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Mainstreaming climate change into agricultural education: challenges and perspectives

Climate change is global in its causes and consequences. Through advanced modelling, patterns of change in the world climate have been observed over time. These model results have shown that compared to the pre-Industrial era, the world temperature has warmed by half a degree centigrade. The major causes for this warming have been attributed to the rising stocks of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), chloro-and fluoro-carbons and a number of other gases that arise from industrial processes. The purpose of this working paper is to inform, guide and support the development of responsive teaching programmes and capacity, and to stimulate more research to address climate change issues. Policy makers, education managers and the academia will need to establish a common platform for an integrated and coordinated response. Inter-sectoral cooperation and regional collaboration are also important.