Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders

Benjamin Anthony Janney; Lynne Zummo; Monika Lohani

doi:10.29333/ijese/14657

Full Text (PDF)

Benjamin Anthony Janney ¹ ^* , Lynne Zummo ¹ , Monika Lohani ¹

More Detail

¹ University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

Despite improvement to the public’s awareness of climate change, we have yet to achieve the necessary transformations to our planet’s future–we believe that educators can and should be an influential catalyst in the shift. Educators around the world foster people with a deep understanding of climate change and the capacity to address it. In this paper, we synthesize the existing climate education literature to put forward a clear definition of the concept of climate literacy. We then draw attention to a significant problem with climate literacy, agency, which is often un or ill-defined in climate change education scholarship, resulting in substantial impacts on climate educators’ efforts. We conclude this paper by offering a reimagined vision of climate education that shifts away from acceptance of climate change to empowerment for meaningful climate action.

Keywords

climate change
environmental education
literacy
agency
environmental responsibility

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Editorial

INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED, Volume 20, Issue 3, 2024, Article No: e2412

https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

Publication date: 01 Jul 2024

Online publication date: 30 May 2024

Article Views: 446

Article Downloads: 227

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

AAAS. (2014). What we know: The reality, risks, and response to climate change. American Association for the Advancement of Science. https://whatweknow.aaas.org/get-the-facts/
Bhattacharya, D., Carroll Steward, K., & Forbes, C. T. (2020). Empirical research on K-16 climate education: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Geoscience Education, 69(3), 223-247. https://doi.org/10.1080/10899995.2020.1838848
Borenstein, S. (2022). Carbon dioxide emissions rising globally but drop in China. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/science-africa-china-egypt-united-states-aaa101485a0236f818952bf90360ccf3
Brinkmann, R. (2021). Practical sustainability: A guide to a more sustainable life. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73782-5
Cantell, H., Tolppanen, S., Aarnio-Linnanvuori, E., & Lehtonen, A. (2019). Bicycle model on climate change education: Presenting and evaluating a model. Environmental Education Research, 25(5), 717-731. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1570487
Cook, J., Lewandowsky, S., & Ecker, U. K. (2017). Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence. PLoS ONE, 12(5), e0175799. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175799
Cordero, E. C., Centeno, D., & Todd, A. M. (2020). The role of climate change education on individual lifetime carbon emissions. PLoS ONE, 15(2), e0206266. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0206266
Dillon, J., & Herman, B. C. (2023). Environmental education. In L. Zeidler, N. G. Lederman, & J. S. Lederman (Eds.), Handbook of research on science education: Volume III (pp. 717-740). Routledge.
Geiger, N., Swim, J. K., & Fraser, J. (2017). Creating a climate for change: Interventions, efficacy and public discussion about climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51, 104-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.03.010
Gifford, R. (2011). The dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American Psychologist, 66(4), 290-302. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023566
Heddy, B. C., Lombardi, D., & Danielson, R. W. (2021). The moral side of the climate crisis: The effect of moral conviction on learning about climate change. Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 39(1), 58-69. https://doi.org/10.1080/20590776.2021.2011203
Hermans, M., & Korhonen, J. (2017). Ninth graders and climate change: Attitudes towards consequences, views on mitigation, and predictors of willingness to act. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 26(3), 223-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2017.1330035
Hess, D. J., & Maki, A. (2019). Climate change belief, sustainability education, and political values: Assessing the need for higher-education curriculum reform. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, 1157-1166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.291
Hornsey, M. J., Harris, E. A., Bain, P. G., & Fielding, K. S. (2016). Meta-analyses of the determinants and outcomes of belief in climate change. Nature Climate Change, 6(6), 622-626. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2943
Howe, P. D., Mildenberger, M., Marlon, J. R., & Leiserowitz, A. (2015). Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA. Nature Climate Change, 5(6), 596-603. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2583
Hufnagel, E., Kelly, G. J., & Henderson, J. A. (2017). How the environment is positioned in the next generation science standards: A critical discourse analysis. Environmental Education Research, 24(5), 731-753. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1334876
João, M., Leitão, A., Rosa Maria Silva, Monteiro, V., & Melo, P. (2022). Climate change prevention through community actions and empowerment: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14645-14645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214645
Kenis, A., & Mathijs, E. (2012). Beyond individual behaviour change: The role of power, knowledge and strategy in tackling climate change. Environmental Education Research, 18(1), 45-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.576315
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2010). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401
Kraemer, D. (2024). Greta thunberg: Who is the climate campaigner and what are her aims? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49918719
Leve, A.-K., Michel, H., & Harms, U. (2023). Implementing climate literacy in schools–What to teach our teachers? Climatic Change, 176, 134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-023-03607-z
McCaffrey, M. S., & Buhr, S. M. (2008). Clarifying climate confusion: Addressing systemic holes, cognitive gaps, and misconceptions through climate literacy. Physical Geography, 29(6), 512-528. https://doi.org/10.2747/0272-3646.29.6.512
