The prospect of education for sustainable development ameliorating specific abiotic factors in the environment: A Finnish case study

Abstract

UNESCO has indicated the need for more research to test the effectiveness of education for sustainable development (ESD). This study analyzes how ESD is included in the Finnish national core curriculum and examines four environmental indicators to determine if a correlation exists between ESD and a cleaner physical environment in Finland. The study’s results indicate that increased environmental consciousness through ESD does not completely correlate to a cleaner physical environment. Two of the environmental indicators, total CO₂ and greenhouse gas emissions from household fuel combustion, reduced after the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD); however, it could not be determined if ESD or government policies are responsible for these reductions. The other two environmental indicators, municipal waste and electricity consumption, increased post-DESD. This study concludes by recommending that ESD be institutionalized in teacher education programs alongside ecopedagogy throughout the Finnish education system.

Keywords:

• Education for sustainable development
• DESD
• Ecopedagogy
• Finnish education
• Finnish curriculum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Matthew Tessitore is an experienced educator that has been working at the upper secondary level since 2012.