Sustainable DNA Reform in National Education

BackgroundIn the face of urgent global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, and resource depletion, sustainable development has become one of the biggest challenges facing societies today.To effectively address these challenges and promote the planet's sustainability, many countries have implemented a variety of policy measures and international cooperation plans.Moreover, reform of the education system and the implementation of education for sustainable development are particularly critical.Through educational reforms, not only can children be nurtured to recognize and understand global issues, but their action competence can also be enhanced, thereby moving towards a more sustainable future.In Taiwan, education is widely recognized as an effective means of solving social problems.For example, gender equality education has been implemented to eliminate gender bias and discrimination, information technology education has been employed to prevent cybercrime, and environmental education (EE) has been used to promote environmental actions.In recent years, climate change has triggered a series of problems, including extreme weather events, food security crises, economic losses, and health risks, posing serious threats to Taiwan's sustainable development.According to the "2023 Net Zero Transition Public Opinion Survey Report" by the Risk Society and Policy Research Center, National Taiwan University, a staggering 94.8% of respondents believe that global extreme weather disasters are becoming increasingly abnormal and severe, with 90.8% personally experiencing the impacts of climate change 1) .This highlights that climate change is not only an environmental issue but a social issue crucial to Taiwan's sustainable development.Therefore, to enhance national understanding of these problems and promote active response strategies, Taiwan's Ministry of Education published the "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Education Manual" in 2020.This manual aims to help school staff deeply understand the content and current status of sustainable development and provides concrete methods and strategies for implementing sustainable development education, promoting educational activities in campuses on sustainable development. II. The Development Context of Sustainable Development Education in Taiwan Pollution and Environmental AwarenessSustainable development education in Taiwan did not emerge out of nowhere but rather as a gradual process grounded in the backdrop of Taiwan's social and industrial development.The historical context of it traces back to the early focus on pollution issues.