Scholarly record
DEVELOPING CLIMATE LITERACY IN GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION
Abstract
Climate change has become one of the most urgent global challenges of the twenty-first century, affecting natural systems, urban environments, economic stability, food security, and social resilience. In this context, climate literacy has emerged as a critical educational priority, particularly within GeoScience education, where understanding Earth systems, environmental processes, and human-environment interactions forms the foundation of academic and professional training. Developing climate literacy involves not only scientific knowledge of climate systems and climate change processes, but also critical thinking, risk perception, decision-making capacity, and the ability to translate complex environmental information into sustainable action and policy responses. This study explores the development of climate literacy in GeoScience education, focusing on how higher education institutions can strengthen students’ understanding of climate science, adaptation strategies, mitigation pathways, and sustainability transitions. The research examines the integration of climate literacy across disciplines such as geography, geology, environmental science, cartography, urban planning, hydrology, disaster risk management, agriculture, and regional development. Particular attention is given to innovative pedagogical approaches including field-based learning, GIS applications, remote sensing, climate modeling, digital twins, GeoAI, virtual laboratories, and interdisciplinary problem-based learning that connect scientific knowledge with real-world climate challenges. Using an interdisciplinary methodological framework combining systematic literature review, comparative curriculum analysis, case studies of university climate education programs, and policy evaluation of sustainability-oriented educational reforms, the study identifies best practices for curriculum modernization and competency development. The analysis also investigates barriers to effective climate education, including curriculum fragmentation, limited institutional capacity, insufficient teacher preparation, digital inequality, and the challenge of translating complex climate science into accessible and actionable learning.
Publication details
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