The roadmap (2021) towards a Council Recommendation on education for environmental sustainability referred to The Europe Sustainable Development Report 2020: Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of a robust outreach, education and engagement strategy for a successful Green Deal and to achieve the SDGs. Research indicates that protection of the environment is important to citizens personally, and most expect EU action on this issue. However, experts point to a gap between concern for the environment and taking action, calling for better understanding of the environmental issues at stake, as well as attention for social, emotional and behavioural learning. Furthermore, the green skills required to achieve a green transition in Europe have been found to be lacking.

The Proposal for a Council Recommendation on learning for environmental sustainability, adopted by the Commission in January 2022, emphasised that lifelong learning for environmental sustainability will be essential for enabling societal transformation. People of all ages must have the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes to live more sustainably, change patterns of consumption and production, and embrace healthier lifestyles. A hands-on, engaging and action-based approach is needed which fosters (i) knowledge, understanding and critical thinking (cognitive learning); (ii) practical skills development (applied learning); and (iii) empathy, solidarity and caring for nature (socio-emotional learning). Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to help learners understand the inter-connectedness of economic, social and natural systems.

Learning for environmental sustainability needs to be a systemic feature of policy and practice in the EU. Sustainability, including nature conservation, should be embedded in all processes and operations across educational institutions. Such whole-institution approaches are not yet widespread, despite decades of effort and initiatives in sectors ranging from early to higher and vocational education. Insufficient support and lack of data and tools for monitoring sustainability initiatives are partly responsible.

The Council Recommendation on learning for the green transition and sustainable development was adopted in June 2022. It cites the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the UNESCO roadmap on Education for Sustainable Development for 2030 and the ESD Strategy of the UNECE, which highlight the key role of schools, higher education and other education and training institutions in engaging with learners, parents, educators and the wider community on the changes needed for a successful, just and inclusive green transition. It refers also to the Council's emphasis in its conclusions on Biodiversity – the need for urgent action that investing in education is key to gathering better data and effectively combating biodiversity loss, as well as to the EU Youth Strategy's call for all young people to be environmentally active and educated to achieve its goal of a sustainable green Europe. It emphasises the importance of education systems responding to the growing youth voice on the biodiversity and climate crises by involving them in designing learning for the green transition.

It takes cognizance of various other EU legislations and initiatives calling for education policies and investments geared towards inclusive green and digital transitions for future resilience and prosperity. These emphasise the importance of providing knowledge and core green skills, as well as integrating environmental considerations into general education at all levels, including the vocational, towards enabling sustainable employment and lifestyles, social fairness, and resilience, while creating a generation of environment-conscious professionals and boosting sustainable innovation. Relevant legislations and initiatives include the European Education Area (described in the next section along with related initiatives), the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Communication on a new ERA for Research and Innovation, the European Skills Agenda, the Council Recommendation on vocational education and training for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, the European Climate Pact and Education for Climate Coalition, the Digital Education Action Plan and the New European Bauhaus. The Council recommendation is backed by details and evidence in a Staff Working Document, including results from the public consultation and examples of good practice from across Europe.

It recommends that Member States
– Provide access to high-quality education and training on sustainability, climate change, environmental protection and biodiversity to learners of all ages and backgrounds
– Establish learning for the green transition as a priority area in education and training policies and programmes, as part of a holistic understanding of education
– Provide learning opportunities in formal and informal settings for individuals of all ages to prepare for and contribute to a green transition and an environmentally sound society
– Consider a number of system-level measures such as aligning education and training strategies with the green transition; investing in green and sustainable equipment and infrastructure for learning and recreation; raising awareness on the benefits of making environmental protection, biodiversity and climate change relevant to learners' daily lives and fostering a culture of sustainability; developing knowledge, skill and attitudes enabling sustainable consumption and production, and healthier and more environmentally-conscious lifestyles; absorbing intergenerational learning and local examples, problems and responses in curricula to demonstrate effective local actions on environmental protection, biodiversity, climate change and sustainability; supporting cooperation and networking on these themes
– Consider measures to further support learners by providing them with more opportunities to understand, engage with, value and promote nature and biodiversity, strengthening high-quality lifelong learning for the green transition through financial support, traineeships, volunteering, and other forms of formal and informal learning; stimulating civic engagement actions; facilitate collaborative, practical and locally relevant learning approaches and interdisciplinary activities; creating hands-on opportunities to observe and care for nature; providing access to facts on the biodiversity and environmental crises as per the Aarhus Convention; fostering problem-solving and collaboration skills, critical thinking, media literacy and systems thinking; supporting positive actions to reduce learners' disempowerment in the face of the planetary crises
– Consider measures to further support educators from all disciplines and sectors in sustainability education and raising awareness in preparation for the green transition; supporting educators' competence development by integrating the green transition and sustainability into teacher education and professional development programmes and professional standards and frameworks; facilitate educators' access to digital tools and technologies to enhance learning on the green transition and sustainability; facilitate interdisciplinary, transformative approaches, traditional as well as innovative tools, and socio-emotional aspects of learning so learners can become agents of change; provide educators access to centres of expertise and interaction with the research and innovation community and participation in exploratory biodiversity-related projects
– Support formal and non-formal education and training institutions in integrating the green transition and sustainability across all their activities, including sustainability hubs in higher and vocational education institutions to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship for the green transition and biodiversity
– Invest in monitoring, research and evaluation of policy challenges and impacts of these initiatives to build on lessons learnt and inform policymaking