ABSTRACT
Sustainability issues are intricate in nature and difficult to address without careful consideration. Among the most urgent sustainability problems, if not the most serious, is human-caused climate change. It is an example of a so-called wicked problem, mainly due to its significant complexity and lack of precise boundaries. Solving this extremely complex problem requires knowledge from various academic fields and areas of society. Consequently, addressing climate change requires cross-disciplinary approaches and crosscurricular teaching. One approach to crosscurricularity is through “socio-scientific issues.” Thus, the aim of this chapter is to discuss climate change as an example of a wicked problem and a socio-scientific issue. We argue for the importance and urgency of including climate change in education. Based on a review of previous research and Finnish policy documents, we present alternative routes to a crosscurricular teaching approach more generally. The Finnish example addresses a wicked problem in an upper secondary curriculum context. With this example, we aim to highlight crucial didactical elements built on a cross- and transcurricular approach. Our conclusion is that wicked problems such as climate change necessitate changes in subject teacher education and the teaching practice in upper secondary schools to tackle the complexity from both scientific and social perspectives.
