Effective education and communication are fundamental to overcoming climate change denial, increasing climate literacy, and supporting climate action.
However, we currently lack clear understandings of effective climate change education and communication (CCEC) globally across K–12 and higher education, government, civil society, business, media, and communications sectors. We also lack global benchmarks and targets to support intergovernmental processes to increase climate change education across sectors.
As the climate crisis is fuelled by ongoing climate change denial and inertia, MECCE responds to these gaps with an ambitious international research-based partnership of over 80 leading scholars and agencies.
Established in 2020, MECCE is a $2.5 million, Partnership Grant funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and over $2 million in partner contributions.
MECCE’s goal is to advance global climate literacy and action through improving the quality and quantity of climate change education, training, and public awareness.
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Research
MECCE will support the building of a more educated and aware global citizenry to propel critical and much-needed climate change action and mitigation through three interrelated Axes of activities:
- Axis 1: Case Studies will build a repository of case studies from around the world to generate novel understandings of quality climate change education via 4 Knowledge Syntheses Studies, 50-70 Country Cases/Profiles, and 30 Qualitative Case Studies.
- Axis 2: Indicator Development will develop new monitoring indicators and datasets to support improved global climate change target-setting and monitoring by developing, validating, and refining datasets and indicator measures; collecting and analyzing global indicator data; and mobilizing indicators with in intergovernmental processes.
- Axis 3: Knowledge Mobilization will impact intergovernmental and national policy makers, and education and communications audiences with MECCE’s research outputs via unique learning products such as Learning Institutes, a Digital Research Environment, and Targeted Communications; scholarly publications; a global Regional Hub Network; and global Student Lab Meetings.
Impact
The importance of climate change education and communication is recognized as a priority in the Paris Agreement and the United Nations 2030 Agenda, including through the Sustainable Development Goals. In 2018, an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report warned we had only 12 years to prevent catastrophic climate change and spotlighted education as essential.
MECCE’s world-class team also brings the extensive reach required to impact intergovernmental and national policy makers, and education and communications audiences with its research outputs.
Ultimately, MECCE’s research outputs will accelerate intergovernmental target-setting and progress on climate change education and communication, improve policy and practice across sectors and countries, increase climate leadership globally, and close global gaps in climate literacy and action. MECCE’s work will:
- Generate new understandings of quality climate change education, training, and public awareness based on synthesized literature and case studies
- Make recommendations on target-setting for climate change education to inform intergovernmental and national policy-making
- Advance intergovernmental negotiations on climate change education by developing monitoring indicators and robust data collection processes
- Increase the quantity of effective climate change education policy and practice
- Increase scholarly understandings and capacity on climate change education
- Train a new generation of climate change education leaders and researchers
- Harness and advance leadership on climate change education
The MECCE Partnership Team
MEECE’s leadership includes Director Dr. Marcia McKenzie; Associate Director Dr. Christina Kwauk; Project Manager Ms. Nicola Chopin; and project component leads, Drs. Heila Lotz-Sisitka and Aaron Benavot. Advisory Committee members include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Partners and Collaborators
| Advisory Committee Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Academic Partners Freie Universität Berlin Monash University Rhodes University University at Albany—State University of New York University of Cambridge University of Melbourne University of Saskatchewan Academic Collaborators Columbia University Stanford University Tokai University Universität Leipzig Université du Québec à Montréal University of Bristol Universidad Veracruzana Wageningen University | Organizational Partners Canadian Commission for UNESCO Centre for Environment Education Climate Action Network Environment and Climate Change Canada Foundation for Environmental Education International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement International Association of Universities International Institute for Sustainable Development North American Association for Environmental Education Sulitest Sustainable Development Solutions Network Swedish International Centre of Education for Sustainable Development UNESCO International Bureau of Education UNESCO International Institute for Information Technologies in Education Organizational Collaborators Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Climate Outreach Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges Manitoba Education National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration UNFCCC-Education, Communication and Outreach |
Related Resources
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| Global Climate Change Education Monitoring | Educational Content Up Close | Building Climate-Ready Schools in Canada |