Regarding the design of ECC, there are two schools of thought. CCE can be only scientific education about causes and consequences, or it can be inter-disciplinary pursuit like in South Korea and Australia aimed at transforming lifestyles. Science-based education imparts knowledge but does not bring behavioural change. Inter-disciplinary education engaging the social sciences for developing societal understandings, cultural keys, and political will can change attitudes. For example, scientific knowledge of the adverse effects of smoking is not enough to motivate people to stop smoking. Instead, education aimed at changing lifestyle toward more sports etc. can help. Interdisciplinary education aimed at changing cultural values is even preferred over mass awareness campaigns.
Academic literature reveals that ‘Climate Change’ education has two parts. ‘Climate’ part needs to be told in scientific terms. The second part is education for ‘Change’ which aims to promote positive change. The latter part must challenge normative values that shape our behaviour. It helps transition from unsustainable normative values like an exorbitant lifestyle to more sustainable values. As John Dewey, psychologist and educationist, said, ‘The conception of education as a social process and function has no definite meaning until we define the kind of society we have in mind’. Similarly, ECC should work towards a sustainable futuristic society. We know that dozens of daily activities contribute to GHG emissions and individuals EF. Through the ECC part, we need to create a willingness to make the voluntary choice of actions for reducing GHG emissions and ecological footprints. ECC change component aims for behaviour change as was required in COVID to secure larger-scale change. The change portion of CCE also involves issue analysis, community and personal decision-making, political processes, social justice, inter-cultural sensitivity and intercultural competence, and most importantly behaviour change.
Some schools have been adopted by civil society organizations as ‘Green Schools’ for informally educating students through workshops and seminars and practicing water and conservations strategies.
Consequently, the methodology of CCE components must be flexible. Some students will learn through science-observing natural phenomena, analyzing data etc. Others will engage through arts like music, painting etc. Yet, others will earn through taking action like volunteering for a social justice issue.
Moreover, the social dilemma discourse in CC emphasizes inherent tensions between collective versus individual interests at various scales, from the individual to the international: for example, the value of individual action on climate change may be seen as futile where others do not act; international solutions may be viewed as unattainable due to multiple conflicting national interests. These conflicts driven by factors have roots in both normative and pragmatic terms and can be addressed through the change part of ECC.
Secondly, CC is a wicked problem emanating from capitalism and consumerism. We need to learn what is necessary for building a sustainable future and enabling7-8 billion people to make life dignified on a finite planet. Under capitalism, happiness is pursued through more consumption and profit maximization and that leads to individualism and competitiveness. A competitive global culture that works toward economic efficiency works against the pursuit of the common good. When valuing things even relationships monetarily, joy becomes diluted as nothing. More scientifically, material gains do not bring happiness as the concept of marginal utility sets in after meetings basic needs. The importance of material things decreases when people reach more social capital. However, happiness does not necessarily mean more and more consumption. Happiness pursuit is possible to be realized in sustainable and resilient societies, comprised of personally fulfilled people, who use their potential fully for individual and common good-meaning people fulfilling lives amidst trust, participation and personal expression and civil rights. More aptly, the change of means to happiness by transforming societies from consumerism to personal fulfilment is a very important issue to address through the change part of ECC.
Transforming the entire world population from a capitalistic approach to the pursuit of happiness to fulfilling lives with collective good can be secured only through the change part of ECC. A similar approach is used in Finland in 2016 where the viability of ecosystems and human sharing of its earth resources are given priority and markets and consumerism are placed lower just as means to the end rather than an end in itself. It is called an Eco-Social Approach to ECC in Finland.
The education systems in Pakistan like most countries currently lack these attributes. There is no systemic approach to ECC in Pakistan at the school and university levels. At the school level, there is only some scientific know-how in the subject of geography or social science. At the university level, it is only available in some undergraduate and postgraduate programs as a course predominantly on scientific lines. Some schools have been adopted by civil society organizations as ‘Green Schools’ for informally educating students through workshops and seminars and practicing water and conservations strategies. Some civil society organizations like Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC), Green Squad, and Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) conduct walks and seminars for informal CC education to general public, students and other stakeholders. Thus, Climate Change policy has missed out the component of helping education department and private education system of incorporating Education for Climate Change (ECC) formally as a discipline on the line of having its two components ‘Climate’ and ‘Change’ as discussed in above.
(To be Continued).
Ghania Usman was formerly associated with Army Public School (Bahawalpur) and can be reached
at [email protected].
Saud Bin Ahsen is a freelance columnist and can be reached at [email protected].