Assessing the Role of Environmental Education Practices Towards the Attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of environmental education to attain the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Environmental education has an interconnection with the SDGs, that constitute 169 targets and 230 indicators. Education is addressed in SDG4; however, education has an extended role in other interconnected areas such as poverty, gender, health and inequality, natural resources, energy, and climate change and variability. This study adopted a survey method and employed a questionnaire, open-ended questions, and critical review of secondary sources. The results from this study reveal interspersed areas played by environmental education in attaining the integrated SDGs and contribute to building awareness on the momentous role of environmental education in producing sustainable pathways for the future. The international environmental education community shares a goal of focusing on environmental education to attain the SDGs. This paper recommends competent mainstreaming of environmental education practices in the school curriculum, lifelong learning settings, and in government and corporation policy frameworks to enable societies to become resilient.

1. Introduction

This paper contributes towards building awareness on the momentous role of environmental education practices in attaining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We now have less than a decade in which to achieve the goals. Environmental education has an interconnection with the SDGs set up by the United Nations [1,2]. A role for environmental education is indicated in SDG target 4.7, which states, “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles” [2] (p. 1). The above target also states human rights, gender equality, and the promotion of peace and global citizenship [2,3]. Environmental education promotes awareness, understanding, and care of the natural environment, how it relates to people and their activities and cultivating responsible behavior and just and sustainable practices. It is a conservation field that enables synergistic spaces and facilitates opportunities for societal members, scientists, and decision makers to converge in place-based priorities [4]. Earlier, Stapp and Polunin [5] asserted the following: “there should be hope in global environmental education as a basis for countering such threats as those of world hunger, acidic precipitation, increasing desertification” (p. 1). There is a need to equip people with scientific knowledge and lifelong skills to overcome the above integrated sustainability and ecological concerns asserted by Stapp and Polunin [5].

The SDGs constitute an integrated socio-ecological framework of human, social, and environmental development objectives for achieving a better future for all people by 2030. The seventeen goals address interwoven challenges: poverty, hunger, poor health and wellbeing, inequality, climate change and variability, environmental degradation, indiscriminate waste disposal, and conflict [6]. While the SDGs may have already influenced global political plans and decisions, how likely are we to attain the SDGs targets? Recently, the North American Association for Environmental Education [7] stated, “Since 2014, the GEEP has been working to build bridges among environmental education stakeholders; share effective practice; demonstrate the value and impact of environmental education as a tool for achieving the SDGs” (p. 1). To further bolster EE in achieving the SDGs, GEEP (Global Environmental Education Partnership) organized a side event at the 2021 COP 26 Summit in Glasgow, United Kingdom, to launch GEEP Africa.

African delegates shared with others the current state of environmental education in Africa and what is hoped to be achieved, and explained that the GEEP Africa’s vision will play a key role in amplifying the power of environmental education. … African youth leaders concluded the event by calling on all generations to work together to address the environmental challenges of climate change, and to empower youth to learn, participate and act on climate change.

[8] (p. 1)

Likewise, in 1992, governments agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in Rio de Janeiro, that the protection of the environment and social and economic development are principal fundamentals to sustainable development [9]. In the Anthropocene era [10], therefore, the field of environmental education has more potential to enable a reassuring sustainable future for all, including youths, junior scholars, and people living with disabilities. However, this potential does not overlook the far-reaching socio-ecological and socio-economic consequences wrought by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Russia and Ukraine war, and most recently Israel and Hamas war, which all widen existing inequalities, raise issues of environmental and intergenerational justice, and further disrupted efforts to achieve SDGs.

The integrated SDGs are accompanied by 169 targets and 230 indicators that are meant to elucidate the goals [2,11]. According to the United Nations [6], the targets are inspirational and global. Each government sets its own targets and is guided by global level ambitions that are customized to address place-based priorities and country initiatives. The goals and targets are reviewed by a set of global indicators which “will be complemented by indicators at the regional and national levels which will be developed by member states” [6] (p. 75). All 193 member states of the United Nations pledged to seek to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Therefore, the SDGs provide a global pledge and responsibility for the transformation of the world’s communities towards sustainable pathways, while addressing diverse challenges, including wicked problems, such as climate change, water and food insecurity, and biodiversity loss. For instance, the United Nations [12] reported that the increase in coronavirus cases outside China suggests a global health emergency and countries should take urgent course of action to contain the respiratory disease. Hence, environmental education as a process and “a tool for achieving the SDGs” [7] (p. 1) can enable shared knowledge and lifelong skills toward enhanced sustainable management and conservation of natural resources and strengthening of people’s livelihoods.

The goal of environmental education is to bring out responsible citizens who are knowledgeable about the ecological environment and its problems, aware of transformative strategies that can be employed to manage social and economic problems, and actively committed in working toward meeting solutions. Environmental education involves sustainable practices, through acquired environmental literacy, in decision making and the self-formulation of and change of mode of behavior and values about issues that concern the social, economic, and physical quality of the environment. Moreover, Umoh [13] wrote that environmental education as a green curriculum is pedagogy that is helping people to be “aware of and concerned about the environment and its associated problems” (p. 7). It offers knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitments to work collaboratively towards possible solutions of problems and the prevention of new ones. Essentially, Ibimilua and Amuno [14] wrote that environmental education “also aims at overcoming environmental challenges and promoting sustainable development” (p. 36). Therefore, it is imperative for research to contribute to building awareness on the role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs.

