Emotions and their role in sustainability and (transformative) sustainability education have become more frequently discussed in the ESD and the geography education discourse (Schickl et al. 2024; Pettig & Ohl 2023; Grund et al. 2023). While there is a shifting focus away from predominantly understanding emotions as a tool for behavioral change towards a more complex approach to emotions, there are still many open questions on how to navigate emotions on sustainability in the ESD classroom. In current discussions a focus on negative emotions such as ‘climate anxiety’ (Pihkala 2020) and a connection to nature as emotional experience leading to behavioral change (Chawla 2020) is evident. A psychological and individualized understanding of emotions takes center stage in these approaches. While (environmental) psychology provides valuable insights into the interplay of psyche, environment, and sustainability, a more interdisciplinary understanding of and approach to emotions which considers how emotions are embedded in social contexts can further enhance our understanding of emotions and their role in the transformative ESD classroom.

An understanding of emotions as social phenomenon and more specifically a form of social practice, foregrounds emotions as embodied behavioral routines based on collective and implicit knowledge (Scheer 2019). This theoretical approach challenges the common understanding of emotions as individual experiences and allows emotions to be understood within their social context. It further highlights how emotions can be shaped by social interactions and collective contexts, and how these practices can be enacted and reinforced but also questioned and disrupted in the ESD classroom by engaging students in collective action towards their desired future(s).

This presentation explores the potential of approaching emotions as social phenomena for sustainability education in the context of transformative geography teaching. It discusses this potential through selected insights from the participatory Photovoice project EAT+CHANGE, in which 13-14-year-old students critically engage with (un)sustainable food systems.

Grund, J., Singer-Brodowski, M., & Büssing, A. (2023). Emotions and transformative learning for sustainability: A systematic review. Sustainability Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01439-5

Pettig, F., & Ohl, U. (2023). Transformatives Lernen für einen sozial-ökologischen Wandel: Facetten eines zukunftsfähigen Geographieunterrichts. https://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/frontdoor/index/index/docId/100871

Pihkala, P. (2020). Eco-Anxiety and Environmental Education. Sustainability, 12(23), Article 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310149

Scheer, M. (2019). Emotion als kulturelle Praxis. In H. Kappelhoff, J.-H. Bakels, H. Lehmann, & C. Schmitt (Hrsg.), Emotionen: Ein interdisziplinäres Handbuch (S. 352–362). J.B. Metzler. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-476-05353-4_50

Schickl, M., Oberauer, K., Stötter, J., Kromp-Kolb, H., & Keller, L. (2024). makingAchange – eine der bislang umfassendsten Klimawandelbildungsinitiativen Österreichs. Erkenntnisse zu Wirkungsweisen und einer dringend notwendigen Transformation in der Klimawandelbildung. GW Unterricht, 173, 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1553/gw-unterricht173s7

Singer-Brodowski, M., Förster, R., Eschenbacher, S., Biberhofer, P., & Getzin, S. (2022). Facing Crises of Unsustainability: Creating and Holding Safe Enough Spaces for Transformative Learning in Higher Education for Sustainable Development. Frontiers in Education, 7. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2022.787490

In 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was adopted by all member states of the United Nations (UN) (UN, 2015). SDG 8 still aims for economic growth, although economic growth as a guiding principle of an economic system is increasingly criticized for promoting unsustainable development (Harvey, 2012). Transforming the current economic system is even seen as a condition for reaching the SDGs (Göpel, 2016). Alternative approaches that are characterized by detaching from the current economic growth system are covered by the term post growth (Schulz et al. 2021). As young people’s involvement is central for shaping our future, the topic of post growth offers great potential in the context of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and transformative learning.

Therefore, a seminar on post growth has been developed for students enrolled in a bachelors programme of teacher training and was conducted at two universities in Lower Saxony, Germany. As part of the seminar, the students explored the topic of post growth and identified connecting points to geography education. Subsequently, they designed their own lesson on the topic of post growth and conducted it in small groups with an 11th-grade class at a secondary school. The subsequent structured reflection was recorded and the qualitative data obtained is being evaluated in order to develop and conduct a teaching unit on post growth at a secondary school in the context of ESD and transformative education.

