If we are to be midwives of a sustainable future through a just transition, the schooling system, curriculum content and the overall skills ecosystem must be viewed as the seed capital for such a future and be transformed towards such.
That investment is important to every young South African irrespective of the basic education or their long-term academic discipline or career of choice.
Climate education is central to preparing young people for a changing economy.
The transition will require engineers, artisans, researchers, planners, entrepreneurs, technicians, community facilitators and informed citizens.
Without foundational climate literacy, young people will be poorly positioned to choose relevant study pathways, identify enterprise opportunities or contribute to decisions about energy, transport, agriculture, water and urban development.
The curriculum for climate change education is essential for preparing students to address the challenges posed by climate change, through the integration of climate change education across all levels, from preschool to tertiary education.
Basic education is the seed capital
The possibilities for pursuing a green career are constantly expanding. What was once viewed as the domain of natural scientists working in laboratories has evolved into a broad field that covers numerous professions and industries.
Today, the scope and nature of green careers in South Africa continue to evolve as our country advances towards a greener and more sustainable economy.
Green careers therefore represent a vast landscape of opportunities for young people who wish to contribute to environmental sustainability while building rewarding careers.
Although the Climate Change Act (Act 22 of 2024) does not expressly require climate justice to be included in the curriculum, its principles provide a strong foundation for doing so.
Climate change education develops scientific understanding of a changing climate.
Climate justice education goes further. It examines the social, political and human-rights dimensions of climate change, including why vulnerable communities often contribute least to the crisis but experience its harshest effects.
Learners should understand greenhouse gases, global warming and environmental systems. They should also be equipped to ask who bears the costs of pollution, who benefits from economic activity, whose voices influence development decisions and how climate policy can reduce rather than reinforce inequality.
Curriculum reform does not necessarily require a separate subject but can be integrated with ease across existing learning areas. Natural Sciences can explain physical science. Geography can examine vulnerability, adaptation and resilience. History can explore industrialisation, colonialism and environmental inequality. Economics can consider green industrialisation, labour-market shifts and transition costs. Life Orientation can strengthen active citizenship and participation in public decision-making.
Current lessons demonstrate successes in the circular economy
The environmental sector creates opportunities at every level- from graduate employment and workplace experience to community work, entrepreneurship and emerging green industries. Through the Department of Forestry,Fisheries and the Environment’s( DFFE) Youth Empowerment and Development Programme, more than 5,000 environmental graduates have already gained placements, mainly in municipalities.
Young people have been able to apply their university knowledge in practice, while municipalities have gained environmental-management skills that are often scarce at local level.
Through various programmes aimed at supporting local government, work opportunities are being created through practical initiatives including cleaner coastlines, waste management, veldfire suppression, wetland rehabilitation and the clearing of invasive plants.
These are opportunities to earn an income while contributing to climate adaptation at a community level.
Various circular economic programmes show how waste management can become both a resource and a livelihood.
According to the DFFE , their Recycling Enterprise Support Programme has helped create and sustain more than 1,000 jobs, while supported enterprises achieved environmental savings of more than 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
That is measurable environmental protection and measurable economic participation.
The Extended Producer Responsibility system has already diverted and recycled nearly 68,000 tonnes of electronic waste from landfills.
Through the national various e-waste programmes, communities are collecting thousands of tonnes in e-waste , which is likely to rise as electronic components for green energy increases .
These initiatives provide an important foundation, but their impact must be expanded through coordinated action across government to connect education, skills development and industrial policy.
Large companies must also play an active role by investing in green skills, offering workplace learning opportunities and supporting emerging enterprises, helping young people translate their education into meaningful participation in the green economy.
We should inspire and support South African innovators turn climate challenges into practical businesses and invest in start-ups to develop products and services like solar-powered electric-vehicle charging, e-bikes for last-mile delivery and solar-powered refrigeration for cold chains, together with digital technologies that measure and report climate benefits.
These are not abstract ideas for a distant future, they are South African technologies, enterprises and jobs being built now.
The Department of Basic Education, higher-education institutions, teacher-development bodies, youth organisations and climate institutions should therefore work together on a structured programme of curriculum reform and integration.
The storyline about this call for investment is ultimately about people, because ultimately sustainable development is incomplete when it is only about planet and prosperity, and therefore our climate challenge can become an opportunity for innovation.
Zimasa Vazi, Senior Manager for Stakeholder Engagement at the Presidential Climate Commission.
**The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Media Group.