Creating a Climate for Change: Early Years Education, Climate Action, and Place-Based Learning with Young Children

This chapter explores the integration of climate change education in early years learning contexts by highlighting the often-underappreciated contributions young children make to climate action. It challenges traditional views of childhood innocence and vulnerability, which have historically limited discussions on complex issues like climate change in early education. Emphasizing the significance of embedding children’s agency and participatory rights at the centre of their learning, the chapter advocates for transformative education that empowers young learners to contribute to environmental stewardship. The narrative is anchored by two case studies from Tasmania, Australia, illustrating innovative, place-based educational approaches in a pre-school and a primary school settings. The case studies demonstrate the efficacy of embedding learning within local contexts and incorporating Indigenous knowledges, fostering deep connections between children, their communities, and the environment. Active involvement of children as co-researchers leads to a deep commitment to place-based, climate-aware education that makes a generative difference to local places. The chapter calls for a reimagined educational paradigm that sees children not as passive knowledge recipients but as active agents capable of shaping their learning and societal responses to climate change. It suggests pedagogies that are not only informative but also imaginative, promoting critical thinking, creativity, and community collaboration. Advocating for a principle-based approach to education, the chapter highlights the need for curricula and pedagogies that embrace agency, participatory learning, local relevance, and global awareness. By acknowledging the transformative potential for young learners when encountering the climate crisis as an integral part of their educational journey, the chapter intends to inspire education reform that values children’s insights and actions. Such an approach contributes to a transformative shift in education that equips young learners for the complexities of a climate-changed world.