Selected results from the students' reflections and the derived implications for the development of the teaching unit and the transformative educational process will be presented and discussed.

Transformative action is needed more than ever to change our societies and preserve an inhabitable planet for current and future generations. Young people are one of the groups affected the most by the continuously growing impact the climate crisis will have, but they are also key actors in the societal transformation that is necessary to curb global warming and adapt to our changing world (UNESCO, 2020). However, studies have shown that while young people are aware of the importance of sustainable behaviour, their attitudes often do not match their behaviour, resulting in a persistent attitude-behaviour-gap (Bernardes et al, 2018; Entzian, 2015).
From 2021 to 2025, the project “Low-Emission-Schools in Northern Germany (LESSCO2)” addressed this gap: Drawing on Education for Sustainable development (ESD) and transformative learning, it aimed to foster learners’ transformative literacy (Singer-Brodowski & Schneidewind, 2014) to enable them to act (more) sustainably and become change agents (UNESCO, 2020), thus possibly bridging the gap and contributing to transformative action. To this end, a concept for a project week that included learners as well as teacher candidates was designed and subsequently implemented in northern German secondary schools: During each project week, pupils developed ideas for projects which aimed to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by their school. Areas they focused their ideas on were mobility, energy, food and resources/waste. Teacher candidates, who were trained to implement the project weeks, supported learners in developing their ideas.
The presentation will discuss exemplary results and experiences of the implementation phase. It will also reflect critically on the project week design regarding its potential to foster transformative literacy and initiate transformative learning.

“’Healthy living on a healthy planet’ is a critical and timely synthesis of priority transformations needed in governance, research, planning, and education at all scales, to promote the health and well-being of every individual, today and in the future, while simultaneously healing the damage from and preventing further climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution” (Ebi 2023).

Within these contexts, education plays a pivotal role (Sustainable Development Goal 4) when taught from a critical-emancipatory (ESD II) and/or transformative perspective (ESD III) (Vare/Scott 2007). Learners should be empowered, motivated, and inspired to act as change agents or pioneers of transformation, initiating fundamental changes. Concepts for teaching and learning settings that develop and implement these ideas in educational practice already exist, such as service learning, critical mapping, or learning workshops. For sustainable and effective implementation, however, the regional context is of outstanding importance. learners can test their own transformative action strategies in the local environment, directly observe their effectiveness and implement an alternative approach if necessary (Wittlich/Mönter/Lathan 2024). The Competence Center for Regional Learning at the University of Vechta, combines research and practical work with various stakeholders thus create a transformative educational network for learners and educators.

The presentation will showcase, contextualize, and open for discussion the recently improved educational concept of the Competence Center. Additionally, it will provide insights into the transformative network collaboration with schools, companies, and other institutions. Exemplary of this, two current qualification projects will be presented, which focus on further theoretical grounding of the concept, based on investigations into two learning modules tested in several german schools. The qualification projects are particularly emphasizing how transformative learning can further the communicative competences of students in the context of current challenges as well as how students’ action skills in context of climate change adaption can be developed effectively. The presentation will include significant empirical findings of both studies and reflect practical and theoretical challenges concerning the implementation of the developed learning modules into practice.

Ebi, K. (2023): Voices to the WBGU flagship report 2023. URL: https://www.wbgu.de/de/publikationen/publikation/gesundleben

Vare, P. & Scott, W. (2007). Learning for a change: Exploring the relationship between education for sustainable development. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 1(2), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1177/097340820700100209

Wittlich, C., Mönter, L., & Lathan, H. (2024). Planetary Health and Education for Sustainable Development: An integrative approach with focus on climate change-related human health risks and their Thematisation in school contexts. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 17(2), 200-217. https://doi.org/10.1177/09734082241238087