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Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education

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Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 March 2021) | Viewed by 23746

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Maria Amélia Martins-Loução

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Edifício C2, 5º Piso, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
Interests: plant ecology; soil ecology; nitrogen in the environment; plant-microorganism network; ex situ and in situ plant conservation

Dr. Dawn Sanders

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Goteborgs University, Inst. för didaktik och pedagogisk profession (IDPP) Box 300 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
Interests: plant-blindness, citizen science, science communication, carnivorous plants

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Intergovernmental environmental initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), produce scientific syntheses directly usable by policymakers. However, all these syntheses do not encompass public awareness.

Promotion of education is considered to be one of the best approaches to follow. But, awareness of individual and group activities obtained through learning experiences either in classrooms or outdoor environments are critical for their success. These experiences may vary according to the target groups and be adapted towards differing attitudes. Building bridges between societal problems and ecology, through inclusive ecological education, learning processes, citizen science and other innovative methods are examples that can be applied to different social-ecological challenges. Moving ecological science across disciplinary boundaries between science and education are seen to be critical to this socially important work. Currently there is a disparity between what is said and what is done, i.e. education is recognised as an important element of biodiversity planning but policy is not always included to encourage practical action. Practitioners should be wary of simply 'rebranding' environmental education. This requires new and innovative approaches to involving individuals and organisations alike. Possible reasons for the low number of European actions include lack of political and public awareness of the potential threats. In particular, the Special Issue brings to our attention work from across a broad range of researchers at various stages of their careers. Thus, the issue supports the long-term strategy of engaging with interdisciplinary next generation challenges rooted in ecology to raise public awareness on global changes, including climate and biodiversity issues.

Prof. Maria Amélia Martins-Loução
Dr. Dawn Sanders
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

citizen science
inclusive ecological education
innovative methods
learning from nature
learning processes
open access and digital science
public engagement
socio-ecological challenges

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Innovative Community Projects to Educate Informal Settlement Inhabitants in the Sustainment of the Natural Environment

by Thelma de Jager and Mashupye Herbert Maserumule

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6238; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116238 - 1 Jun 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4480

Abstract

Increasing informal settlements are characterised by unplanned land management; lack of housing, sanitation, sufficient water and electricity supplies; overpopulation; high health risks; and growing urban poverty. These informal settlements are mostly occupied by citizens and immigrant families who seek job opportunities in urban areas. To sustain the ecology of the invaded land and provide a liveable informal settlement, education of the inhabitants is essential. Teachers as the implementers of sustainable environment curricula could be valuable in addressing the environmental challenges these informal settlement communities experience by educating children on how to sustain the environment. Data were collected by means of a literature study and an online survey consisting of closed and open-ended questions completed by student teachers (n = 280). Participants’ perceptions, perspectives, and experiences regarding educating informal settlement inhabitants in the sustainment of the environment were significant in answering the research questions. Most of the participants (n = 216) had visited informal settings, 48 were inhabitants, and 16 had never visited an informal settlement. Most of them believed that educating children at an early age and the inclusion of a compulsory subject on the sustainability of the environment were essential. Education can contribute to the sustainment of clean water, food, and the environment. Additionally, interactive community projects such as recycling, waste management, composting, aquaponics to grow plants, and infrared thermal imaging to detect plant diseases could assist informal settlement inhabitants in sustaining the environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

20 pages, 1363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Beautiful Risk of Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research. A Challenging Collaborative and Critical Approach toward Sustainable Learning Processes in Academic Profession

by Jonas Christensen, Nils Ekelund, Margareta Melin and Pär Widén

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4723; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13094723 - 23 Apr 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4176

Abstract

In this article, we aim to identify and explore possibilities and challenges of academic interdisciplinary capacities and ethos. The objective is that this knowledge could be used both in future interdisciplinary research projects and in educational settings. We achieve this through self-reflective learning processes among a group of interdisciplinary scholars from four distinctly different subjects. The method used is an autoethnographic and empirical self-reflective approach to data collection, analysis and deconstruction of professional learning processes. This also serves to establish research methodological trustworthiness and authenticity. The results show that interdisciplinarity is undervalued by grant-giving institutions and the academic system, in general. It also entails time-consuming and risky research practices. However, interdisciplinary and collaborative research creates a more innovative and stimulating learning environment and enforces new ways of thinking and doing, in ascertaining each individual’s knowledge and competences. We argue that a long-term interdisciplinary and collaborative research process could enhance and raise a critical thinking and creative consciousness among scholars, contributing to a more holistic, sustainable and socially robust learning in research and higher education. Finally, we conclude that this academic interdisciplinary capacity and ethos could be framed and enhanced by the notion of Challenge-Based Learning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

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19 pages, 867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

All STEM-Ed up: Gaps and Silences around Ecological Education in Australia

by Annette Gough

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3801; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13073801 - 30 Mar 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4046

