Envisioning low-carbon futures: possibility and hope as part of climate change teacher education

Abstract

Caribbean nations are amongst those considered the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This necessitates climate change education (CCE) to enhance the mitigation and adaptation capacities of the region’s populace. CCE is necessary at all levels of the education system, from pre-primary through to the tertiary level. To facilitate this, teachers must be exposed to CCE, understanding what climate change is, its impacts, and how to respond to climate change. Additionally, in order to facilitate students’ (as well as their own) abilities to visualise various climate futures and respond to the range of emotions associated with climate change, teachers’ own visioning skills must be developed. This article focuses on educators’ engagement’ with a low-carbon visioning exercise in a CCE course for educators at a regional university in the Caribbean. Thematic analysis of the document and interview data offers illustrations of the possibilities of visioning for awakening students to alternative future possibilities and engendering hope.

Keywords:

• Climate change education
• teachers
• visioning
• hope
• Caribbean

Declaration of interest

The author declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Therese Ferguson

Therese Ferguson is a Senior Lecturer in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the School of Education at The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. She is the Coordinator of the ESD Working Group within the School of Education and the Programme Leader for Change from Within, a school-based initiative in Jamaica that addresses violence and indiscipline. Her research interests include ESD, climate change education and peace education.