Embedding sustainability in chemistry education: a roundtable
At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we believe that sustainability and climate change should be embedded into the way chemistry is taught. To further explore what this could look like, we recently hosted a round table event with education experts to explore how these critical topics can be better integrated into the curriculum.
Key themes of the round table discussion
The event sought to build on our existing evidence base on the topic, including the Green shoots research, which highlighted the need for real-world relevance in chemistry education, and our Future Workforce and Educational Pathways report, which showed that employers increasingly seek sustainability skills. We have also engaged with young people directly through undergraduate focus groups across the UK, ensuring their voices shape our recommendations.
The discussion at the round table focused on several key themes:
- The ideal curriculum: Experts considered what research says about relevance and skills, discussing the fundamental changes they would like to see in chemistry and science education to ensure climate change and sustainability are central.
- Essential skills for students: How can we equip young people to be scientifically literate citizens who understand the challenges facing our planet? Critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary understanding were all highlighted as vital competencies.
- Making content more relevant: Our Science Teacher Survey 2023 found that teachers in England want sustainability to be more meaningfully integrated. The round table explored practical ways to achieve this, ensuring content is engaging, applicable, and future-focused.
- Curriculum continuity: A key discussion point was how to ensure climate change and sustainability topics are linked effectively across different educational stages, from primary school to post-16 education. Experts discussed how best to align with the 11-19 curriculum framework and ensure coherence across the learning journey.
Key takeaways and next steps
The roundtable reinforced a clear consensus: there is a strong demand for change. Experts emphasised the need for an education system that fosters critical thinking and enables students to engage with global sustainability challenges in a meaningful way. The importance of local, national and global contexts were also an area of broad agreement.
This event is part of our ongoing research and consultation. In the coming months, we will continue to engage with stakeholders through further events and discussions, ensuring we capture a range of perspectives. We aim to summarise this in a report later this year, outlining recommendations for integrating sustainability into chemistry education.
Our teaching resources
Are you a teacher looking to bring sustainability into your chemistry lessons? Our climate change and sustainability resources are designed to support you in delivering engaging, relevant lessons on these critical topics.