Education for Sustainable Development and Climate Change Education in China: A Status Report

Abstract

Recognizing the significance of education in promoting sustainable development (SD), China has developed a number of policies and initiatives relating to education for sustainable development (ESD) and climate change education (CCE). The article first reviews China’s national policies and initiatives with regard to SD, climate change, education, ESD and CCE. Second, it investigates the educational approaches adopted in the implementation of ESD and CCE in China, including the establishment of ESD schools and districts, curriculum development, the promotion of the ESD teaching and learning model, thematic activities, and the monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Third, a number of characteristics of ESD in China are analyzed in the article. For example, ESD in China is considered as a way to quality education; and it follows a whole school approach and often requires cross-sectoral cooperation. Last, the article identifies several main challenges faced with the ESD and CCE work in China and provides some feasible solutions to these challenges.