Climate change education and emotions

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1714

Keywords:

education for sustainable development, sustainable development goals, emotional literacies

Abstract

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an important component of the UN recommended Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The higher education sector in the UK is committed to developing skills, awareness, and knowledge that makes a positive contribution to sustainability efforts.

While numerous studies focus on embedding ESD into the curriculum (Leal Filho, 2015; Navrouzoglou et al., 2024; Wall et al., 2024), there is a lack of research on the effect of ESD on students’ emotional responses to climate change. Concerns around climate anxiety, particularly among young people, are growing (Hickman et al., 2021; Ogunbode et al., 2022; van Valkengoed et al., 2023). Therefore, it is crucial to design an ESD approach that has a positive impact on students, while fostering resilience and action without feeling overwhelmed or hopeless.

We conducted a study to investigate the ESD approach of an undergraduate Environmental Economics course and its impact on students’ emotional responses to climate change. It explored students’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences in engaging with climate change, as well as their perspectives on the effectiveness of educational programmes.

This study offers valuable insights for higher education programme leaders and educators, advocating for an educational approach that begins by creating feelings of hope as a foundational step of ESD. This is followed by building awareness and, ultimately, empowering students to take meaningful action. By establishing a progression from hope to awareness to action, this approach can inspire positive engagement, provide young people with the tools to create sustainable solutions, and build their resilience to navigate the challenges of an uncertain future. Our poster outlines the rationale behind our research and design, along with the results of students’ responses.

Author Biographies

Lovleen Kushwah, University of Glasgow

Lovleen Kushwah is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Glasgow and a trained Integrative Psychotherapist. She earned her PhD in Economics from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and is a Fellow of RET. Her scholarship interests focus on embedding mental wellbeing in the curriculum, Education for Sustainable Development, and inner feedback generation. She has worked with third-sector organisations, including Glasgow Council on Alcohol, Recovery Across Mental Health, and The Energy and Resources Institute (India), applying her expertise in economics and wellbeing to real-world challenges.

Paulina Navrouzoglou, University of Glasgow

Paulina Navrouzoglou is Senior Lecturer in Economics and Programme Director (UG Economics) in the Adam Smith Business School at the University of Glasgow. Her research interests include Environmental Economics and Education for Sustainable Development. She earned her PhD from the University of Exeter in 2014. Prior to joining Exeter, she worked as a research assistant at the Agricultural Economics and Social Research Institute of Greece.

Geethanjali Selvaretnam, University of Glasgow

Geethanjali Selvaretnam is a Professor of Economics Education at the Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow. She has held academic roles at the University of St Andrews, Royal Holloway, and University of Essex, and has worked as an accountant and at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Her SoTL interests include multicultural skills, sustainable education, Generative AI for learning, inner feedback generation, inclusive and learning-based assessments.

References

Freire, P. (1994) Pedagogy of hope: reliving pedagogy of the oppressed. Edited by A.M.A Freire and P. Freire. New York: Continuum.

Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R.E., Mayall, E.E., Wray, B., Mellor, C. et al. (2021) ‘Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey’, The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), pp.863-873. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(21)00278-3/fulltext (Accessed: 10 August 2024).

Leal Filho, W. (ed.) (2015) ‘Education for sustainable development in higher education: reviewing needs’, in Transformative approaches to sustainable development at universities. World Sustainability Series. London: Springer Cham, pp.3-12. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08837-2_1

Lopez, P.J. (2022) ‘For a pedagogy of hope: imagining worlds otherwise’, Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 47(5), pp.792-804. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2022.2155803

Navrouzoglou, P., Kushwah, L. and Selvaretnam, G. (2024) ‘Using a group podcast and policy brief in an economics undergraduate course to enhance sustainability literacy, communication and teamwork skills’, in T. Wall, L. Viera Trevisan, W. Leal Filho, and A. Shore (eds) Sustainability in business education, research and practices. World Sustainability Series. Switzerland: Springer Cham, pp.41-62. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55996-9_4

Ogunbode, C.A., Doran, R., Hanss, D., Ojala, M., Salmela-Aro, K., van den Broek, K.L., Bhullar, N., Aquino, S.D. et al. (2022) ‘Climate anxiety, wellbeing, and pro-environmental action: correlates of negative emotional responses to climate change in 32 countries’, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 84, 101887. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101887

United Nations (n.d.) Sustainable Development Goals. Available at: https://www.un.org/en/exhibits/page/sustainable-development-goals (Accessed: 14 August 2024).

van Valkengoed, A.M., Steg, L. and de Jonge, P. (2023) ‘Climate anxiety: a research agenda inspired by emotion research’, Emotion Review, 15(4), pp.258-262. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/17540739231193752

Wall, T., Viera Trevisan, L., Leal Filho, W. and Shore, A. (eds) (2024) Sustainability in business education, research and practices. World Sustainability Series. Switzerland: Springer Cham

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Published

30-09-2025

How to Cite

Kushwah, L., Navrouzoglou, P., & Selvaretnam, G. (2025). Climate change education and emotions. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (37). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1714

Issue

No. 37 (2025): Special Edition, ALDinHE Conference Proceedings and Reflections

Section

Conference Proceedings

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