Environmental education after sustainability: hope in the midst of tragedy

Abstract

In this article, I discuss the challenge posed to environmental education (EE; and education for sustainable development) by the thinkers who see the situation of the world as so severe that 'sustainability' is an outdated concept.My approach is interdisciplinary and I discuss especially the connections between EE and eco-psychology. Based on psychological research, I argue that the wide-scale unconscious anxiety, which people experience, should be taken very seriously in EE. My discussion thus contributes in a new kind of way to a long-standing key issue in EE, the gap between people's values and the perceived action.Scholars of eco-anxiety have argued that instead of not caring, many people in fact care too much, and have to resort to psychological defenses of denial and disavowal. Thus, the question in EE is not anymore whether EE should deal with anxiety, for anxiety is already there. The prevailing attitude in EE writing is right in emphasizing positive matters and empowerment, but the relation between hope and optimism must be carefully thought about and a certain sense of tragedy must be included. Therefore, my article participates in the discussion about the role of 'fear appeals' in EE.My discussion is directed to anyone who wants to understand the reasons for inaction and the ways in which these may be overcome.

Eco‐anxiety, Tragedy, and Hope: Psychological and Spiritual Dimensions of Climate Change

“…I have written elsewhere (Pihkala ) more about “the myth of apathy” and states of denial about climate change. Here I will provide a concise overview.…”

“…To my knowledge, it is the best word and field available for the general subject of helping others to act more sustainably. For a wider discussion of this and also about the various related terms, such as education for sustainable development, see Pihkala ().…”

Death, the environment, and theology

“…59 This is the philosophy and theology of hope as championed by several of the writers, including myself, whose texts have been cited in this article. But hope can.…”

The work after “It's too late” (to prevent dangerous climate change)

“…This has opened the door to applications of trauma psychologies (Woodbury, ) and existentialist psychologies (Langford, ; Wolfe & Tubi, ). Meanwhile, the scientific and philosophical literature on hope is witnessing a revival, in no small part because of the dire prospects that climate change puts before us (Foster, ; Myers, Nisbet, Maibach, & Leiserowitz, ; Ojala, ; Pihkala, ; Wrangel, )…”