Dean of Global Engagement, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University*

Drawing from the latest in climate change education and education for sustainable development, this primer provides educators with the essential foundations in instructional design and pedagogical approaches for action-oriented, justice-centered teaching and learning for climate action. Curriculum developers and researchers will also benefit from the case studies of climate change education in action. Cassie Xu and Radhika Iyengar bridge theory with practice, bringing to life a diversity of what climate change education can look like across learning environments around the world.
*Christina Kwauk, research director, Unbounded Associates*

To understand climate change, it is important to understand what shapes it in natural, social, and economic spheres. Climate Change Education's systems thinking approach speaks professionally to teaching and learning about climate change in all its interconnected complexity.
*Lucia Rodriguez, director, Global MDP Secretariat*

Xu and Iyengar place education for sustainable development and climate education in a clear yet broad context, providing a highly adaptable framing and applications for different learning spaces. An important read for policy makers, educators, and researchers alike.
*Matthew A. Witenstein, Dayton University*

Xu and Iyengar's holistic systems thinking approach to teaching will lead to fruitful discussions of the historical context of climate change and its multifaceted nature.
*Latasha Wright, chief scientific officer, BioBus*

Th[is] book offer[s] valuable guidance to educators at all levels, from universities to primary schools...on teaching climate change.
*Yale Climate Connections*

‘Climate Change Education’ is a must-read for educators, policymakers, and anyone passionate about climate change and education. It offers a compelling and thorough exploration of how to seamlessly integrate climate education across diverse settings, championing a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that drives real, meaningful change.
*National Center for Science Education*

Luo Cassie Xu and Radhika Iyengar’s book serves as an essential primer for teachers and administrators on climate change education, skillfully bridging the gap between complex scientific research and everyday understanding.
*Karolyn Burns, NCSE*