There’s that phrase ‘sleeping walking into disaster’ – and education is widely accepted as crucial for both preparing young people for a sustainable future as well as reflecting their escalating concerns about what we so far have done to the biosphere. But all the evidence suggests we need to act fast. We need to work hard on the complex systems thinking and curriculum development required to develop social and economic policy which enjoys public consent. And with rapidly unfolding science, we need to develop learning programs and assessments which navigate uncertainties and include evolving climate models. It is a tough ask of agencies involved in educational development and of schools and teachers. This presentation will build on the presenter’s recent work at the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 and will look at how we can work at pace in this area so crucial to us all.