Environmental education should weave through every subject taught in schools. On the eve of World Environment Education Day, teachers and educators emphasize the need to change current approaches to confront global crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss that affect humanity as a whole.
Advocates want to revive the spirit of the LOGSE reform from 1990, aiming to ensure that educational activities foster respect for the environment and empower students to critically assess social habits related to health, consumption, and ecological impact across the curriculum.
In practice, this means making environmental education a transversal theme addressed across all subjects rather than confined to a single course like Citizenship and Ethical Values Education.
To implement this cross-cutting approach, explanations within lessons should reflect environmental considerations—whether solving math problems or analyzing current affairs. In the context of World Environment Education Day on January 26, it is highlighted that students could, for example, write essays in Language class about environmental topics.
Outdoor environmental activities often accompany discussions about the need for sustained action and practice.
lack of ambition
Some commentators note that later laws have treated environmental education as part of Values Education and not as a distinct cross-cutting theme. The original LOGSE concept of cross-subject environmental education was seen as innovative and full of promise, yet it faded from practice, according to Federico Velázquez de Castro, president of the Spanish Association for Environmental Education, in discussions with EFeverde.
So what happened? Velázquez de Castro argues that subsequent governments did not sustain the implementation of this innovation, which was initially devised under the leadership of a prior administration. Two main issues emerged.
The first was topic overload. In addition to environmental concerns, there is a push to address equal rights, democracy, peace, culture, health, and more. Critics say the interpretation missed the point: environmental education should not be about expanding a list of topics, but about integrating environmental thinking into everyday teaching.
resistance to innovation
Secondly, there are too few teachers, and many civil servant instructors resist new approaches. Based on experience as an educator, Velázquez de Castro notes that resistance to change is common, with primary teachers often showing more openness to environmental education because they feel more professionally prepared for it.
There used to be a tendency to place environmental content at the end of textbooks, and practical activities that truly connected students with their environment were not always sufficient to foster lasting engagement.
“Eliciting an emotional connection to the environment is essential for preservation and protection. If students do not feel that their surroundings matter, it becomes much harder to motivate action”, he explained.
LOMLOE, inadequacy
The current education law, LOMLOE of 2021, includes limited terms addressing climate change, sustainable development, and environmental crisis, appearing only in Primary and Secondary levels, according to Miriam Leirós, the Spanish coordinator for Teacher of the Future, a global teacher movement focusing on climate action.
This scope is seen as insufficient. Environmental education must be taught in a transversal manner across all disciplines, since every aspect of life touches environmental outcomes, Leirós argues. She laments that environmental education often depends on a teacher’s personal proclivity to integrate these issues into their subject matter.
“The push must extend to every region because environmental education depends on understanding carbon footprints, local food choices, and the broader impact of everyday decisions. It should address everything from clothing to transportation and water use”, Leirós adds, emphasizing practical integration into multiple subjects—such as reframing math problems to reflect real-world environmental calculations or inviting students to write about how they recycle at home and conserve water.
Topics like environmental news or explorations in natural and social sciences invite students to trace the journeys of imported fruit or out-of-season produce and to consider the broader environmental signals behind daily consumption.
“For environmental education to permeate society, it must be transversal. It is not solely about reducing pollution; it is about understanding our collective impact across all areas of life”, Leirós notes. This perspective frames climate literacy as a cornerstone of informed citizenship rather than a niche topic.
beyond school
Achieving such changes requires more than classroom instruction. Advocates argue for consistent messaging at home and within communities so that learning translates into everyday behavior. The aim is to align information across settings, ensuring that students encounter a coherent message about environmental responsibility in school and beyond.
Experts caution against alarming displays and emphasize that knowledge should empower practical action. Individuals are urged to recognize that change is possible and essential, and that personal actions—supported by social pressure to influence leaders—are crucial to progress.
Educate adults too
Environmental education should not be seen as the domain of children alone. Adults play a pivotal role in shaping habits, and families and communities must be engaged. An array of initiatives exists, but outreach should meet people where they are—through neighborhood associations, unions, cultural groups, and local administrations—to broaden participation and impact.
Continued efforts aim to extend environmental education to all communities, ensuring wider understanding and adoption of sustainable practices. These programs seek to build a shared sense of responsibility and a practical path toward a healthier environment for everyone.
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Address for the environmental department is withheld to respect privacy and policy constraints.