Abstract

Similar to much of the world, the Australian Government has a vision for society to be engaged in and enriched by science which has, as its prime focus, building skills and capabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Simultaneously, the Government’s policies and projects, including in education, ignore intergovernmental environmental initiatives, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This article critically analyses the Australian Government’s STEM and climate change education policies and programs, including Citizen Science activities, through an ecological education lens and finds many, and growing, gaps and silences in these areas. It compares the Australian situation with STEM and ecological education-related developments in several other countries. In the context of significant global changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this article argues that it is time for the Australian education agenda to take the Government’s international responsibilities seriously, include meaningful engagement with climate change and biodiversity related topics through ecological education in the school curriculum, and discusses what a reimagined school science curriculum could look like. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

19 pages, 916 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Big Is My Carbon Footprint? Understanding Young People’s Engagement with Climate Change Education

by Helen Ross, Jennifer A. Rudd, R. Lyle Skains and Ruth Horry

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1961; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13041961 - 11 Feb 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4429

Abstract

This paper presents a new engagement model for climate change education (CCE) as a result of analysing interactive digital narratives (IDNs) created during the You and CO₂ Climate Change Education Programme. Young people aged 13–15 from two schools in Wales participated in three workshops, which culminated in students producing IDNs about climate change using Twine storytelling software. An inductive, grounded-theory approach informed by Bourdieusien principles of habitus and value was used to explore students’ responses to the Programme. Stage 1 coding identified ‘Core Themes’ and located student responses along tri-axial continua showing engagement, agency, and power. Stage 2 coding combined ‘Core Themes’ to build upon Cantell et al.’s 2019 Bicycle Model of Climate Change Education to create a new ‘holistic Agentic Climate-Change Engagement’ model (h-ACE), where learners’ journeys towards full engagement with and understanding of CCE and action could be traced. Barriers to students’ engagement with and understanding of CCE were identified through Bourdieusien analysis of responses. Results show that engagement was related to children’s views on their capacity to effect change on individual, local and governmental levels. The h-ACE provides a model for adjusting CCE curricula to accommodate young people’s varying cultures and views. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

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12 pages, 462 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parents as Agents: Engaging Children in Environmental Literacy in China

by Janina Iwaniec and Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen

Sustainability 2020, 12(16), 6605; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12166605 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3254

Abstract

China, one of the most polluting countries in the world, is facing tremendous challenges in dealing with environmental problems. Although the government has implemented various regulations and introduced strong enforcement to reduce toxic emissions and encourage recycling, little is known about how parents in China socialise their children into environmentally responsible individuals. This article reports on what 267 Chinese parents do, as agents of environmental protection, to raise their children’s awareness of environmental issues, and how their environmental literacy affects these children’s attitudes and behaviours. A survey was developed to measure how parents engage their children in environmental literacy, how confident parents feel in their own environmental awareness, and whether this has an effect on their engagement with children. The participants were found to play an agentive socialisation role in their engagement with children on pro-environmentalism in terms of shaping their behaviours and attitudes and developing their knowledge and skills. Furthermore, the correlational analysis results reveal that engagement in some aspects of environmental literacy is related to parents’ socio-economic status (SES) and their age; namely, the lower the SES or age, the higher the engagement. The study serves as a baseline for parents’ engagement with environmental literacy in China and has important implications for a concerted action by schools, the government, and environmental organisations to empower parents to be true agents of environmental literacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

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Review

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10 pages, 2446 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Agroecology for Food and Water Security in Times of Climate Consciousness: A Bibliometric Analysis of Peer-Reviewed Literature Published from 1990 to 2020

by Tavseef Mairaj Shah, Sumbal Tasawwar and Ralf Otterpohl

Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 5064; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13095064 - 30 Apr 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2297

Abstract

The discrepancies in our food systems have become more pronounced in the last couple of years due to natural disasters of huge magnitude and the current pandemic, that have served to make them visible to a wider range of population. As a result, a shift to agroecological food and farming systems is currently being advocated at different levels. An agroecological approach to food systems involves consideration of all their interactions with the major challenges of our time—food security, water scarcity, climate change, socioeconomic disparity. This paper presents a bibliometric study of peer reviewed literature about the role of agroecology in relation to either or all of these challenges, published between 1990 and 2020. 1990 was the year in which IPCC published its first assessment report that set into motion many framework agreements and protocols regarding climate change. In 2019 and 2020, IPBES and iPES-Food released separate reports advocating an urgent agricultural transition based on agroecological methodologies. There has been an exponential increase in the published research in this field in this time period, whereas an overwhelming majority of the publications were filed under the subject areas of agricultural and biological sciences, environmental sciences, and social sciences. In addition to the increasing acceptance of the role of agroecology to address the challenges of our times, the results of this analysis point to the cross-cutting nature of issues agroecology caters to. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Responding to Global Changes through Science Promotion and Ecological Education)

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