The Global Development Research Centre (an independent non-profit think tank in Japan and carries out initiatives in education, research, and practice in the areas of environment, community, and economy. Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/about/contact.html (accessed on 10 January 2025)) in Japan stated the goals for environmental education from the 1977 Tbilisi Declaration, as follows: (1) to foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political, and ecological interdependence in both urban and rural areas, (2) to provide every individual with opportunities to acquire relevant knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment, and skills needed to protect and improve environmental quality, (3) to create sustainable patterns of behavior of individuals, groups, and society as a whole towards the environment [15]. The above three goals integrate various targets (e.g., 4.1–4.7; 4.a–4.c; 5.1–5.6; 5.a–5.c; 6.1–6.2; 6.4–6.5; 7.1; and 7.b) of the SDGs that include equality (e.g., gender and reduced inequalities among nations), peace and strong institutions, and strengthened global partnerships for Sustainable Development. The 1977 Tbilisi Declaration (the world’s first intergovernmental conference on environmental education) was organized by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and held in Tbilisi (USSR) [16]. The area of ‘education’ in environmental education continues to be fundamental to achieve the seventeen SDGs. Mwendwa [17] wrote that “one of the main aspects to achieving sustainable development is through education” (p. 2), which offers the chance to individuals to develop knowledge on economic, social, and ecological matters. Furthermore, education enables the development of critical awareness and analytical skills. It enables individuals to analyze quantitative and qualitative data (mixed methodologies) and utilize the findings for contributing towards healthier and more sustainable future societies.

De Angelis [18] argued in the Foundation for Environmental Education (the world’s largest environmental education organization with members in 77 countries and empowers people to take meaningful action to help create a sustainable world. Retrieved from https://www.fee.global/ (accessed on 10 January 2025)) that education is one of the important approaches to achieve the SDGs, helping to reduce poverty by empowering people, improving nutrition through relevant knowledge and skills on proper health practices, raising environmental awareness for a more sustainable world, and promoting peaceful societies, local communities, and ethic tribes through the enhancement of tolerance to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Furthermore, Wilson and Stevenson [19] emphasized that education plays a pertinent role as a building block for peace, resilience, and sustainable development. “Educators are charged with scaling up and changing educational delivery on the ground and virtually in ways that change the conversation about sustainability and resilience” [19] (p. 17). Knowledge empowers people (including policy and decision makers, scientists, and practitioners) to take ownership of the SDGs. Consequently, this paper presents results which contribute to providing policy and decision makers, scientists, and practitioners with new insights about the momentous role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs.

There is sparse research assessing the role of environmental education in achieving the SDGs. Moreover, there are some people in the world who still do not have adequate knowledge about the SDGs. For instance, the International Association of Universities [20] reported that an international survey in higher educational institutions such as universities showed that 78% of participants who responded in the survey are experienced and knowledgeable about the SDGs, while “22% of the universities declared little to no knowledge about the SDGs” (p. 5). This is a critical knowledge gap. In the research focusing on ‘learning for Sustainable Development in Tanzania, East Africa region’, Mwendwa [17] reported that the inadequate implementation of SDGs practices and incompetent knowledge of environmental education was the prevailing challenge that was mentioned by 71% of respondents. Research also pinpointed that environmental education is an indispensable process for the SDGs [11,19]. Focusing on the West Africa region, Robinson [21] advised that to achieve sustainability, the national environmental education strategies of Nigeria need to be comprehensive and integrated. Development and environment are interwoven, and they must be harmonized in educational processes to ensure pedagogical processes produce environmentally responsible citizens. Robinson [21] wrote the following:

The present national education strategy has to be re-examined and improved with the education curriculum formulated for maximum environmental understanding and knowledge. Education for sustainability needs to entrench in our educational system, with schools and higher learning institutions as centers for developing sustainable society skills.

(p. 5)

In the article titled, Teaching Sustainable Development Goals in The Netherlands: A critical approach, Kopnina [11] wrote, “If the SDGs are to ‘inspire’ environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD), the SDGs import in relation to education needs to be assessed” (p. 1). Moreover, Pradhan et al. [22] emphasized that to implement policy, the dependencies among the SDGs in terms of synergies need to be evaluated, both across and within the SDGs. Pradhan et al. [22] suggested as well the need to assess the role played by environmental education in achieving the SDGs. The successful implementation of the SDGs is the trajectory to address sustainability challenges, enabling human well-being, economic prosperity and stability, and environmental protection. So, accordingly, the principal question that guides this paper is as follows: what is the role played by environmental education in attaining the SDGs? The subsidiary question is as follows: what challenges and opportunities exist for using environmental education to attain the SDGs? The United Nations hopes that the SDG targets and indicators will stimulate action in thematic areas of critical importance such as people, health, prosperity, planet, peace, and partnership [12]. This study takes a step toward filling the existing gap and contributes to stimulating action through assessing and unmasking the role of environmental education in SDGs. It is fuzzy to what extent environmental education contributes to the transformative changes that humanity needs to confront the intersecting polycrisis of climate emergency, heightening social and economic injustice, and health disparities.

