CLIMATE EDUCATION AS A FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPETENCIES IN THE ERA OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS

Abstract

The article explores the urgent need for systemic climate education in response to the
accelerating climate crisis. The author argues that traditional humanistic and anthropocentric perspectives have contributed to ecological degradation by placing human needs above those of the non-human world. Drawing on posthumanist thought, the text emphasizes the necessity of redefining humanity’s relationship with nature to overcome cognitive biases, short-term thinking, and deeply rooted illusions of human superiority. The article examines how industrial, technological, and cultural developments have disrupted the Earth’s climate system, leading to rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and biodiversity loss. Despite increasing scientific evidence, public awareness remains insufficient, hindered by denialism, misinformation, and a lack of comprehensive climate education. The author proposes climate education as a holistic, cross-sectoral, lifelong learning process aimed at shaping climate competences. These include knowledge about climate mechanisms and human impact, critical reasoning against climate myths, ethical reflection, and practical skills for promoting sustainable behavior at individual, local, and global levels. Climate education, grounded in scientific research and environmental humanities, is presented as an essential tool for adaptation, mitigation, and fostering intergenerational and interspecies solidarity. Only widespread, coordinated educational actions can help humanity respond effectively to the looming climate crisis.