IntroductionEarth and environmental science education in schools can play an important role in developing students’ capacity to engage critically with and respond to complex socio-ecological challengessuch as climate change and the consumption of natural resources (Hodson, 2003). In 2017, a new senior Earth and Environmental Science (EES) syllabus was approved by the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) for implementation with Year 11 (16 year-old)students in 2019. The new syllabus supersedes the previous senior Earth Science syllabus that has been enacted in Queensland secondary schools since the year 2000 (Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies [QBSSSS], 2000), and represents the state’s interpretation of the senior Earth and Environmental Science Australian Curriculum developed by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, for students in Years 11-12(ACARA, 2018, n.d.a). Queensland’s new EES syllabus aims, in part, to develop students’ appreciation of how EES can be used to understand contemporary issues, and the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems (QCAA, 2017).