2. Materials and Methods

This study followed a survey method [23] to assess the role of environmental education to attain the 2030 SDGs. More specifically, the study included (1) data gathered from questionnaires and open-ended questions, and (2) a comprehensive and systematic assessment of secondary sources, which included official reports (n = 19) and journal articles (n = 16). The combination of data sets (Bipartite data analysis) from separate studies enables the consolidation of results and improved (augmented) analysis on the role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs. Originally, forty-five secondary sources were shortlisted. This study followed the review of secondary sources, which were retrieved through advanced Google Scholar (GS) (https://scholar.google.com/ (accessed on 10 January 2025)) and Research Gate (RG) (https://www.researchgate.net/ (accessed on 10 January 2025)) scientific databases [24]. GS covers a wider variety of publications and enables easier access to full texts, and allows for access to multidisciplinary scholarly literature. RG is a useful complement and provides a wide range of reputational literature. The appropriate search terms entered included ‘environmental education and sustainable development goals’ and ‘environmental education and sustainability’. The search terms, entered on one occasion through purposive sampling (a non-probability technique), captured specified investigation on the role of environmental education in the SDGs. The flexible secondary sources, for assessment, were mainly published between 2012 and 2022 as demonstrated in

Table 1. Inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Inclusion Criteria	Exclusion Criteria
Published between 2012 and 2022	Conference papers
Journal articles	Preprints
Official reports	Presentations
Thesis	Posters
Book With all words “Environmental Education” and        “Sustainable Development Goals” With all words “Environmental Education” and        “Sustainability”

Source: Author’s work.

below for inclusion and exclusion criteria. Other sources outside the time range provide viable synthesis on the role of environmental education in SDGs.

Establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria for literature assessment is a significant practice when designing high-quality research [25]. In this study, inclusion criteria are key features of the target literature that the researcher employed to answer the research question. The exclusion criteria meet the inclusion criteria, but present additional features that could increase the risk of unfavorable outcomes.

The systematic search for secondary sources was largely conducted between February and November 2019 and intermittently afterwards due to continuous national lockdowns, travel restrictions, and the unavailability of internet at work-from-home places because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which indeed has “amplified issue such as environmental injustice, disaster preparation and food security” [26] (p. 1). Supremely, the motivation to engage in this paper emerged from the one-month GEEP fellowship that the author received and spent the fellowship period in Washington DC in NAAEE offices conducting research on environmental education and SDGs. The purpose of a qualitative focus, in the case of open-ended questions and the systematic review of secondary sources, is heightening through thick descriptions of the international debate on how environmental education helps attain the integrated SDGs with the hope of steering re-thinking and redesign in fostering the post-2030 Agenda, and the re-writing and re-positioning of pedagogical practices, which in this paper is the role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs. Moreover, qualitative assessment enables an in-depth view of the lived experiences of participants (for example, what did the international community have to say from their experiences?). It is more descriptive in nature [27].

This paper also critically presents results from a questionnaire, which was administered from October 2017 to April 2018 (questionnaire data in the distant past) to 379 participants (International Environmental Education Community, IEEC) to solicit reactions on ten (10) actions (in relation to the role) for environmental education. Thurstan et al. [28] advise that historical data can improve, and most importantly advance, our understanding and appreciation of past system dynamics, enabling us to assess whether contemporary systems are functioning within the historical range of variability exhibited prior to anthropogenic influences. These data, in the distant past, can provide information of temporal change in educational and socio-ecological interconnectedness and indeed “As researchers of socio-ecological practice, we subscribe to the time-honored ancient wisdom that history is a teacher of life and a guide to action” [29] (p. 1). The questionnaire was administered through the Call to Action sent from the office of Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) in Washington, DC [30]. The 10 actions (the above actions and sample of feedback from participants appeared in https://thegeep.org/get-involved/call-action/ten-actions-future (accessed on 10 January 2025)) stated in the questionnaire were as follows: (1) champion environmental education, (2) build a bigger, more inclusive field, (3) create and empower global citizens, (4) build global environmental education leadership, (5) invest in research and evaluation to improve practice, (6) connect and collaborate for change, (7) expand environmental education’s role in achieving conservation success, (8) provide universal access to environmental education and nature, (9) strengthen environmental education role in achieving the SDGs, and (10) develop a global fund for environmental education [30]. The primary purpose for the Call to Action was to determine (1) which actions should be prioritized, (2) how high priority actions can be applied in practice, and (3) whether any important actions for the future of environmental education were missing [31]. The checklist for responding to the questionnaire was as follows: (1) please select the top three actions you think are important and (2) which is the most important action for the future? In the same Call to Action, the checklist for responding to open-ended questions were (1) for your top-ranked action, list one recommendation for a next step to be taken in the future to see the action through, (2) are there any actions you think are missing? If yes, include recommendation, and (3) please provide additional comments you have for the Call to Action. The checklist supports both the researcher and participants by providing guidance and transparency in data collection [32].

Data Analysis

Data were received from IEEC participants (more information about this sample appeared in https://thegeep.org/get-involved/call-to-action (accessed on 10 January 2025) under ‘Participation’), who represented 46 countries worldwide. The regions that were represented are Africa (9 countries), Asia (7 countries), Caribbean (2 countries), Central America (1 country), Europe (14 countries), Middle East (4 countries), North America (3 countries), South America (3 countries), Oceania (2 countries), and Russia [31]. Of the responses received, 62.5% were from participants within the USA and 37.5% came from participants outside the USA (Figure 1).

The profile of participants included environmental education professionals and ecological resources experts working in formal and non-formal education systems and working with early childhood, and K-12 (K-12 system in USA refers from kindergarten to 12th grade. The system equates roughly to a school starting age of around five through to Grade 12 at around the age of 18. It has three stages: elementary school (Grades K–5), middle school (Grades 6–8), and high school (Grades 9–12). https://www.relocatemagazine.com/articles/education-k-12-curriculum-the-us-education-system (accessed on 10 January 2025)). In order to gain an extensive analytical understanding of the data, the author still engaged in a process of reading and re-reading results presented in secondary sources at length and writing down examples, concepts, categories, and identifying the themes that relate to the role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs [27]. After the participants responded to which actions they perceive as most important for the future, they were asked to respond to the open-ended question, which says: ‘For your top ranked action, list one recommendation for a next step in the future to see this action through’. Qualitative data analysis methods were used to explore responses. During this analysis, codes were applied to describe recommendations participants provided for the ten actions [33]. Each of the actions was examined individually, identifying ideas that were most prevailing and how participants associated them. Consequently, the completed analyses resulted in emergent themes and are presented as results in the subsequent sections. The first section of the results on page 8 below suggest that participants advocated predominantly universal access to environmental education, commitment and collaboration for change, and strengthening the role of environmental education in achieving the SDGs. Thereafter, the second section of the results on page 11 presents how environmental education practices, as learned from the critically reviewed secondary sources, attain the categorized SDGs, which do not follow a particular patten.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Universal Access to Environmental Education, Collaboration for Change, and Strengthening Environmental Education in SDGs

