With the COP26 conference just days away, we have perhaps never been more confronted by the stark evidence of anthropogenic impact on our climate and environment. Recent 'extreme weather' events appearing in the news have only served to reinforce the warnings that we are hearing from the scientific community. The anxieties that were perhaps once confined to some in the natural sciences community only twenty years or so ago, are now felt by many in wider society. So-called climate anxiety is subject to growing attention within mental health care provisions and psychological research. According to Clayton (2020), the phenomenon can be experienced by anyone but appears to be particularly prevalent in young adults and teenagers, who, of course, make up the majority of students in higher education. They are also those who potentially face the harshest impact of environmental change in the longer term unless there is more action .
So what can we do in Higher Education to help? Most universities are already keen to be drivers for change through education, research and innovation. Creating a culture where students can see that good work is being done can provide some reassurance. Computing and engineering underpin every sector of society, business and industry, and so there is already a real sense of responsibility to ensure that sustainability is front and centre of all that we do. Injecting (even mandating!) sustainability into the curricula of technology-based disciplines is helping to ensure that the technologists of the future are equipped with the skills and values needed to provide safe and sustainable solutions.
The potential benefits of 'greenifying' our programmes, however, extend beyond this. Whilst we can't eradicate climate anxiety, by ensuring sustainability is woven into all aspects of our teaching, wherever possible, we can afford students some small space to reflect on their concerns around environmental change. Hopefully, we can also help them to see themselves as part of the solutions, both as individuals and as a society - a reminder that their skills and ingenuity could make a difference, no matter how small. Encouraging students to work in collaboration through multidisciplinary teams or on collaborative online international learning (COIL) projects (putting those Teams and Zooms skills to great use) can provide reassurance that they are not alone and that, collectively, there is hope and a desire to make a difference in changing our current trajectory.
Sources:
Clayton, S. (2020) ‘Climate anxiety: Psychological responses to climate change’, Journal of anxiety disorders, 74, p. 102263–. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102263.
Yoder, K, 2021 Study: More than half of young people think ‘humanity is doomed, Grist, Available at: https://grist.org/article/climate-anxiety-study-young-people-think-humanity-is-doomed/
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