The development of sustainability competencies is a shared responsibility, with educators playing a crucial role in fostering these skills in students. However, teachers face significant challenges in integrating sustainability education into their curricula and daily practice. This response will outline the major challenges for teachers, their motivations, and the necessary changes to enhance student learning in sustainable development.

Challenges for Teachers in Developing Sustainable Development Competencies

Teachers encounter a "constellation of complex and interconnected problems" when attempting to integrate sustainability competencies into their teaching [1]. These challenges can be broadly categorized into curricular, systemic, and personal obstacles.

Curricular Barriers:

• Disciplinary Silos and Fragmented Curriculum: Traditional educational systems often organize learning into distinct subject areas, creating "disciplinary silos" that hinder the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability education [1] [3]. Sustainability topics, which inherently span environmental, social, and economic dimensions, are often scattered across different departments, leading to a disconnect in teaching [1] [3]. For example, the science behind climate change might be taught separately from its societal impacts, which are covered in geography [1].
• Crowded Curriculum and "Add-on" Perception: Sustainability-related instruction is frequently perceived as an "add-on" that must compete for time within an already packed curriculum [1] [4]. Teachers often feel that there isn't enough space to delve deeply into these topics without sacrificing other required content [1].
• Focus on Factual Content over Competencies: Learning objectives are often narrow, prioritizing factual content over the development of critical competencies needed for collaborative problem-solving in sustainability [1]. This emphasis on rote learning can limit students' ability to engage with complex, real-world sustainability challenges [1].

Systemic Barriers:

• High-Stakes Assessments: A widespread focus on high-stakes testing and standardized assessments narrows the curriculum and promotes "teaching to the test" [1] [3]. This pressure can discourage teachers from allocating time to sustainability education, which may not be directly assessed [1]. Despite evidence suggesting that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can improve test scores and problem-solving skills, this perception persists among educators [1].
• Inadequate Professional Learning Opportunities: Many educators feel unprepared to help learners develop sustainability competencies due to a lack of adequate professional development and training in both the content and pedagogy of ESD [1] [3]. A global survey revealed that while over 80% of teachers want to learn more about ESD, this "appetite for learning is currently not being met" [1].
• Limited Funding and Resources: Schools often face tight budgets, making it difficult to invest in sustainability-related facilities, practices, and curricular materials [1]. Decisions about implementing sustainable practices, such as using biodegradable cutlery, can be weighed against direct impacts on day-to-day operations and student learning outcomes [1].
• Poor Representation of Geoscience Education: A less commonly recognized obstacle is the poor representation of geoscience education in pre-college curricula [1]. Geoscience provides a holistic understanding of Earth system processes and is crucial for contextualizing issues like climate change and resource management [1].

Personal and Perceptual Barriers:

• Lack of Knowledge and Understanding of ESD: Some teachers may not fully grasp the significance of sustainability or the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, leading to a perception that sustainability is not relevant to their teaching or is merely a "fashion" [3]. This lack of awareness can hinder their willingness to integrate ESD into their courses [3].
• Resistance to Change: Integrating ESD requires a "seismic shift" from traditional teaching methods, which can be met with resistance from staff accustomed to established practices [3].
• Teacher Workload: Overworked and underpaid teachers may find it challenging to take on additional responsibilities, such as developing new sustainability-focused curricula, without adequate support [1].

Motivations for Teachers to Take on This Responsibility

Despite the challenges, several factors motivate teachers to embrace the responsibility of developing sustainability competencies in their students:

• Addressing Global Challenges: Teachers recognize the urgent need to address complex and interconnected global problems that threaten human and planetary well-being [1]. They understand that current unsustainable trajectories require a "profound transformation of how we think and act," and education is key to this transformation [1].
• Student Engagement and Demand: Students themselves are increasingly aware of and concerned about climate change and other sustainability issues [1]. Their motivation to learn and act on these issues can inspire teachers to integrate relevant content and provide opportunities for action [1]. The formation of sustainability clubs and student-led initiatives demonstrate a clear demand for this education [1].
• Professional Commitment and Social Change: Teachers are widely acknowledged as "key agents of social change" and translators of international policies like Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into classroom practice [1]. Many are driven by a professional commitment to prepare students to be responsible citizens who can contribute to a more sustainable society [3].
• Enhanced Student Achievement: Research indicates that integrating sustainability education can enhance student achievement, improve attendance, and develop problem-solving skills [1]. This evidence can motivate teachers who see the direct benefits for their students' overall learning and development [1].
• Institutional Support and Policy Frameworks: When universities and educational institutions adopt clear policies and strategies for sustainability, such as the EHU Agenda 2030, it provides a supportive framework that encourages teachers to integrate ESD [3]. Training programs and educational innovation projects also play a crucial role in building teacher capacity and motivation [3].
• Personal Values and Role Modeling: Many teachers are personally committed to sustainable living and see themselves as role models for their students [1]. Their personal actions, such as walking to school or using reusable items, can subtly influence students and reinforce sustainability messages [1].