First, results from the questionnaire and open-ended questions on the Call to Action are presented [31]. Figure 2 below shows that when participants were asked to choose the top three actions they believed were most important for environmental education, they most commonly selected as follows: (1) 161 (45%) for provide universal access to environmental education and nature, (2) 141 (37%) for connect and collaborate for change, and (3) 132 (35%) for strengthen environmental education’s role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The third selected action is the primary purpose for this paper. A variety of secondary sources reviewed also reported on the just and sustainable practices of environmental education in achieving the SDGs, e.g., [10,16,17,18]. Some of the paraphrased quotes from participants (who responded to the questionnaire for the Call to Action) were as follows: (1) align our work to the SDGs, link environmental education to social initiatives, promote project-based learning in support of the SDGs, develop curricular resources linked to the SDGs, and create opportunities to help address SDGs; (2) help young people starting in primary grades about the importance of conservation and sustainability and what that means; (3) let us figure a way to link environmental education and poverty reduction through a global fund to support scholarship and leadership programs for those most vulnerable [31]. According to Skanavis and Sarri [9], inauspiciously the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development failed to address the issue of environmental education, which can lead to action in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The need for specific knowledge was never stated. Issues of knowledge, access to information, critical thinking, evaluation, assessment, even dispute and doubt, i.e., components that make citizens actively participate in the environmental decision process, were not addressed. Delegates in Johannesburg managed to decide upon the need for reaction, without mentioning environmental education.

[9] (p. 1)

The analysis of participants’ responses (Figure 2) on quantitative items suggested that five (n = 5) of the actions were consistently selected among those that participants viewed as most important. Of the ten actions, participants were consistent in prioritizing the following: (1) provide universal access to environmental education and nature, (2) connect and collaborate for change (3), strengthen environmental education’s role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, (4) build a bigger and more inclusive field, and (5) create and empower global citizens [31]. This paper suggests that those actions that were not as consistently prioritized could either be seen as redundant (e.g., ‘expand environmental education’s role in achieving conservation success’ could be subsumed within ‘strengthen environmental education’s role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals’, because the interrelated SDGs include targets around conservation success, SDGs 2, 6, 14, and 15), or could be considered supporting actions that may help to simultaneously realize other goals (e.g., ‘grow global environmental education leadership’, ‘invest in research and evaluation to improve practice’, ‘champion environmental education’, and ‘develop a global fund for environmental education’ might all be done to support the ultimate goals of ‘provide universal access to environmental education and nature’ or ‘create and empower global citizens’).

3.2. Participation, Funding, and Self-Reflexivity

Table 2. Responses to open-ended question.

Big Ideas	Examples
Broadening participation in environmental education   Participants recommended ways for environmental education to reach a wider audience	‘…Universal access should include equitable access to nature and environmental education regardless of geographic location (e.g., rural vs. urban), cognitive and physical ability, socioeconomic status, car ownership/access to public transportation, and all the other markers (e.g., race, sex, sexual orientation)’ (for provide universal access to environmental education and nature)   ‘Develop [a] national action plan to mainstream Environmental Education in both formal (school curriculum) and informal (youth and adult development) education system’ (for connect and collaborate for change)
Obtaining and allocating funds to support environmental education   Participants emphasized the need for sustainable environmental education funding and identified possible funding sources and funding priorities	‘Get sponsorships/grants/funds from both large and small businesses/corporations that champion environmental responsibility’ (for provide universal access to environmental education and nature)   ‘Impress upon governments to fund environmental education in their countries’ (for strengthen environmental education’s role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals)
Reflecting (self-reflexivity) on challenges facing the field of environmental education   Participants raised issues presenting challenges to progress in environmental education, which thefield must consider and address	‘Collectively examine assumptions and biases that form the foundation of environmental education today’ (for build a bigger and more inclusive field)   ‘I think that the issue with collaboration in the field of environmental education so far is that so often it is limited to just sharing ideas, and it stops short of action. I believe that GEEP could push collaboration forward to a new level by encouraging and evaluating environmental education practitioners on their ability to mobilize around collective impact, finding common metrics and concrete, actionable goals and timelines that can be followed’ (for connect and collaborate for change)

Source: Author’s work adapted from [31].

presents responses (some responses shared in GEEP website https://thegeep.org/learn/take-action/ten-actions-future/provide-universal-access-environmental-education-and-nature (accessed on 10 January 2025) by the Global Environmental Education Partnership Secretariat) to the open-ended question that asked as follows: for your top ranked action, list one recommendation for a next step we could take in the future to see this action through. Three big ideas and examples are highlighted as responses to the question [31].

3.3. Heightening Assessment of Environmental Education in SDGs and Forward-Thinking Agenda Towards Sustainability

Second, emerging results from reviewed secondary sources are presented to heighten assessment on just and sustainable practices of environmental education to attain the SDGs. The integrated SDGs in Figure 3 below are categorized as shown in an isosceles trapezoid list in a Smart Art graphic suggesting related information that cut across the goals [34].

