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Aiming Higher? Implications for Higher Education of Students’ Views on Education for Climate Justice

Author

Listed:
  • Caine Rolleston

    (Institute of Education, University College London, London WC1H0AL, UK)

  • Jackline Nyerere

    (Department of Educational Management, Policy and Curriculum Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi P.O. Box 43844-00100, Kenya)

  • Luciana Brandli

    (Technology Institute, Postgraduate Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering (PPGEng), University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo 99052-900, RS, Brazil)

  • Rosiana Lagi

    (Discipline of Education, School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Laucala Bay Road, Suva 1168, Fiji)

  • Tristan McCowan

    (Institute of Education, University College London, London WC1H0AL, UK)

Abstract

In 2023, a high number of climate disasters were recorded globally, highlighting the urgent dangers inherent in climate change and the inequities that result from its uneven impacts. Higher education institutions (HEIs) potentially play a crucial role in furthering climate justice through their research, teaching, community engagement and public awareness. Many students enter HEIs with high expectations concerning their education regarding climate change and more broadly of their institution’s contribution to climate action. In this article, we explore these expectations alongside the perceptions of students regarding how HEIs are delivering on them, i.e., the extent to which students are satisfied with their HEIs’ policies and practice on climate change. We employ data from a large-scale survey of more than 4000 students conducted by the Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (Climate-U) project collected in nine HEIs in three countries (Brazil, Fiji and Kenya) during 2021–22. Results indicate that satisfaction among students in the sampled HEIs is often low, while expectations are typically high. There is some evidence that students in contexts already more directly exposed to the impacts of climate change were somewhat more active and more satisfied. Overall, students frequently expected to learn more about climate change than they were in fact learning and expressed high levels of environmental concern as well as some dissatisfaction with HEIs’ wider activities to limit the impact of climate change and to promote understanding of the issues. We discuss the findings in relation to the gaps between what students expect from their HEIs and what HEIs are currently doing in the three countries. Furthermore, we consider how HEIs in Brazil, Fiji and Kenya may improve their engagement with issues of climate change and respond to students’ views and expectations, including the promotion of preparedness for and resilience to the climate crisis and its effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Caine Rolleston & Jackline Nyerere & Luciana Brandli & Rosiana Lagi & Tristan McCowan, 2023. "Aiming Higher? Implications for Higher Education of Students’ Views on Education for Climate Justice," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-15, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:19:p:14473-:d:1253499
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shah Md Atiqul Haq & Khandaker Jafor Ahmed, 2020. "Perceptions about climate change among university students in Bangladesh," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(3), pages 3683-3713, September.
    2. Luis Alípio Gomes & Tânia Suely Azevedo Brasileiro & Sandra Sofia F. S. Caeiro, 2022. "Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions in the Amazon Region: A Case Study in a Federal Public University in Western Pará, Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-20, March.
    3. Peter D. Howe & Matto Mildenberger & Jennifer R. Marlon & Anthony Leiserowitz, 2015. "Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(6), pages 596-603, June.
    4. Walter Leal Filho & Mark Mifsud & Petra Molthan-Hill & Gustavo J. Nagy & Lucas Veiga Ávila & Amanda Lange Salvia, 2019. "Climate Change Scepticism at Universities: A Global Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-13, May.
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