The (Un)political Perspective on Climate Change in Education—A Systematic Review

Johanna Kranz, Martin Schwichow, Petra Breitenmoser and Kai Niebert
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Johanna Kranz: Center of Excellence for Climate Change Impacts, Research Institute of Forest Ecology and Forestry Rhineland-Palatinate, 67705 Trippstadt, Germany
Martin Schwichow: Department of Physics Education, University of Education Freiburg, 79117 Freiburg, Germany
Petra Breitenmoser: Department of Primary Education, Zurich University of Teacher Education, 8090 Zurich, Switzerland
Kai Niebert: Institute of Education, University of Zurich, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-44

Abstract: Mitigating and adapting to climate change requires foundational changes in societies, politics, and economies. Greater effectiveness has been attributed to actions in the public sphere than to the actions of individuals. However, little is known about how climate literacy programs address the political aspects of mitigation and adaptation. The aim of this systematic literature review is to fill this gap and analyze how public-sphere actions on mitigation and adaptation are discussed in climate literacy programs in schools. Based on database searches following PRISMA guidelines we identified 75 empirical studies that met our inclusion criteria. We found that central aspects of climate policy such as the 1.5-degree limit, the IPCC reports, or climate justice are rarely addressed. Whilst responsibility for emissions is attributed to the public sphere, the debate about mitigation usually focuses on the private sphere. Climate change education does not, therefore, correspond to the climate research discourse. We show that effective mitigation and adaptation are based on public-sphere actions and thus conclude that effective climate education should discuss those public actions if it is to be effective. Hence, we propose that climate education should incorporate political literacy to educate climate-literate citizens.

Keywords: climate change education; climate literacy; climate change; sustainability education; political education; literature review; private and public-sphere action; mitigation; adaptation; climate justice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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