Sustainability Through Green Discourse In Curriculum

Summary According to Deakin University, Dr Peta White desires not to limit the education of the young generation to merely letting them know about climate change, but to educate them to be prepared and to be part of the solution so far as climate change and environmental issues across the globe are concerned. Goran Lazendic, associated with the Australian Council for Educational Research, who also remained international survey director of the related programme, believes that the young generation should not be limited to knowing about environmental changes but should be educated and prepared to create resilience and devise technology-based ways and means to reduce the effects of environmental and climate change. Keeping in view the impacts and effects of climate and environmental hazards, apart from educating and training the young generation, we also have to bring this matter to the limelight and ensure that our officers working in other departments, including irrigation, agriculture, police and the administrative services, are playing their part effectively. AI Generated Summary UNESCO has time and again been endeavouring to highlight sustainability through green discourse in the curriculum. It has advised the inclusion of Education for Sustainable Development in the curriculum by 2025 across the world. In a related conference held in 2021 in Berlin, Germany, attended by policymakers, academics and parliamentarians from across the globe, UNESCO, regarding this objective, stated on its official website that it wanted to highlight the inclusion of environmental education in the curriculum by 2025. Addressing the conference, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said that education should not be limited to educating learners about crises and disasters, but rather should devise plans and prepare the young generation to face such situations in the coming days. She further stated that, in order to save the planet, we have to change our lifestyles, production and consumption patterns, and improve production. According to her, for sustainability through education, we have to play our part and promote this objective through education and make sustainability through green discourse part of the curriculum in all ways. Following this initiative by UNESCO, the world has become much more attentive towards the matter and started including topics related to green discourse in the curriculum. Keeping in view the sensitivity and significance of the matter, as highlighted by the Director General of UNESCO, the issue has gained considerable attention. Though the matter was already receiving attention from policymakers and stakeholders of the planet, especially after the announcement made by UNESCO, it gained much more attention and significance around the world. The relevant experts, highlighted by international media, are of the view that discussing and highlighting climate and environmental changes in the curriculum is surely one of the great ways to reduce climate change and bring the issue to the focus of stakeholders and people. They are of the view that such information and literature should not only be part of the primary or secondary-level curriculum, but that the issue of green discourse needs to be highlighted and focused on in universities, seeking the attention of academics, intelligentsia and relevant forums. The experts are of the view that highlighting the matter in universities and other professional and training institutes is a good step to sensitise them, prepare them to face certain challenges, and also make them resilient to tackle such environment-related issues in the future. This discourse in the curriculum is of great significance and is a positive and welcome gesture. It is a fact that our pro-environment and pro-ecosystem bent of mind can play a key role in preserving our planet from such disasters and climate and environmental changes. Dr Peta White, associated with Deakin University of Australia, observes that letting the young generation know about climate change is not enough. We need to educate and train them to face challenges, prepare them to tackle such difficulties in the future, and educate them to create ways forward towards a climate-resilient future. Her research focuses on educating the young generation to play its role in reducing climate-change hazards and building resilience through modern ways of science and technology. The young generation should play its role in achieving sustainability through green discourse in the curriculum. According to Deakin University, Dr Peta White desires not to limit the education of the young generation to merely letting them know about climate change, but to educate them to be prepared and to be part of the solution so far as climate change and environmental issues across the globe are concerned. Through education, science and technology, observation of society and community participation, the young generation must be a part of efforts to reduce the effects of climate change. Based on their knowledge and expertise, the young generation must devise ways and means and propose policies for the concerned sectors of society. She is confident that the young generation may be encouraged and given a ray of hope and support to resolve climate-related issues. Through the curriculum, the young generation should be educated about the hazards and effects of environmental changes and encouraged to play their active role through their education, observation and expertise. Dr Peta White, in this context, further observes that, apart from the curriculum, green discourse should also be a part of professional training for administrative officers and executives. Again, the focus should be to engage them and prepare them to utilise their energies and knowledge to reduce climate hazards. According to daily Guardian, in its article published on 24 December 2024, the OECD has given great significance to science. The article observes that we have to educate the young generation about science and technology and prepare them to focus on science rather than irrelevant, unnecessary and unconfirmed issues. This approach will help create critical thinking, analysis and an innovative approach among our young generation, which will ultimately help resolve the issues of society, including climate effects. Goran Lazendic, associated with the Australian Council for Educational Research, who also remained international survey director of the related programme, believes that the young generation should not be limited to knowing about environmental changes but should be educated and prepared to create resilience and devise technology-based ways and means to reduce the effects of environmental and climate change. We have to ensure how much our institutes are playing their part in training and educating the young generation, students and learners in this context. Apart from other countries, the United States of America has also initiated efforts to sensitise the younger generation and equip them with certain knowledge so that they may support and work for organisations wherever they are recruited. They will play their part in reducing the climate effects of organisations or institutes and also play their part in producing more yield and reducing the effects. The young generation, who has directly witnessed climate disasters, earthquakes, cyclones, extreme heat and experienced the effects of climate-related issues, are expected to play their role. Being direct witnesses of such issues, they are now well cognisant and hence more focused on playing their part to reduce the effects of climate and environmental issues on the planet and make this planet Earth liveable. Referring to a top policy development institute, daily Guardian, in the same article dated 24 December 2024, observes that the young generation is determined to play its role in making the Earth liveable, and for this purpose, people working in any field must know the best ways to play their role in reducing the effects of environmental and climate-related issues. Having been aware of the issues, they are expected to play their positive role wherever they are recruited. Keeping in view the impacts and effects of climate and environmental hazards, apart from educating and training the young generation, we also have to bring this matter to the limelight and ensure that our officers working in other departments, including irrigation, agriculture, police and the administrative services, are playing their part effectively. One should not limit this responsibility to students or academia, but the government, administration, police, media and civil society also need to play their part. We have to take efforts and devise ways and means to stop deforestation and ensure that more afforestation is focused on. The matter, having been focused on by UNESCO, is also in the limelight in our country. Higher Education Commission has also been doing well and playing its part to include green discourse in the curriculum, but yet much needs to be done to have conferences, symposiums, seminars and other methods to sensitise the youth and academia. The environment reporter of Daily Guardian, Pippa Neill, reported on 11 June 2025 that, apart from incorporating green discourse in the curriculum, the British government published a consultation on the curriculum for the GCSE, with plans for students to study three core areas: habitats and wildlife in the UK; human influence on the natural world; and a study of climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and conservation. The report, citing the concerned expert Stephanie Holt, further adds that through this proposed curriculum, students will spend a few hours in nature as part of this study practical, stating that, 'by focusing on hours spent outside rather than days, it would enable teachers and pupils to focus on the 'species that are around you.'' The Sindh Education Department, especially the efforts of the Education Minister of Sindh, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, in this context, are also commendable. The green discourse is greatly highlighted in the curriculum of classes up to intermediate through textbooks. The Sindh Government, particularly the Education Minister, is well cognisant of the issue, and it has received greater focus in the wake of UNESCO's announcement to make this part of the curriculum by 2025. One needs to be sanguine that such efforts will have a positive impact in reducing and lessening climate hazards. Regarding climate and environmental changes, we should not discourage or disappoint our youth about such effects, but create a ray of hope and resilience in them. Highlighting sustainability through green discourse in the curriculum, we need to educate our young generation that this is a big issue indeed, but through technology and proper preparedness, we can reduce its effects through green discourse in the curriculum.