Inclusive and Equitable Environmental Education in Asia: Current Practices, Challenges, and Future Possibilities

Since discussions to launch Environmental Education in Asia began in 2014, and with the publication of its first issue in 2017, we have been exploring the potential of collaborative efforts to foster environmental education across Asia.We envisioned EEA as a platform for researchers who are not only conducting research in their own countries, but are also willing to engage in international interactions and contribute to mutual and global understanding (Sakurai & Furihata 2019), under the theme of environmental education in Asia.While more than 45 papers have been published in the past five issues, we believe that collaborative efforts between practitioners and researchers from various countries across Asia in the context of environmental education remain limited.This highlights the need to continue publishing EEA-to collect diverse practices and research findings that shed light on how environmental education can contribute to creating a sustainable society.In the sixth issue of Environmental Education in Asia (EEA2026), we feature papers related to inclusive and equitable environmental education in Asia, with a particular focus on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).With only five years remaining until the target year of the SDGs, we believe this collection offers a timely opportunity to reflect on current practices, challenges, and future directions for inclusive and equitable environmental education across Asia.By bringing together diverse perspectives from both researchers and practitioners, this issue aims to contribute to ongoing efforts toward more inclusive and participatory approaches to environmental education.Article 12 of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) calls for cooperation in enhancing climate change education, training, public awareness, public participation, and public access to information.In addition, one of the action targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is to ensure full, equitable, and inclusive participation in decision-making, as well as access to justice and information related to biodiversity, by Indigenous peoples and local communities, women and girls, children and youth, and persons with disabilities.In this context, inclusive and equitable environmental education can play an important role in fostering meaningful participation and supporting learners in engaging with environmental challenges and sustainability transitions.We believe that examining current practices and challenges in Asia is particularly valuable for advancing future discussions and actions toward