Education for the future? Critical evaluation of education for sustainable development goals

Building on the Millennium Development Goals, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG) were established. Despite the willingness of many educational institutions worldwide to embrace the SDGs, given escalating sustainability challenges, this...

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Published in:The Journal of environmental education Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 280 - 291
Main Author: Kopnina, Helen
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Madison Routledge 03.07.2020
Taylor & Francis Inc
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Biodiversity loss
Change
Circular economy
Climate
Climate change
Conservation (Environment)
Documentaries
Ecology
Economic Development
Economic growth
Economic Progress
Economics
Education
Education for sustainable development
education for sustainable development goals
Empowerment
Environmental Education
Futures (of Society)
Indigenous Knowledge
Natural Resources
Nontraditional Education
Objectives
Resource consumption
Social interactions
Social Problems
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
sustainable development goals
Teaching Methods
Western Civilization
ISSN:0095-8964, 1940-1892
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Building on the Millennium Development Goals, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Education for Sustainable Development Goals (ESDG) were established. Despite the willingness of many educational institutions worldwide to embrace the SDGs, given escalating sustainability challenges, this article questions whether ESDG is desirable as "an education for the future". Many challenges outlined by the SDGs are supposed to be solved by "inclusive" or "sustainable" economic growth, assuming that economic growth can be conveniently decoupled from resource consumption. Yet, the current hegemony of the sustainability-through-growth paradigm has actually increased inequalities and pressure on natural resources, exacerbating biodiversity loss, climate change and resulting social tensions. With unreflective support for growth, far from challenging the status quo, the SDGs and consequently, the ESDGs, condone continuing environmental exploitation, depriving millions of species of their right to flourish, and impoverishing future generations. This article creates greater awareness of the paradoxes of sustainable development and encourages teaching for sustainability through various examples of alternative education that emphasizes planetary ethic and degrowth. The alternatives include Indigenous learning, ecopedagogy, ecocentric education, education for steady-state and circular economy, empowerment and liberation.
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ISSN:0095-8964
1940-1892
DOI:10.1080/00958964.2019.1710444