Current status of climate change education and suggestions for its integrative development in Japan

Abstract

This study presents proposals for the expansion, improvement, and integrative development of Climate Change Education (CCE) in Japan. It provides an overview of CCE-related initiatives by the international community. In particular, we examine (1) how CCE was positioned within the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) 2005–2014 and international DESD programs; (2) how education, training, and awareness raising are positioned within policy measures concerning climate change adaptation and mitigation, as represented by those adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); and (3) the significance of CCE, which covers the two aspects building “the world we want (UNDG, 2013), and responding to a “risk society (Beck, 1986).” Furthermore, it reviews international trends in research on CCE to understand the current status of CCE research in Japan.

For the case analysis, the study discusses CCE, using mobility (transportation) as an example area, with an eye to the future expansion and improvement of CCE in Japan, while referring to three integrative problem-solving models. We highlight the importance of the construction of a social ecosystem to the development of more widespread and effective CCE. Encouraging people to adopt responsible behavior is also essential and can be achieved by informing them of the clearly defined different dimensions of CCE. They are individual actors, systems, organizational structures, the public sphere, and daily life, and are based upon the integrative problem-solving models mentioned in this study.