Engagement with learning

Environmental education plays a pivotal role in a child's development of place attachment, an individual's affinity for a particular place in nature, and connection with nature, the individual's personal relationship with nature despite its location. Previous research has shown when children experience and appreciate nature, they will be more likely to care for the environment and adopt pro-environmental behaviors. Further, children can develop a stronger sense of place attachment and connection to nature earlier in life compared to when they are older.

Natural hazard mitigation is a rapidly evolving field that requires a range of educational backgrounds and levels of creativity. Geography education is well-positioned to prepare future leaders in natural hazard resilience because of its foundations in empowering students to embrace transdisciplinarity, the integration of various disciplines for problem-solving, and self-discovery while learning and making decisions.

Environmental education (EE) has been practiced in the United States since the early twentieth century and helps students develop environmental literacy and the tools to address global climate issues. As scientists have predicted worsening climate conditions that will negatively impact human health and ecosystems, EE is well-positioned to positively influence students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes, leading to more pro-environmental behaviors over time to collectively reduce the negative impacts of climate change.

As a response to the impacts of human activity on the climate and the international attempts to mitigate these negative impacts, environmental and sustainability education (ESE) in formal school systems has become prevalent. However, there is little research on how students perceive current ESE efforts. In Spain, the Basque Autonomous Community implemented the School Agenda 21 (SA21) which focuses on three goals: participation of the education community, sustainably managing schools, and ESE curriculum. Educational centers, Ingurugela, were created to support teachers in delivering ESE.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered many countries to impose lockdowns to keep their citizens safe and healthy. These policies negatively impacted society and the economy and illuminated environmental injustices. For example, people in urban areas, particularly disadvantaged groups, had fewer opportunities to be in green spaces due to the closing of community areas and lack of access to natural settings. Research has shown that simply being in nature can improve mental and physical health, both of which was negatively impacted for many during strict lockdowns.

Around the world, natural fish populations are suffering due to overfishing and climate change impacts. To address such complex issues, educational games have been implemented and have been met with much success in environmental education. Not only do games help students retain information about the topic, but also provide an opportunity to think critically about possible solutions and impacts of solutions.

Citizen science (CS) programs contribute scientific data and information that help policymakers make more informed decisions. There have been several studies that evaluated CS programs and demonstrated their role and value in policymaking. However, there is not as much information on how these programs influence pro-environmental behavior (PEB) and attitudes in participants. The researchers in this study reviewed a CS program in Australia called Scientist for a Day (S4AD). This one-day CS event sponsored by Earthwatch gathers citizens to learn more about a specific research project.

As the climate crisis continues, universities are uniquely positioned to effectively prepare future alumni to engage in sustainable behaviors and create a resilient future. Despite the steps to develop sustainability efforts and curricula in higher education, it is imperative to acknowledge the influences on a students' understanding about environmental issues and solutions.

Though science education and environmental education (EE) have been considered as separate disciplines, their missions and teaching methods are complementary. Therefore, there is an opportunity to integrate the two disciplines in light of the recent educational shifts in the United States to prioritizing systems-thinking and adaptability in K-12 settings based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). For example, the foundation of science education has moved from learning about science principles to solving problems and making decisions based on science.

Climate change education spans a wide array of topics and issues stemming from the cause of climate change: greenhouse gas emissions. One of the effects of these emissions is ocean acidification, during which the pH level of seawater decreases, or becomes more acidic, over time. This inhibits the ocean ecosystem to function normally, causing serious implications for environmental and human health. Despite ocean acidification being taught in the curriculum and scientific research on ocean acidification made available to the public, many people are still unaware of its impacts.