The integrated SDGs above are categorized conveniently and do not follow a particular pattern [27]. The SDGs and their targets are interlinked, complement each other, and suggest cross-sectoral processes [6]. “Goals and targets can be seen as a network, in which links among goals exist through targets that explicitly refer to multiple goals” [35] (p. 177). Each goal interlinks three aspects of sustainability (economy, ecology, and society), and their integrated nature is of crucial importance in fulfilling the forward-thinking agenda towards sustainability.

3.3.1. No Poverty (SDG1), Zero Hunger (SDG2), and Quality Education (SDG4)

Environmental Education plays a role in the reduction of poverty and hunger. For instance, environmental education can help achieve SDG target 1.4, which states the following: ‘by 2030 build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations, and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters’ [6] (p. 1). Environmental Education can help achieve SDG target 2.3, which states the following:

By 2030 double the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

[6] (p. 1)

Conjointly, environmental education can attain SDG target 2.4, which says,

By 2030 ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

Food production, as stated in SDG targets 2.3 and 2.4, relies on the natural environment. Agriculture is the principal source of livelihoods, mainly for rural and remote communities in Africa [36]. The continent of Africa is vulnerable to impacts of climate change because of factors such as poverty, recurrent droughts, weak and incapacitated institutions, and reliance on rain-fed agriculture. In the description of the SDGs and linkage to Agriculture, Nhemachena et al. [36] wrote that “Growth in the agriculture sector, particularly in low-income and agrarian economies is at least twice effective in reducing hunger and poverty than from any other sector” (p. 3). Therefore, growth in agriculture can also materialize if there is access to knowledge sharing and skills that integrate components of environmental education, such as the wise use of ecological resources. According to Ito et al. [37], “environmental education through agriculture allows people to acquire knowledge on these subjects. It also teaches children the significance of agriculture in a very effective manner” (p. 191), and this suggests the role of education. Agriculture relies on ecological resources such as water, fertile soils, atmospheric gases, and forests (for ecological goods and services). According to Nhemachena et al. [36], agriculture uses about 70% of the entire water withdrawals. The utilization of water in agriculture has implications for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) that focuses on sustainable water use. For example, SDG target 6.4 states “By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity” [6] (p. 1). The predicament for sustainable agricultural production is to make sure that food production is boosted to supply a growing population that minimizes water use in the future, and this implies implementing SDG target 8.4 on global resource efficiency. Therefore, enlisting all humanity in educational workshops and equipping with knowledge and skills and strengthening synergies can contribute to the planning and design of effective local practices against food insecurity and malnutrition. Similarly, international participants for environmental education recommended ways on environmental education to reach a wider audience (as stated in Table 2). Reiteratively, they (45%) stated that universal access should include equitable access to nature and environmental education regardless of geographic location, rural versus urban area, cognitive, and physical disability, and socio-economic status [31]. The rate of poverty can decrease when local people have access to quality education including just and sustainable practices in environmental education. Quality environmental education strategies enable local people to develop appropriate values and skills such as resilience thinking and effective communication, critical analysis, and research skills from their surroundings. These skills can enable local people to gain confidence and engage in backyard gardening, and livestock and crop farming. This contribution also promotes participation in SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production patterns. Local people and students can then apply place-based ecological knowledge through their local and any indigenous experiences. It is this knowledge that can be used for strengthening sustainable patterns of consumption and food production.

Umoh [13] investigated the impact of environmental education strategies on poverty reduction in Africa using cross-national data. He suggested that environmental hazards that result from environmental change and degradation reduce the productivity of land and deprive people of biological resources that are important and meant to sustain livelihoods. According to Umoh [13], ‘Environmental Education and environmental awareness enhance socio-economic development and dismantle some impediments to developmental process’ (p. 6). Environmental education encourages the commitment and responsibility of individuals and diverse communities to explore solutions in environmental problems and prevent future degradation. Palmberg and Kuru [38] compared pupils in Finland who were experienced and skilled in outdoor activities with pupils who were not experienced and skilled. They found that pupils with experience in outdoor activities have empathic relationships to the natural environment and exhibit better social behavior and higher moral judgment. This finding also relates to SDG3 on healthy lives and attaining wellbeing for all at all ages and it also relates to SDG target 4.7 on ensuring all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development [6]. Bharadwaj [39] wrote about the relationship between poverty and the environment in an online blog of Voices of Youth and argued that two factors contributing to poverty are lack of education and misguided implementation of poverty eradication policies at the local level. ‘Due to lack of sufficient resources and improper knowledge poverty-stricken people tend to overuse every resource available to them when their survival is at stake’ [39] (p. 1). However, Bharadwaj [39] contend that poor people are the most undefended ones during environmental pollution and climate change effects.

Poverty causes people to exert pressure on environmental resources, which leads to families generating waste disposal causing unhealthy living spaces, pressure on fragile land to meet daily needs, and the overuse of ecological resources. Similar to studies such as Khapayi and Celliers [40], Bharadwaj [39] suggested that insufficient knowledge and skills about agricultural practices can lead to a decline in crop yield and productivity. On the other hand, environmental problems contribute to afflictions of poor and needy people due to the impact of floods and other environmental catastrophes. Land degradation has the potential to cause a decline in food production. Indeed, access to knowledge sharing and skills can lead to a reduction in poverty and hunger, and advance satisfying health and wellbeing.

