**1. Introduction**

Herein we will highlight the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [1] in the context of current and emerging global challenges [2] and the need to transform education. It is important to note that nearly a quarter of the global population is composed of youth ages 10–24. This amounts to 1.8 billion people [3, 4]. Additionally, many underserved people in the global population are youth [4], with 90% of the global youth population living in less developed countries (LDCs).

By 2050, action is needed on environmental issues, biodiversity, and climate change (this is particularly true since July 2023 was the hottest month on record; see, [5]) and, significant investment is needed in education/literacy, health care and nutrition, addressing poverty alleviation and hunger, decreasing under- and unemployment, and enhancing food production/productivity. The World Youth Report on Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development examines the mutually supportive roles of the new agenda and current youth development efforts [6]. Youth are not mere beneficiaries of the 2030 Agenda, rather they have a critical role in the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The active engagement of youth in sustainable development efforts will be imperative to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

We wish to further develop the notions presented by Kyle [7] when he asserted:

*Science educators ought to be at the forefront of ensuring the education discourse is oriented towards the goals, aspirations, desires, and needs of all 1.8 billion youth versus adhering to a bureaucratic characterization of science in which universal standards, goals, objectives, and accountability measures are imposed upon learners, teachers, and administrators by policymakers and politicians. All too often, as a result of universalism and standardization, learners experience an education in science disassociated from the contextual realities of life (p. 2).*

Moreover, we must ensure the goals of science education address sustainable development, empowerment, equity, social justice, and social transformation, thereby ensuring an informed, ecologically/environmentally literate, thoughtful, and empathetic citizenry. Empowerment – particularly in LDCs - is correlated with poverty alleviation and economic growth. An education in science must be contextualized and connected to the lives and world experiences of learners while taking into consideration issues of place-based locality, as well as social, civic, and cultural values [7].
