Supporting Quality Climate Change Education in Australian Schools

This professional consensus paper on climate change education has been jointly developed by the Australian Science Teachers Association, the Australian Geography Teachers Association and the Australian Association for Environmental Education. It represents the shared professional judgement of teachers, educators and education researchers across Australia and responds directly to what teachers are telling us they need: clearer guidance, stronger curriculum coherence and more consistent professional support.

While climate change already appears across the Australian Curriculum, teachers report significant variation in how it is interpreted and enacted in practice. This variability can lead to inconsistent student understanding, increased teacher workload and uncertainty about what high-quality climate change education looks like at different year levels and across learning areas. Drawing on national and international research, this paper sets out a clear, research-informed framework for climate change education from Foundation to Year 12, with a strong focus on building student understanding, agency and hope, while supporting teacher confidence and professionalism.

The paper calls for coordinated action across curriculum, policy and professional learning to ensure climate change education is explicit, coherent and well supported across Australian schooling. It is intended to inform professional learning, curriculum planning and policy conversations at school, system and association levels.

We encourage educators, school leaders, professional associations and policymakers to read the paper and engage with its recommendations.