Introduction: Challenges of Science Education in the Era of Sustainable Development Goals

In this introductory chapter, the connection between science education and education for sustainable development (ESD) is discussed, commencing with a statement of purpose of this book on why we should question science education for sustainable development. The focus of the discussion is on learners’ competencies for sustainability that should be acquired through ESD in school science, as well as the science education objectives, themes, and pedagogical approaches required to develop such competencies. Thereafter, the discussion proceeds to science teacher education and teachers’ competencies required to implement ESD and, in particular, the challenges in equipping science teachers with such competencies. Based on this discussion, the keywords of science education connected with ESD are presented in terms of their objectives, themes, and pedagogical approaches. Finally, the relationship between the keywords and the chapters that contribute to this book is introduced, and the structure of the book is summarized.