Editorial
The commitments outlined in the 2022 OECD Declaration for Building Equitable Societies Through Education underscore a crucial reality: the imperatives of sustainable and equitable societies are no longer concerns for some distant tomorrow; they are pressing issues for all of us today. For tens of thousands of years, the place of humankind on the planet was a relatively insignificant one. All ancient cultures submitted to the forces of nature. Today, it is the planet and all its species that are dependent on humans for their survival and well-being. As humans, we are now accountable for the well-being and survival of life on earth. Education is key to help us rise to this challenge. It can help us fulfil the balancing act between fostering sustainability, keeping the world we know in balance, and resilience, helping us to live in an increasingly imbalanced world.
For a start, knowledge and skills underpin the green and digital transition. Technological developments are critical to ensure that production and consumption respect planetary boundaries. Investments in green technologies require investing in strong scientific skills of green innovators as well as ancillary skills that ensure the success of large environmental projects – such as leadership and managerial skills. Technology underpins the growth in the service economy and as such, offers growth in employment opportunities for those workers whose existing occupations will be phased out because of changes in production and consumption patterns to meet net zero objectives. Not least, when considering what skills education and training systems should prioritise, artificial intelligence and robotics will most likely play an even bigger role than the green transition in shaping the set of skills individuals will need.
But the role of education goes well beyond that. Education can help us see the bigger picture, make better trade-offs between the present and the future, and between situational values – I will do whatever the current situation allows me to do – and sustainable values that help us align individual and collective well-being. Education also shapes the behaviours that influence political commitments, whether that’s financing parties or social activism. It shapes behaviour that impacts local communities, examples are volunteering or community services. It shapes behaviour that influences business practices, such as changes in consumption and lifestyle patterns, personal investment choices or employment choices. And what we do always impacts on others.
Drawing on the insights and goals established in the 2022 Declaration this edition of the Education Policy Outlook examines how education policy can empower all learners to go green. It shares analysis and policy experiences of how education systems are working to turn environmental awareness into meaningful and tangible green action, to equip all learners with the skills and experiences required to thrive within the green economy, to understand how the education sector can harness the unique role it can play in this transition. In doing so, this report identifies lessons that draw from successful, innovative practices, and comparative analysis, offering policy pointers to help all learners become the actors of a sustainable future.
Achieving greener, fairer, and better societies has never been more urgent, and education can help make it happen.
Director for Education and Skills OECD
Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General