Polar and Climate Change Education: Citizen Science and Sustainability

This book presents ideas for strengthening the foundations for transformational change in polar and global education leadership in all stages of the education process.

Despite being an established concept endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is still not in the educational mainstream but is vital in mitigating against the intensifying impacts of global change and adapting to the shifts that have already occurred. Drawing on examples from real world projects in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Peru and Greenland, this book assesses the new educational strategies, pedagogies and technologies which have been adopted by polar educators to stimulate students’ interests in sustainability and re-orient education to global citizenship science. The experiential nature of the pedagogies shown in the case studies and educational activities builds background knowledge of cutting-edge research and empowers participants to communicate authentic research practices and show how data collection in the polar region is applicable in other parts of the globe.

Highlighting the many ways in which educators for global citizenship can have a decisive role in transforming individuals and society, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, education and Arctic studies. It will also be a valuable resource for professional educators working in ESD.

Gisele Arruda is a professor in Circumpolar Studies (energy, Arctic, climate change, environment and society). She is a member of the University of the Arctic, the U.S. Arctic Research Committee, country director of International Higher Education Teaching and Learning Association, New York (USA) and a council member of Polar Educators International. She belongs to multidisciplinary research groups in Canada, the United States, Iceland, Norway, Greenland, conducting research on Arctic governance, sea-ice retreat, sustainable energy systems, smart specialization, climate change, societal studies, corporate social responsibility and multicultural aspects of higher education.