Scientific Studies on Climate Change, Children and Education: Current Situation and Suggestions

Abstract

Climate change is at the top of the world's agenda due to the major problems it creates. It is a subject that concerns all humanity and living things with its many different dimensions, from economy to social life. However, it is children who are most affected by the problems arising from climate change and will be affected in the future. Within this scope, the aim of this study is to examine the effects of climate change on children through the current literature and to interpret the studies on this subject in Turkey. The research was conducted in a qualitative way and content analysis method was used. The content of the study was limited to researches focusing individuals aged 0-12, including early and late childhood. National studies in Turkey on climate change for children and their education are included in the scope. According to the results, there has been a noticeable increase in studies on the effects of climate change on children and their education, especially in the last five years. Furthermore, most of the studies focus on examining dimensions such as knowledge, awareness, perception and attitude. However, there is a great need at the moment to teach children, who are the architects of the future, permanent environmentally and eco-friendly behaviors.