3.3.2. Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3), Gender Equality (SDG 5), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10)

In the midst of socio-economic impacts due to health-related influences (such as COVID-19) environmental education creates opportunities for individuals to focus on issues that affect their health and wellbeing, knowledge generation and the global community. The World Health Organization (WHO) made an announcement recently that COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency of global concern, but the risk of new variants remains [41]. As of 15 December 2024, there were 777,074,803 reported cases of COVID-19 and 7,079,142 deaths globally [41]. Environmental education can play a role in health through outdoor activities such as nature walks and rock climbing to enhance human health [38,42]. Barton et al. [42] concluded that “Walking in greenspaces also seems to be a more sustainable option, as the primary reward is enhanced emotional well-being through both exposure to nature and participation in exercise” (p. 275). Similarly, when writing for the Socio-Ecological Practice Research journal, Douglas et al. [26] stated, “For urban ecologists, the opportunity now exists to re-emphasize the value of nature in the city and to build on the apparent increase in community use of, and concern for, urban green spaces” (p. 99). As recommended by participants during the survey, the above role of education relates to citizen science practice through which learners in schools learn about their local biodiversity at the global context and their role in enabling transition in sustaining life on earth. Consequently, environmental education can achieve SDG target 3.9 which states ‘by 2030 substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination’ [6] (p. 1). The focus of research in areas such as pollution, smoking, and traffic congestion can trigger the awareness of good health and wellbeing [43]. Therefore, in order to attain health equity there is need for action on social and economic determinants of health. Social and economic determinants of health include income, food, nutrition, education and lifelong learning, water and sanitation, decent work, and fair employment. There is interlinkage between the SDGs and the social determinants of health. Environmental education serves as a process where participants of both gender (male and female) and age work together without discrimination. In this approach of inclusivity, all participants’ viewpoints are embraced. Furthermore, environmental education enables teamwork, social responsibility, and cultural understanding, which can reduce inequalities between individuals and communities. Environmental education can help achieve SDG target 4.7 which focuses on ensuring all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development [6].

3.3.3. Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7) and Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)

The role of clean energy in sustainable economic development has gained traction at workplaces and among policy and decision makers. In fulfilling the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, it is important to recognize that the role of clean energy cannot be underestimated. Energy (e.g., electricity) plays a role in enabling food security and better and higher quality nutrition. Food prices are affected by fluctuations in energy prices. It is critical that food production reduces reliance on fossil fuels to achieve resource efficiency. Consequently, food producers would be reducing their ecological footprint by applying appropriate environmental knowledge and skills. In schools and local places, learners and community members can also focus assessments on issues that relate to biogas, wastewater, sanitation, and clean water. Therefore, it is through these just and sustainable small-scale assessments and environmental education that various stakeholders contribute to information on sustainable use of water, local sanitation in both urban and rural areas, and protection of ecosystems. As such, environmental education has relevant links to SDG7 on affordable and clean energy. Teachers, students, and residents can focus on renewable energy, clean energy technologies, and energy efficiency. According to the Foundation for Environmental Education [43], these foci can be investigated in schools and the home. The emerging recommendations can contribute to improving the local curriculum. Environmental Education can help achieve SDG target 6.1, which state: ‘by 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally’ [6] (p. 1). Furthermore, environmental education can help achieve SDG target 7.a, which states ‘by 2030 enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technologies, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and advanced and cleaner fossil fuel technologies, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies’ [6] (p. 1). The above research directions can benefit socio-ecological initiatives toward sustaining ecosystems and promoting positive transformation in communities.

3.3.4. Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)

Nhemachena et al. [36] reported that a third (about 33.3%) of the food that is produced annually in the world is wasted. Food production systems should be transformed to attain sustainable production while minimizing ecological footprints such as the loss of fertile soils and greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., CO_2, CH₄, N₂O, and HFCs). Consumers need to be well informed about environmental implications so that consumption patterns can transit to nutritious and healthier diets that have a minimized ecological footprint on the natural environment. This transit can contribute into enabling SDG3 on good health and wellbeing. Environmental education is linked to sustainable cities and communities. People can learn about their local landscapes and investigate areas such as wastewater management, composting, the three Rs of Recycling, Reuse, and Reduce, and backyard gardening practices, including upcycling initiatives. This is also an approach to enabling citizen science in waste management. In this case, environmental education enables people to be more aware and knowledgeable of their impact on the natural environment. Moreover, students can assess issues about clean water and soil fertility. The reported findings from assessments enable contribution to local curriculum practices through mainstreaming. The above process leads to responsible consumption and production. The increase in unprecedented production triggers unsustainable outcomes. For example, Kopnina [11] wrote the following: ‘The Dutch context provides a background of a country where sustainability challenges increase simultaneously with economic growth and where the level of environmental awareness and manifestation of ecological modernization is highly questionable given the present level of consumption’ (p. 2). Therefore, environmental education can help achieve SDG target 11.6, which states ‘by 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality, municipal and other waste management’ [6] (p. 1). Environmental education, which also plays a role in climate action, can help achieve SDG target 12.5, which says, ‘by 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse’ [6] (p. 1). This review of secondary sources contributes to illuminating the research question of this study on the role of education (mainly environmental education practices) in attaining the SDGs.

