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Introduction
The average temperature of the planet has increased approximately 1°C since 1970. This global warming can be considered as causally related to climate change. The rise in sea level in coastal regions, severe storms, hurricanes and destructive floods are classified as serious problems (Curry, 2011; Finnis et al., 2015; Hannah, 2015). Iran and surrounding countries have recorded eight years of drought in the past decade (UNAIRAN Report, 2008), which has affected the cultivation of grains and cereals (Trenberth, 2011).
Currently, climate change has become a primary concern of many scholars, particularly climatologists and the environmentalists, in the natural sciences (Azizi, 2002; Paoletti et al., 2007; Roshan et al., 2009).
In the field of climate change, the influential Stern Report identified three key elements in response to climate change. Two of the specified elements, i.e. technological transfer and behavioral change, have clear implications for education (Stern, 2007; Bangay and Blum, 2010). Hence, climate change can be considered as a complex issue, which reveals the significance of educating future generations to be capable of critically engaging with the flood of information and perspectives presented in this field (Hung, 2014).
Education is an essential element of the global response to climate change (Teodorescu and Oros, 2010; Gumucio et al., 2011; Tasquiera et al., 2013). Climate change education (CCE) helps young people comprehend and address the impact of global warming. Furthermore, it encourages changes in their attitudes and behavior and helps them adapt to the climate change-related trends (UNESCO, 2015; Heidari and Heidari, 2015; Wang et al., 2015; Oversby, 2015).
Inadequate public understanding of climate change is partly the result of four critical challenges that have hindered development and delivery of effective CCE. First, the research conducted over the past 15 years has demonstrated that the underlying science of climate change is inherently difficult for most learners to comprehend (Boyes and Stanisstreet, 2001; Coyle, 2005) and for educators or schools to competently teach (Abbasi, 2006; National Research Council, 2007). Furthermore, the relationship between science and society, which is implied in CCE and aims at changing people’s behavior, makes the task of teaching and learning more difficult (Gardner and Stern, 2008; Heimlich and Ardoin, 2008). Second, achieving the broad range of goals specified...