Towards a whole-school approach to educating for hazard literacy to address the climate and environment emergency

In this paper, I show how my thinking about how school education should respond to some aspects of the major social and environmental issues facing society has changed over three decades. I conclude that while a radical reappraisal of the school science curriculum is much needed, there is also an urgent need for every school subject to contribute. I outline what contributions a number of subjects might make and suggest that school leaders, text-book writers and curriculum policy makers could stimulate thinking about how these contributions might best be realised. Underpinning the contributions of many of the subjects is an aim to promote much more critical thinking among young people and the teaching of skills such as the ability to evaluate the quality of different sources of evidence. If we can educate young people to be discerning and critical users of a range of media, we may reestablish greater trust in individuals and institutions who are evidence-based and best able to address the climate and environment emergency.