The Role of Climate Change Education in ESD for 2030: Selective Adaptation of a Global Script

Abstract

This paper examines the role of Climate Change Education (CCE) within UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD for 2030) framework, focusing on its selective adoption in the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet) in Brazil and Germany. Drawing on the concept of global scripts, the study analyzes school websites (N=514) alongside four in-depth case studies to explore how schools integrate learning about climate and environmental sustainability. The findings reveal that while ESD’s broad and flexible framing allows for widespread diffusion, CCE remains unevenly integrated. In Germany, UNESCO schools are predominantly public and often emphasize sustainability and international aid projects. In Brazil, private schools play a larger role, and the analyzed websites show a stronger emphasis on socioemotional learning and bilingual education, reflecting the different types of schools represented in the two national samples. The paper demonstrates that although ASPnet holds potential to act as an innovative space for CCE, CCE has yet to become a clear priority in the network.