Integrating Environmental Sustainability into Educational Innovation for Eco-Literate and Climate-Resilient Learning Systems

Abstract

In the context of the climate crisis, efforts must be made to redesign all levels of Education. Education must be designed to enable functional skills rather than the transfer of content knowledge related to the environment. The barriers of traditional ways of learning have contributed to the disconnections in knowledge, as well as the lack of fostering critical skills like systems thinking, foresight and adaptability, which are important for creating adaptive and resilient communities and institutions. This manuscript seeks to address this significant barrier by proposing the Climate-Resilient Learning System (CRLS) Framework. The CRLS framework threads together the most impactful Educational Innovation for Sustainability (EIS) initiatives, eco-literacy, and climate change adaption. The CRLS framework creates a pathway for educational institutions to facilitate climate-resilient learning. In order for the CRLS to be successfully delivered, it requires the infusion of innovative pedagogy (e.g. digital climate modelling; as part of community action research) throughout the curriculum, institutional governance, and institutional operations of the campus. The CRLS framework is an innovative idea in that it aims to enhance action competency and systemic change, providing a well-developed, replicable framework that can be used to change educational organizations into sustainable innovation centers. This is a direct contribution to the priorities of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the form of producing eco-literate citizens who are able to create quantifiable environmental, social, and economic changes.