Increasing attention to climate change and the current global economic crisis has underscored the need for approaches to education that equip and empower people of all ages to deal with uncertain environmental, economic and political futures. This paper argues that a range of educational and research initiatives already exist which could support this aim, however, policy and discussion continue to focus on technical solutions or ‘knowledge transfer’ without seriously engaging with the content of education. The authors suggest that education responses are needed which attend to the provision of both appropriate educational infrastructure and relevant knowledge and skills, which go beyond the simple provision of new curriculum content. The paper also explores the connections between education for sustainable development (ESD) and education quality, and argues that these frameworks already support potentially effective education responses to climate change.