Climate education in times of multiple crises: Symposium on November 7, 2024 highlights new challenges and potential solutions

The numerous challenges of our time can sometimes seem overwhelming. Students in particular are at risk of feeling powerless in the face of multiple crises. What schools can do to counteract this and what new approaches and positive role models exist was discussed at the symposium “Climate education in times of multiple crises,” which took place on November 7, 2024, in Berlin-Charlottenburg.

As a place of learning and training for a bright future, schools have a responsibility to address the crises facing our world and their impact on young people. Climate change in particular can seem overwhelming and unsolvable to young people. What does this mean for teaching and learning content in schools? What are the biggest obstacles to effective climate education, and how can we overcome them?

These and other topics were presented and discussed by inspiring guests at the 26th Climate Protection in Schools Conference, “Climate Education in Times of Multiple Crises.” Teachers and other climate education activists and multipliers from Berlin were invited to participate. After three keynote speeches, various practical workshops provided the tools for concrete changes in everyday school life. There was also plenty of time for networking.

Transformative education just an ‘add on’?

The first keynote speech was given by Dr. Antje Brock from the Futur Institute at the Free University of Berlin. Under the title “Transformative education for sustainability: So far only an ‘add-on’ in the education system? How can effective empowerment succeed?” she presented the current state of research based on study results and meta-analyses. Young people in particular sometimes no longer have confidence in problem solving; they experience a discrepancy between perceived (collective) self-efficacy and the perceived magnitude of sustainability problems. This can lead to excessive demands, repression, wishful thinking and fatalism. New approaches are needed in education for sustainable development (ESD) so that teachers and learners see themselves as better able to make positive changes. Shifting from footprint to handprint is a good approach to actively changing something for many people.

Is hiking now legal?

“Love of nature and hatred of people: right-wing narratives and misanthropy in environmental education” was the topic of the second keynote speech. Robin Bell from the specialist department for radicalization prevention and commitment to nature conservation (FARN) of the Friends of Nature Germany gave examples of the specialist department’s work. On closer inspection, a survival training course that actually seems harmless turns out to be an event with a clear connection to the neo-Nazi prepper scene. Nature and environmental protection are sometimes deliberately appropriated for “homeland protection and people’s protection”. This clearly showed elements of a right-wing extremist world view and historical continuities up to the “blood and soil” ideology. Experiential and environmental education continued colonial continuities that stretch back to the German Empire. (Outdoor) educational offerings that seem interesting at first glance should therefore always be checked for the actual organizers and their motivation. Publications and educational offerings from the specialist department can be found at www.nf-farn.de .

The Futur3 class of the Goethe-Gymnasium Lichterfelde

Berlin’s first climate class was presented in the third keynote speech “Climate protection in everyday school life – experiences of an active environmental school” by teachers Sven Kozelnik and Stephan Noth. The so-called Futur3 classes receive interdisciplinary lessons, enter into cooperation with extracurricular learning locations and carry out many city, neighborhood and school projects that are developed together with the students. For the third time, a class in the beginner year was set up as a climate class, for which there were again more interested students than places. At the beginning, many challenges had to be overcome at the institutional and personnel level, although the Goethe-Gymnasium has been active as an environmental school and with climate working groups for many years. Further information is available on the school website: https://goethe-gymnasium-lichterfelde.de/pluspunkte/futur3 .

In the second part of the conference, several practical workshops took place:

• How can climate protection be achieved despite a lack of time and resources in everyday school life (UfU)?
• How can environmentally friendly mobility be successfully implemented for the entire school (BUND)?
• Are hiking and carving now right-wing – what helps against right-wing narratives in nature and environmental education (FARN)?
• Do cultural education and Schools of Sustainability fit together (HKW, UdK)?
• Climate education and urban infrastructure – what new teaching materials are available (KlimaMacher.berlin)?
• How does practical energy saving work in schools – methods, possibilities, motivation (UfU)?

Our thanks go to the speakers of the keynote speeches and all the organizers of the practical workshops! With more than 80 participants, the demand from teachers in the field of environmental and climate education once again shows the great relevance of such a conference. We would also like to thank the Upper Secondary School for Automotive Technology for kindly making their school’s premises available for the conference.

The annual conference is part of the award-winning KlimaVisionen project and is organized by the UfU’s Competence Center for Climate-Neutral Schools on behalf of the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Florian Kliche (florian.kliche@ufu.de). The conference is recognized as an official training course by the state of Berlin .

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