Climate change education in Thailand: from curriculum presence to system coherence and climate-smart schools

Abstract

Thailand faces a climate change education (CCE) challenge that is simultaneously pedagogical and operational: while national policy documents and curriculum frameworks establish meaningful entry points for climate learning, empirical evidence shows that implementation is fragmented, teacher preparation is inadequate, and climate hazards are already disrupting schooling at scale. A 2025 national survey of 329 schools found that every school had experienced at least one extreme weather event in the previous three years, that over 80 percent of teachers had never received formal training on CCE or climate preparedness, and that Thailand rose sharply to 17th place in the Global Climate Risk Index 2026. Drawing on a synthesis of policy documents, official survey data, and peer-reviewed implementation studies identified through a systematic, criteria-based search of the empirical literature, this article situates the Thai evidence within recent research on CCE in East and Southeast Asia and argues that the country’s central challenge is not policy absence but system coherence. The Basic Education Core Curriculum, the National Education Plan 2017–2036, and emerging green skills frameworks in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) each provide institutional entry points for climate learning, yet these elements are not yet aligned across curriculum progression, teacher development, assessment, and school resilience planning. Analysis of implementation research across basic education, TVET, and higher education reveals that teacher training is the strongest predictor of effective CCE, that locally grounded and place-based pedagogies produce measurable gains in preparedness and knowledge, and that the rural–urban resource divide systematically disadvantages the schools most exposed to climate risk. These patterns mirror findings across the region, where legislative density and curricular presence coexist with shallow enactment, persistent student misconceptions, and a knowledge–behavior gap. The article proposes a five-priority systems agenda: establishing an explicit national climate learning progression; scaling professional development beyond science teachers; aligning assessment and quality assurance with climate competencies and school resilience; defining whole-school climate-smart standards; and targeting equity-based resource allocation toward climate-vulnerable and underserved schools.