Challenges for Teachers (from personal experience, if applicable)

(As an AI, I do not have personal experiences. However, based on the provided text and general knowledge of educational systems, I can infer challenges that would be commonly experienced by teachers.)

From a teacher's perspective, the challenges in taking on these responsibilities often manifest as:

• Time Constraints: The sheer volume of curriculum content and administrative tasks leaves little time for developing new lesson plans or engaging in professional development related to sustainability [1].
• Lack of Resources and Materials: Finding age-appropriate, engaging, and scientifically accurate resources for sustainability education can be difficult, especially when school budgets are tight [1].
• Limited Expertise: Many teachers, particularly those trained in single subjects, may feel they lack the necessary knowledge or interdisciplinary skills to effectively teach complex sustainability topics [1] [3].
• Resistance from Colleagues or Administration: Some teachers might face skepticism or resistance from colleagues or administrators who prioritize traditional academic metrics over sustainability education [1].
• Difficulty in Measuring Impact: It can be challenging to quantitatively measure the impact of sustainability education on student competencies and behaviors, making it harder to advocate for its inclusion [1].
• Bridging the Knowledge-Action Gap: Teachers observe that while students may acquire knowledge about sustainability, translating this knowledge into meaningful action and behavioral change is a significant hurdle [1].

How More Students Can Learn Knowledge and Skills for Sustainable Development

To ensure more students acquire the knowledge and skills for sustainable development, fundamental changes are required at multiple levels:

1. Curricular Reform and Integration:

• Interdisciplinary and Cross-Curricular Approach: Move away from disciplinary silos towards a truly interdisciplinary approach where sustainability themes are woven throughout the curriculum, connecting science, geography, history, and even politics [1] [3]. This could involve developing "sustainability-themed modules" that integrate various subjects [1].
• Focus on Competency-Based Learning: Shift the emphasis from rote memorization of facts to developing key sustainability competencies, such as systems thinking, anticipatory thinking, normative thinking, strategic thinking, interpersonal skills, intrapersonal skills, implementation skills, and integration skills [1] [4].
• Real-World Contexts and Problem-Based Learning: Integrate learning into authentic, real-world contexts that connect to students' lives and communities [1]. This includes project-based learning focused on solving local sustainability issues, fostering collaborative problem-solving, and action-oriented experiences [1].

2. Teacher Training and Support:

• Mandatory and Ongoing Professional Development: Provide comprehensive and ongoing professional development for both pre-service and in-service teachers in ESD content and pedagogy [1] [3]. This training should equip teachers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to facilitate transformative learning experiences [1].
• Resource Development and Sharing: Develop and disseminate high-quality, accessible, and interdisciplinary curricular materials and resources for sustainability education [1]. This could be supported by national governments or educational bodies [1].
• Foster a Holistic Understanding of Sustainability: Training should help teachers understand the interconnected environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainability, moving beyond a sole focus on environmental aspects [1] [3].

3. Systemic and Policy Changes:

• Clear Policy and Guidance from Government: National governments must provide clear policies and guidance on how to systematically integrate cohesive, interdisciplinary education for sustainability into national curricula [1] [2].
• Rethink Assessment Methods: Reduce the emphasis on high-stakes testing that narrows the curriculum and explore alternative assessment methods that evaluate sustainability competencies [1].
• Adequate Funding: Allocate dedicated funding for schools to implement sustainability policies, initiatives, and teacher training [1].
• Prioritize Planetary Well-being: Reformulate education policy frameworks to prioritize planetary well-being and ecological justice over purely economic growth [2].
• Strengthen Earth Science Education: Improve the representation and quality of Earth science education in curricula, as it provides a foundational understanding of planetary systems crucial for sustainability [1].

4. Empowering Students and Community Engagement:

• Student Voice in Curriculum Design: Involve students in planning curricular changes to ensure that topics and issues relevant to them are addressed [1].
• Community Partnerships: Foster partnerships between schools and local community groups, businesses, and government to provide real-world learning opportunities and support for sustainability initiatives [2].
• Promote Critical Media Literacy: Equip students with the skills to critically evaluate information from various sources, including social media, to discern scientific facts from misinformation regarding sustainability issues [1].

By addressing these challenges and implementing these changes, educational systems can better prepare students to become informed, engaged, and effective change agents for a more sustainable future [1] [2] [3] [4].