3.3.5. Climate Action (SDG13), Life Below Water (SDG14), and Life on Land (15)

Climate change and variability poses threats to agricultural production systems. Investments by farmers in agriculture can support both climate change adaptation and mitigation and simultaneously improve livelihoods of people that rely on agriculture. Fish in diets enables an important and necessary source of protein to many people, but overfishing and the sustainability of fisheries remains important to consider, for example in illustrious African wetlands such as the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Florida Keys in USA. The sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems is essential to ensure sustainable fisheries. It is essential to promote and boost aquaculture intensification in an environmentally and socially acceptable practice to meet the growing demand for nutritious and healthier food. Necessary knowledge and skills are essential in order to ensure the sustainable use of oceanic resources. Forest resources contribute to biodiversity and livelihood sources (e.g., providing food, medicine, timber, and energy) for more than a billion people internationally. Forests contribute to carbon sequestration and pollination. They enable educational, aesthetic inspiration, recreation, and ecotourism services while supporting soil formation and nutrient cycling [44]. Mountains provide an essential source of water for more than half of humankind. For example, the highlands of Lesotho (e.g., Drankesberg mountain ranges), Kenya (e.g., Mount Kenya), and Tanzania (e.g., Mount Kilimanjaro) in Africa provide water from the melting ice caps. Indeed, the degradation of ecological resources threatens sustainability of agricultural and ecological systems. Nhemachena et al. [36] reported that a third of farmland is degraded and infertile, at least 75% of crop genetic diversity has been lost, and 22% of animal breeds are at risk. It is essential to sustainably access and use terrestrial ecosystems, forests, mountains, land and soils, and biodiversity for the sustainability of life below water and on land.

Environmental education is connected to the goals of Climate action, and Life below water and on land. Students and local communities can assess the burning of waste, carbon dioxide emissions, and marine-related issues, water pollution (e.g., Chobe River in Botswana), and sustainable practices of ensuring clear marine life. Similarly, they can assess deforestation, land use and change, and tree planting. Baker [45] stated the following: ‘It is no secret that Earth is facing a massive environmental crisis. Changes to the environment have resulted in climate change that has affected weather across the world’ (p. 1). Pollution can make children sick due to smog that envelops rural and urban landscapes. Climate change hits hardest and severely in the developing world, where it kills 8.4 million people a year, which is more than HIV/AIDs and malaria kill [45]. Many people in developing countries still use traditional energy sources such as wood and coal instead of cleaner energy sources. Environmental education enables sustainable approaches and solutions to climate change.

Climate change can be a complex concept to understand, and it can be the case that people, who are affected, are more likely to perceive it as a threat when they are directly experiencing its impacts. According to Baker [45], in Malawi, a country in southern Africa, the local language does not have a word for the phenomenon (climate change). Therefore, one way to combat climate change through education (for example place-based education) would be to explain the forces that are behind temperature changes that people sense in order to make them understand the issue on a universal scale. Access to knowledge can have an impact on a variety of decisions that individuals make. Baker [45] suggests in an online blog that environmental education is an agent of change in the developing world. Environmental education can equip a person with the knowledge, skills, and acceptable behavior that is needed in order to enforce climate change mitigation and adaptation. Environmental education can enable individuals and local communities to make informed decisions and plans, and take action for climate-resilient sustainable development. According to Baker [45], the education of women and girls on issues related to climate change is important. Baker [45] suggests that when women are educated, they and their families are less likely to be vulnerable to death or injury during incidents of climate-related disasters.

Environmental Education can help achieve SDG targets 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, and 13.6 including all targets of SDG 14 and 15. These targets focus on strengthening and reinforcing resilience thinking and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and risks; integrating climate change measures in national policies; and elevating education, awareness raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation and adaptation. SDG 14 focuses on conservation and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development, while SDG 15 focuses on protection, restoration, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests, combating desertification, and halting and reversing land degradation and halting biodiversity loss.

3.3.6. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG16) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG17)

Environmental education plays a role in SDG 16 and 17. There is the promotion of peaceful and collaborative societies and communities when participants aim toward effective communication, teamwork, and social responsibility. Environmental education encourages people in schools, communities, and nations to convene and engage in working on partnership projects. For example, in 2020, the Kinki University Fukuoka Campus in Japan collaborated with five high schools in Fukuoka prefecture (Prefecture is one of basic local entities of Japan. It is a governmental body of Japan that is larger than a city, town, and village. Retrieved from https://Simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefectures_of_Japan (accessed on 10 January 2025)), to coordinate a project called the Science Partnership Project (SPP) that involved engaging students in the sustainable use of marine resources in the Hakata Bay. The students came from diverse secondary schools: Kaisei high school, Kurate high school, Hakuryo high school, Tagawa high school, and Tokaidai Daigo high school [46]. This initiative can help achieve SDG targets 16.7 and 16.8 about inclusive and representative decision making and strengthen participation in global governance and strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). During the partnership initiative, scientific experiments were made on how to adequately use Ulva (an alga that has overgrown and results in green tide around the world). Kanno et al. [46] wrote, “We describe a partnership between a university and five secondary schools for the purposes of environmental education as part of communication, education, and public awareness of biodiversity” (p. 2). Kanno et al. [46] stated that in order to make students aware of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the booklet of the Secretariat of the CBD (SCBD) was used as an introductory textbook for the project and the participating students presented their results, with the purpose of sharing ideas and knowledge, at the 10th interactive conference of the party to the convention on biological diversity. Equivalently, in this study, international environmental education participants gave recommendations when responding to the open-ended question: ‘Collectively examine assumptions and biases that form the foundation of environmental education today’. Furthermore, one of the participants said

The issue with collaboration in the field of environmental education so far is that so often it is limited to just sharing ideas, and it stops short of action…GEEP could push collaboration forward to a new level by encouraging and evaluating environmental education practitioners on their ability to mobilize around collective impact, finding common metrics and concrete, actionable goals and timelines that can be followed.

Partnerships strengthen the exchange of ideas and knowledge and build continuous relations. Bharadwaj [39] stated that more stringent efforts (for example, place-based efforts through a bottom-up approach) should be undertaken by governments to eradicate poverty and, in turn, to save disadvantaged (and marginalized) people from the dreadful implications of environmental damage.

