Environmental and climate education must not be a bargain

Many Poles do not see the point of energy transition and climate adaptation because they lack basic knowledge of how climate change will affect their daily lives. The remedy for this should become environmental education in the first place.

Frightening statistics

In our eyes, the climate is often something distant, something we don’t see in the contents of our shopping bag, the water flowing from the tap, or reports of successive floods and droughts plaguing various corners of the country. This is accompanied by a huge wave of climate disinformation that blocks access to reliable knowledge and discourages action, putting us in the role of passive observer.

The results of the 2024 Earthlings Attack Report [1] show that urgent environmental and climate education is needed, not only at the level of children and young people, but especially at the level of adults who have already completed their education. The Report shows that 63 percent of Poles believe that the state our planet is in requires urgent action (that’s down 6 percent from 2022!), and 46 percent of respondents (down 7 percent from 2022!) believe that the introduction of restrictions by governments that will affect us all is necessary to mitigate the effects of climate change.

As many as 41 percent (8 percent more than 2022) of Poles believe that big business interests are behind green technologies (such as electric cars, solar panels and windmills) [1]. Mobilization to save the Earth is declining because we have lost time that should be spent on broad educational campaigns and fighting misinformation. The authors of the Earth Attack report point out the lack of systemic solutions to at least train teachers, eco-educators and community educators, who could then instill change in local communities. In the case of climate challenges, it is particularly important to see the local perspective.

Environmental education a priority

The second problem is the lack of shaping the attitudes of a learning society, for which education would not be a one-off process that takes place on the occasion of science festivals or family picnics, but would be the main tool for adapting to the challenges of the modern world [2]. The Eurobarometer Report on European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology, published in early February of this year, severely exposed the lack of immunity of Poles to conspiracy theories circulating in the social media space [3].

But also the continuing need for broad information about environmental problems. While an average of 79 percent of Europeans feel well informed about environmental problems, only 57 percent of Poles feel that way. [3]. That’s still not enough when you consider how pressing the challenges of pollution and climate change are ahead of us.

Silesian initiative

The European Union recognizes the need to support educational initiatives to improve the awareness of Europeans, especially in areas that have to undergo a kind of socio-economic transformation. The project Social Activities Laboratory – Urban Lab 5D after Gliwice, implemented from the European Funds for Silesia 2021-2027 Program, financed by the Just Transition Fund, seeks to combine public expectations for practical aspects of knowledge with environmental and climate education created on the basis of sound factual knowledge.

The project encompasses several levels – educational pathways, including environmental and climate workshops, consultations (including with psychologists and specialists in debt and rational resource management), meetings with post-industrial communities, and animations. Creating development opportunities for female leaders of urban communities and all residents who want to increase their competence in managing resources, both financial and environmental. One integral element of the Gliwice UrbanLab is to increase the number of grassroots initiatives that will help residents feel a sense of agency in shaping their small homeland.

The project is distinguished by its comprehensive approach to social, economic and environmental problems that are directly linked to climate change.

Dr.-Ing. Edyta Łaskawiec – water and wastewater technologist, science popularizer, author of educational profile on Instagram platform: wastewater_based.doctor and podcast About Wastewater. Winner of the POP SCIENCE Competition for Science Popularizers of the Silesian Science Festival Katowice 2024.

In the article, I used, among others. z:

[1] Report Earthlings Attack, 2024 available: https://ziemianieatakuja.pl
[2] A. Falkowska, L. Tuszyńska, In search of an animator of sustainable development education for local communities, Difin, Warsaw, 2024.
[3] European Commission Report, Eurobarometer 2024 – European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology, European Union, 2025, available: https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3227?etrans=pt