What I learned researching Climate Education in Brazil and Germany
Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to research and experience how different countries approach climate education. Between Brazil and Germany, I found similarities, but also differences that speak volumes about the role of culture, schools, and society in educating children and young people about the climate crisis.
During my master's degree, I interviewed Brazilian children to understand how they understood climate change. Many associated the topic with distant images, like polar bears, without realizing the connections to their own lives. Others understood that climate change is already happening in their territories, but confused basic concepts, like carbon dioxide and car exhaust. However, what caught my attention most was their desire to learn in a practical way, connected to their daily lives, that made them feel part of the solution. This experience demonstrated how we still lack pedagogical strategies that bridge the gap between science and real life, helping children recognize themselves as protagonists of local responses.
Later, in Germany, while participating in international programs and debates, I noticed a different dimension. Here, the discussion about climate tends to be more institutionalized and scientific, but it doesn't always connect with the realities experienced by young people. entrevista ao jornal Tagesspiegel, destaquei como as juventudes do Brasil e da Alemanha se relacionam de formas diferentes com a crise climática e como os países desenvolvidos deveriam escutar mais as vozes jovens do Sul Global a fim de entender melhor o significado de justiça climática. O que precisamos é de uma educação que leve em conta também fatores culturais, sociais e emocionais, e que prepare jovens para tomar decisões coletivas em situações de incerteza.
Essa visão se aprofundou quando compartilhei minha pesquisa com a equipe da Plant-for-the-Planet na Alemanha as a member of its pedagogical council. My analysis helped rethink the methodology of climate education training academies, which had been implemented in several countries in a standardized manner. I argued that, to be truly effective, these initiatives need to adapt to the local context, value regional cultures, and engage with the concrete experiences of children and young people. After all, teaching about climate in Bavaria is not the same as teaching it in Bahia.
What I've learned along the way is that climate education cannot be universalized without criticism. It needs to be flexible, capable of recognizing local specificities while simultaneously connecting them to global debates. In Brazil, this means discussing floods, fires, social inequality, and vulnerability. In Germany, it means considering consumption, mobility, and historical responsibilities for emissions. In both contexts, the challenge is the same: creating critical and meaningful learning that prepares young people not only to understand science but also to act for climate justice.
Climate Education, therefore, is always a bridge between science and everyday life, between global and local, between knowledge and action. And it was in this dialogue between Brazil and Germany that I learned that transformation only happens when children and young people recognize themselves as part of the change.