Perspectives on Climate Change in Education for Sustainability: Linking Concepts and Skills for a Practical Ecological Transition

ABSTRACT ‘Hard’ natural sciences have extensively been used to provide evidence that climate change is happening and climate action is needed. If the contribution of our economic activities to disturbing our climate systems is now largely accepted, the way in which we design and operationalise ‘climate action’—how we transition to more sustainable practices—is affected by political and legal systems, cultures, communication, even psychology and spirituality. For such a transition to be encouraged and sustained, social sciences are needed. This article explores how Higher Education can contribute to Climate Action in a societal context in which conflicting perspectives on climate change exist, concepts related to sustainability and sustainable development are still often misunderstood, and sustainability skills are desperately needed. After exploring the evolution of Education for Sustainability, the paper presents three learning experiences at the University of the West of England Bristol that promote innovative pedagogy and sustainability skills.