Climate Education
A new wave of environmental education is starting in Argentina
April 14, 2021
Click here to read the article in Spanish, published on April 28, 2021.
The global fight for climate literacy received good news this past month. A proposed law has been drafted in Argentina which would require comprehensive environmental education to be taught in every school and to all age levels.
Although this law is still in its bill phase and has only passed one of the two of Argentina’s congressional houses so far, it has received immense support from Argentinian President Fernández, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. This implementation of environmental education will teach the next generation of leaders to love, protect and respect the Earth.
Prior to drafting the environmental education law, environmental concepts were taught in Argentina through subsets of cross-disciplinary subjects such as technology and social sciences. This new law would bring environmental education into its own area of study and adapt curriculum to fit the various provinces, age groups and social sectors. Alongside Argentina’s protection, conservation and restoration efforts, this step toward comprehensive environmental education shows that Argentina is positioning itself to be a global leader in the fight against climate change in the coming years.
Argentina’s drafted law adds on to the list of countries calling for widespread environmental education. One of these places is Italy where, in 2019, it announced a requirement of climate change studies in all Italian schools. In South America, Argentina is the most recent example of a country increasing ambition to address climate literacy through its national law.
So much of the call for environmental education is about leaving behind a clean and healthy world for the next generations to inherit and promoting climate literacy so these generations will continue to steward the environment. Alongside natural and technological solutions, climate literacy is a necessary way to protect the Earth for years to come.
At EARTHDAY.ORG, climate literacy is a primary focus. Bolstered with a civic engagement component, climate literacy can give people the tools to engage meaningfully with governments and corporations to help solve climate change. While Argentina’s proposed law is a big moment for building climate literacy in South America, much more progress is needed in order to build a climate literate citizenry in every country in the world.
If you would like to support our efforts for climate literacy, add your name to our sign-on letter and tune into our Earth Day Live digital event on April 22!