About the conference

If the widespread objective is to educate meaningfully about climate change, it is critical to acknowledge what teachers and students already know: emotions are at the heart of learning. Climate anxiety, eco-grief, frustration, but also hope and a deep desire to act are emotional responses that shape how young people and their teachers engage with the climate crisis. Yet for too long, the emotional dimensions of climate change education have remained underexplored in research. That is beginning to change.

Across research, policy, and educational practice, there is growing recognition that effective climate change education must go beyond transmitting scientific knowledge. It must attend to how learners and educators feel, cope, and find the motivation to engage. This emerging field calls for dedicated spaces where researchers can come together to share insights, challenge assumptions, and build a shared agenda.

This conference aims to provide exactly that space. Designed as a small-scale, research-oriented meeting, it will bring together researchers at different career stages, academic teacher educators, and research-informed practitioners for in-depth discussion, exchange of emerging work, and meaningful networking.

We welcome proposals for individual papers, symposia, workshops, and poster presentations. Submissions from both established and early-career researchers are encouraged, as are contributions from practitioners and policy actors whose work engages critically with research. We particularly value work that crosses disciplinary boundaries and offers fresh perspectives on how emotions can be understood, supported, and harnessed in climate change education.

Strands

Climate-change-related emotions. We welcome presentations exploring the role of climate-related emotions in teaching and learning processes, including their relationship to action competence, resilience, and pedagogical strategies.

Practices and innovation. We invite case studies and research-based analyses of innovative and evaluated approaches to climate change education, including teaching methods, intervention studies, or whole-school initiatives.

Emerging topics. Contributions may address emerging topics such as climate-related disinformation, the role of AI in climate change education, less supportive policy and institutional development, or other new developments or methodological innovations relevant to the field.

Keynote speakers

Maria Ojala

Maria Ojala is Professor of Socio‑Ecological Resilience at the University of Oulu and Associate Professor of Psychology at Örebro University. Her work explores how young people think, feel, and act in relation to global environmental challenges, especially climate change. Her research focuses on emotional and psychological dimensions of climate change, including climate anxiety, hope, coping strategies, and critical emotional awareness. She investigates how these factors can support engagement and empower young people to act without compromising their mental wellbeing. Maria is widely recognised for integrating psychological perspectives into climate change education and for her work on fostering constructive hope and resilience in the face of sustainability challenges

Mandy Singer-Brodowski

Mandy Singer-Brodowski is Professor of Education for Sustainable Development at the University of Regensburg, Germany. Her research focuses on higher education for sustainable development, transformative learning, and the role of education in societal transformation. She previously worked at the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy and at Freie Universität Berlin, where she coordinated research projects on sustainability education and higher education transformation.
Mandy studied Educational Science at the University of Erfurt and completed her PhD at Leuphana University Lüneburg, focusing on students as change agents in education for sustainable development.
Her work engages with international initiatives on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), including the UNESCO “ESD for 2030” programme, and she is actively involved in advancing transdisciplinary approaches to learning for sustainability.

https://ffgs.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/monroe-martha/

Martha Monroe

Martha Monroe is Professor Emeritus of Environmental Education at the University of Florida. Her work focuses on environmental and climate change education, conservation behaviour, and the human dimensions of environmental issues. She has extensive experience in developing and evaluating educational programmes and curriculum resources that support systems thinking and empower learners to engage with complex environmental challenges. Martha is a leading figure in environmental education research and practice, with a strong focus on public perceptions, communication, and strategies that foster engagement, hope, and pro-environmental action. She has also played an important role in international environmental education networks, including serving as President of the North American Association for Environmental Education.