Environmental Literacy in Secondary Schools: Barriers and Strategies Towards Sustainable Education

Abstract

Environmental issues such as climate change, pollution, water crises, deforestation, and biodiversity loss increasingly highlight the importance of environmental literacy as a foundation for building ecological awareness from an early age. Secondary schools play a strategic role in fostering understanding, critical thinking skills, caring attitudes, and real behaviors that support environmental sustainability. However, the practice of environmental literacy education in Indonesia still faces significant challenges, including the lack of cross-subject integration, the dominance of theoretical instruction without practical application, students’ low motivation, and limited contextual approaches. This article aims to examine the role of environmental literacy in secondary schools, identify barriers to its implementation, and propose more applicable and interactive learning strategies. By employing a literature review method, this study emphasizes that strengthening environmental literacy requires the integration of knowledge, cognitive skills, attitudes, and responsible actions among students. Through participatory and experiential approaches, environmental literacy education can become an essential instrument in shaping a generation that is environmentally aware, caring, and accountable for sustainability.