Climate change education and research: possibilities and potentials versus problems and perils?

Abstract

This article introduces key features to the background, themes and implications of three collections available in Environmental Education Research that focus on climate change education and research. The problems and perils of scholarship and inquiry in this area are highlighted by contrasting these with some of the possibilities and potentials from a broad range of studies published in this and related fields of study, for example, in understanding who is doing the teaching and learning in climate change education, and in identifying the conceptual, policy and economic drivers and barriers related to its uptake. Key points for debate and action are identified, including for so-called ‘pyro-pedagogies’ and ‘practice architectures’, and the various philosophical, political and phenomenal aspects of climate change education that are likely to affect its prospects, at this moment and into the immediate future.

Keywords:

• Climate change education
• UNFCCC Article 6
• action for climate empowerment
• environmental and sustainability education
• environmental education research

Acknowledgements

Ideas and themes for the three collections have emerged from various conversations and presentations over the past decade, starting with a series of workshops reflecting on education’s role in responding to the ‘menace of global warming’ (Monbiot 2006). Initial thematics were presented in ‘Nobody ever rioted for austerity: education and the climate change debate’ during the author’s sabbatical from University of Bath, UK, hosted by Monash University, Australia (2009). They were further crystallised in the AHRC’s ‘Site, Performance and Environmental Change symposium’ (http://performancefootprint.co.uk/documents/glascove/alan-reid/), and the first climate change education symposium at the American Educational Research Association (2015) in Chicago, on ‘The Failure to Act: Climate Change Injustice, Denial, and Education’ (http://tinyurl.com/k8obvg8). The broadening of the work then took shape during a second sabbatical, hosted at Nicole Ardoin’s Social Ecology Lab, Stanford University (April 2017), and ongoing work with her on NAAEE’s eePRO research and evaluation and climate change education groups, and throughout the co-convening of the research strand of the World Environmental Education Congress, Vancouver (September 2017) and research symposium of the North American Association for Environmental Education Conference, in Washington DC (October 2017). This work, and especially comments from members of the Global Environmental Education Partnership, all contributed to the launch of, and follow-up to, the Virtual Special Issue at COP23 Bonn (November 2017), with additional inputs from Marcia McKenzie. Special thanks for sparks and steers along the way go to Essi Aarnio-Linnanvuori, Soraya Bozetto, KC Busch, Chew-Hung Chang, Justin Dillon, Jo Ferreira, Rachel Forgasz, Dee Heddon, Julia Heiss, Joe Henderson, Martha Monroe, Mahesh Pradhan, Kartikeya Sarabhai, Bill Scott, Venka Simovska, Kathryn Stevenson, Adriana Valenzuela Jimenez, Blanche Verlie, and Hilary Whitehouse.

Notes

1 For example, “Action on Climate Change Through Education,” EECOM 2019, advertised as Canada’s ‘first national environmental education conference with a focus on climate change education’ (https://eecom.org/eecom-2019/).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alan Reid

Alan Reid edits the international research journal, Environmental Education Research, and publishes regularly on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) and their research. Alan's interests in research and service focus on growing traditions, capacities and the impact of ESE research. A key vehicle for this is his work with the Global Environmental Education Partnership, and via NAAEE's eePRO Research and Evaluation group. Find out more via social media, pages or tags for eerjournal, and his ORCID entry.