During the 57th meeting of Education International's Executive Board, held virtually 20 April, top education union leaders stressed that "the climate crisis is the greatest threat facing humanity and our planet. With little time left to reverse the current course and keep global temperatures below +1.5°C, climate action is more urgent than ever."

Explaining that education must be transformed to catalyse the fight against climate change and to support a just transition to a more sustainable world, they insisted that "students have a right to gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to sustain our world for present and future generations. It is time to come together to build something more resilient and sustainable in our education institutions, our communities, and our economy."

Governments must deliver on their commitments to climate change education and education for sustainable development, and through the Education International Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All, educators the world over call on every government in the world to deliver on their commitments to climate change education and education for sustainable development. These commitments were articulated in the Paris Agreement (article 12) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (targets 4.7, 12.8 and 13.3).

This Manifesto revolves around five priority themes:

1. Governments ensure quality climate change education (CCE) for all.
2. Every student leaves education “climate literate” and equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to tackle climate change, adapt to uncertainties, and take part in building a more sustainable future.
3. Quality climate change education is based on science and addresses the ethical, cultural, political, social, and economic dimensions of climate change.
4. Teachers are trained and supported to provide quality climate change education.
5. Schools and learning environments are transformed to support quality climate change education.

The Global Education Summit on 21 April witnessed the official presentation of Education International's Teach for the Planet campaign and the Manifesto on Quality Climate Change Education for All.

This summit was a multilingual virtual event featuring prominent activists from every continent. It focused on the role that educators and their unions play in combating climate change and why we need transformative climate education now.

It also launched Education International's Teach for the Planet campaign. Led by educators, and in partnership with EARTHDAY.ORG, Teach for the Planet aims to ensure that climate education, based on science and with a civic-action focus, becomes as fundamental as teaching reading and writing. The campaign will drive global mobilisation for quality climate education, leading up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021.