The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will appoint an ad hoc committee to examine the evidence related to how education can play a role in helping individuals and communities understand and respond to the impacts of changing climate. The committee will consider learning experiences across the life-course including K-12, post-secondary and informal settings. The committee will give particular attention to educational approaches, experiences or programs that support activities (both individual and collective) toward economic and environmental sustainability. Given the complex nature of education and learning for thriving in changing climate, the committee will draw on activities in science education, environmental education, sustainability, civic engagement, and communication.
The committee will produce a final report that articulates the relationship between knowledge and behavior, makes explicit the underlying assumptions about how learning can be supported, and describes the range of desired learning outcomes. The report will provide guidance on effective learning experiences, educational approaches, and programs across the life-course (including K-12, post-secondary, and informal settings) and outline what is required for these approaches to be implemented in a way that promotes the success of all students. The committee will also identify gaps in research and develop a research agenda. Specifically, the committee will address the following questions:

• What do people need to know and be able to do to cultivate thriving and sustainable communities in the face of a changing climate? The committee will consider the attitudes, knowledge, and forms of reasoning required for civic deliberation, cogent decision-making, and activities related to living in a rapidly changing climate (including developing an understanding of municipal, state, federal and tribal governments and how to engage with them).
• How do different views of the relationship between humans and the natural world shape how individuals and communities think about and respond to climate change? How can learning experiences be designed to be responsive to these differences?
• What are strategies for cultivating awareness of and interest in careers that contribute to development of thriving and sustainable communities?
• What educational approaches and programs are most effective for providing the kinds of learning experiences that are needed? How can these kinds of learning experiences be incorporated across different educational contexts and across different school subjects? How might the education system/ecosystem need to change in order to advance these kinds of learning experiences and educational approaches and programs?

*NOTE: The statement of task was revised on February 19, 2025.