Miléř, T., & Sládek, P. (2011). The climate literacy challenge. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 12, 150-156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.02.021
Milfont, T. L., Zubielevitch, E., Milojev, P., & Sibley, C. G. (2021). Ten-year panel data confirm generation gap, but climate beliefs increase at similar rates across ages. Nature Communications, 12, 4038. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24245-y
Monroe, M. C., Plate, R. R., Oxarart, A., Bowers, A., & Chaves, W. A. (2017). Identifying effective climate change education strategies: A systematic review of the research. Environmental Education Research, 25(6), 791-812. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2017.1360842
Moser, S. C., & Dilling, L. (2007). Toward the social tipping point: Creating a climate for change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511535871.035
Murphy, S. P. (2021). Climate change and political (in)action: An intergenerational epistemic divide? Sustainable Environment, 7(1), 1951509. https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2021.1951509
NASA. (2019). Is it too late to prevent climate change?–Climate change: Vital signs of the planet. NASA. https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/16/is-it-too-late-to-prevent-climate-change/
NGSS. (2013). Next generation science standards: For states, by states. The National Academies Press.
NOAA. (n. d.). The essential principles of climate literacy. Climate.gov. https://www.climate.gov/teaching/climate
Osborne, J., & Pimentel, D. (2022). Science, misinformation, and the role of education. Science, 378(6617), 246-248. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq8093
Owens, D. C., Sadler, T. D., & Friedrichsen, P. (2019). Teaching practices for enactment of socio-scientific issues instruction: An instrumental case study of an experienced biology teacher. Research in Science Education, 51, 375-398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9799-3
Rowlatt, J. (2023). Fossil fuels: Can humanity really kick its addiction? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67661119
Salvador Costa, M. J., Leitão, A., Silva, R., Monteiro, V., & Melo, P. (2022). Climate change prevention through community actions and empowerment: A scoping review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(22), 14645. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214645
Sinatra, G. M., Kardash, C. M., Taasoobshirazi, G., & Lombardi, D. (2011). Promoting attitude change and expressed willingness to take action toward climate change in college students. Instructional Science, 40, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9166-5
Strauss, V. (2021). Why it’s a mistake to teach climate change only in science class. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/09/22/how-teach-climate-change-crisis/
Tolppanen, S., & Aksela, M. (2018). Identifying and addressing students’ questions on climate change. The Journal of Environmental Education, 49(5), 375-389. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1417816
United Nations. (2021). Climate change “biggest threat modern humans have ever faced,” world-renowned naturalist tells security council, calls for greater global cooperation. United Nations. https://press.un.org/en/2021/sc14445.doc.htm
United Nations. (n. d.). Teaching carbon literacy to combat climate change. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/teaching-carbon-literacy-combat-climate-change
US EPA. (2023). Overview of greenhouse gases. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases
Wibeck, V. (2013). Enhancing learning, communication and public engagement about climate change–Some lessons from recent literature. Environmental Education Research, 20(3), 387-411. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.812720
Williams, C. (2022). Why these students want Utah to make a change to climate education. www.ksl.com. https://www.ksl.com/article/50375266/why-these-students-want-utah-to-make-a-change-to-climate-education
Windschitl, M. (2023). Teaching climate change: Fostering understanding, resilience, and a commitment to justice. Harvard Education Press.
Wolf, J., & Moser, S. C. (2011). Individual understandings, perceptions, and engagement with climate change: Insights from in-depth studies across the world. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2(4), 547-569. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.120
World Economic Forum. (2022). The chairperson’s guide to climate. World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_CoC_TheChairpersonsGuidetoClimate_April2022.pdf
Wynes, S., & Nicholas, K. A. (2017). The climate mitigation gap: Education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions. Environmental Research Letters, 12(7), 074024. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa7541
Zummo, L., Donovan, B., & Busch, K. C. (2020). Complex influences of mechanistic knowledge, worldview, and quantitative reasoning on climate change discourse: Evidence for ideologically motivated reasoning among youth. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 58(1), 95-127. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21648

How to cite this article

APA

Janney, B. A., Zummo, L., & Lohani, M. (2024). Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 20(3), e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

Vancouver

Janney BA, Zummo L, Lohani M. Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2024;20(3):e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

AMA

Janney BA, Zummo L, Lohani M. Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders. INTERDISCIP J ENV SCI ED. 2024;20(3), e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

Chicago

Janney, Benjamin Anthony, Lynne Zummo, and Monika Lohani. "Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education 2024 20 no. 3 (2024): e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

Harvard

Janney, B. A., Zummo, L., and Lohani, M. (2024). Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 20(3), e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657

MLA

Janney, Benjamin Anthony et al. "Shifting the desired outcome from climate literacy to climate agency: Education that empowers civic leaders". Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, vol. 20, no. 3, 2024, e2412. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/14657