Education plays an important role in the sustainability of biodiversity. Currently, in Japan, many institutes and groups are focusing on environmental education. Various people from various fields and positions are engaging in environmental education with creative approaches. Different groups with different backgrounds, including school teachers, research institutions, government administrations, non-profit organisations, companies, and at times conglomerates, are working together to ensure sustainable development.

[46] (p. 2)

Kanno et al. [46] acknowledged that environmental education at Hakata Bay is a good opportunity and engagement for diverse students to learn about ecosystem services and the sustainable use of sea resources. The collaborative science partnership project in Japan shows the role of environmental education in attaining the SDGs. For example, the advanced and state-of-the-art sustainability science they were exposed to and participated in for the chemical utilization of Ulva was essential for learning about bio-resources and ecosystems.

Students discussed these experiments and prepared their own reports on computers at university. This was a unique opportunity for students to discuss both conservation and development. The students were able to share their ideas, for instance, 3 students proposed making plastic bags from Ulva, because the waxy layer and strength of Ulva is similar to that of a plastic bag. Students also were able to increase public awareness through presentation at the CBD-COP10 interactive fair for biodiversity and by sharing their newly acquired knowledge about the project at each high school.

[46] (p. 2)

Therefore, environmental education can help achieve SDG targets 17.9 and 17.16 which state the following, respectively, ‘Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all sustainable development goals, including through North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation’ and ‘Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources to support the achievement of sustainable development goals in all countries’.

3.3.7. Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8) and Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

Environmental education plays a role in attaining SDG target 8.4 by improving global resource efficiency in consumption and production [47]. For instance, Resource Efficient Scotland [48] reported that in 2008 a biomass boiler was installed in Speyside High School in Scotland and led to “annual savings of £55,000 on the fuel alone, with a further £50,000 of forecast annual savings through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) payments” (p. 13). Resource Efficient Scotland [48] reported a reduction in CO₂ emissions of 96% through the substitution of biomass for oil. The above sustainable implementation confirms what Kopnina [49] state that environmental education endeavors to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation. The connection between the economy and natural resource use and the necessity to decouple economic development and quality of life from resource use are shown in SDG 8, which requires countries to enhance the resource efficiency of production and consumption. Resource efficiency is about improving economic operation and minimizing pressure on natural resources through efficient utilization, reducing environmental impact from consumption and production. Relatedly, environmental education creates employment and training opportunities for youth (SDG target 8.6). Undeniably, sustainable tourism is also boosted by environmental education through creating employment opportunities and promoting culture heritage. Moreover, in a study titled Technological Innovation and Environmental Quality—Formulating the SDGs for the Next 11 Economies, Sinha et al. [50] concluded that environmental awareness should be created through transformations and re-design in educational curriculum, along with encouraging innovation such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Consequently, countries can create employment opportunities, which will in turn improve the livelihoods of citizens. In relation to the above SDG 8 targets, environmental education has a role to play in attaining SDG target 9.4 on the adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies [50] and target 9.5 on enhancing scientific research and upgrading technological capabilities of industries. The above interspersed insights from the international environmental education community and reviewed secondary sources critically highlight areas played by environmental education in attaining the SDGs. Environmental education creates opportunities to facilitate and support systemic changes and prioritize engagement in transformation of social change toward more just systems and desired futures locally, regionally, and internationally. Furthermore, the insights contribute to encouraging individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to help promote good lifestyles and healthier behaviors through environmental education practices.

4. Conclusions

This paper assessed the role of environmental education practices in attaining the 2030 SDGs. It also explored the challenges and opportunities that exist for using environmental education to attain the SDGs. This paper presented results from a questionnaire and open-ended questions administered to international participants in the field of environmental education. Results also emerged from reviewed secondary sources. The results indicate that environmental education can play a critical role in attaining integrated SDG targets through just and sustainable practices. When asked to select the top three important actions through the GEEP’s Call to Action, participants from the international community also selected “strengthen environmental education’s role in achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.” From their lived experiences and histories, participants were more concerned about placing focus on environmental education. Hence, other actions selected include (1) providing universal access to environmental education and nature and (2) building a bigger and more inclusive field [31]. Although this research shows some shortcomings, the results point to the synthesis and combination of SDGs for successful simultaneous implementation. Integrative collective actions are pertinent between countries, sectors, and disciplines. Therefore, environmental education plays a role as well in achieving SDG16 and SDG17 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development and enabling access to justice for all and building effective, liable, and inclusive institutions at all levels, and strengthening the means of implementation, restoring and reinvigorating the global partnership for sustainable development [6]. This paper recommends the effective mainstreaming of environmental education practices in school curricular (including lifelong engagement) and in government and cooperations’ policy frameworks in order to promote eco-friendly practices. Lifelong engagement is important because the scientific and social conditions around environmental and sustainability issues are transformational, requiring continued critical and forward-thinking, and transformative decision making. Continued professional training allows for making informed decisions, prioritizing healthier behaviors, supporting disadvantaged groups, and making sustainable consumption choices for the post-2030 Agenda. This can contribute to building further awareness among the international community about the role of environmental education in the SDGs and consequently closing the research gap through infusing SDGs in early childhood programs as suggested by participants. The above integration links with the big idea from international participants who suggested broadening participation in environmental education. It is essential for environmental education practitioners to emphasize actionable and tangible goals for environmental education towards building back and forward a better world through just and sustainable practices. This paper also recommends that future research employing secondary sources should expand Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus indexes (offering broad subject-centered coverage on refereed content) to access secondary sources in addition to Google Scholar and Research Gate for a holistic assessment of environmental education practices in achieving the 2030 SDGs.