Being able to discuss, cooperate and have a dialogue in public are all essential skills needed in a democratic society. Other important skills include the ability to see challenges, relate different issues to each other, carry out investigations, critically read and write on issues related to their own ways of living, or look for ways of solving problems collaboratively. Another crucial aspect is learning how to present arguments and gain recognition for one’s ideas in society. The students need to be listened to when expressing a standpoint.  For democracy to function, young people should feel that they are heard, whenever they contribute to society in a respectful way, as citizens. By being confirmed at school – and in society – young people can see themselves as a part of the common efforts towards sustainability. In view of changing conditions towards sustainability, also globally, democratic skills can be considered as a form of ‘action competence’ for SD, including actions on both the individual and the structural level.  

The need of tools, to reach a deeper knowledge formation process, grasping the complexity in a global learning space, has been observed . Understanding collaboratively is a form of learning that evolves in a process perspective. Additionally, this creates the foundation for well-developed competence to act democratically. With global learning for sustainable development (GLSD), both necessary skills and a deeper understanding of the content could be gained locally, via global learning activities in global settings.  

Organizational implementation tools need to be revised, and in particular various steering documents, such as the curriculum. The question of where to place sustainable development in the curriculum of education is not only about integration, but more an issue of systemic change within educational institutions. Allowing learning for SD presupposes a fundamentally transformative approach, which could facilitate implementation processes of GLSD.

Initiating transdisciplinary education for environmental and sustainability issues is urgent. Including a global context locally is mandatory for global learing through education and sustainable development  Nethertheless, literature review rhetoric still dominates. There is a demand for investigating teacher experiences of transdisciplinary sustainability teaching and students´ learning within a global framework. In particular as the process of learning towards sustainability in global–local settings is often stated as critical. Research on new settings of teaching and learning approaches, with the potential to facilitate real transdisciplinary  thinking, and seeking to implement SD into the curriculum, must be given priority. 

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