Italy is set to become the first country to make climate change lessons compulsory for children.
Every state school will dedicate almost an hour a week to learning about climate change issues from the beginning of the next academic year.
Education minister Lorenzo Fioramonti also announced traditional subjects, such as geography, mathematics and physics, will be studied from the perspective of sustainable development.
This would amount to around 33 hours of climate change lessons a year.
Mr Fioramonti said: "The entire ministry is being changed to make sustainability and climate the centre of the education model.
"I want to make the Italian education system the first education system that puts the environment and society at the core of everything we learn in school."
The member of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement was made education minister two months ago, and has already become a target of conservatives for backing taxes on sugar and plastics.
He was also criticised in September for saying students should skip school and take part in climate protests and received backlash for suggesting crucifixes should be removed from Italian classrooms.
