This paper aims to examine how global English Language Teaching (ELT) textbooks represent environmental issues and sustainability through dominant discursive structures. It investigates the extent to which ecological perspectives are included or marginalized in these materials and explores how these discourses shape learners’ environmental awareness. The purpose is also to develop a practical, research-informed framework – Climate-Resilient English Language Teaching (CRELT) – to support language educators in integrating sustainability principles into pedagogy, language content and assessment, thus aligning ELT practices with global efforts such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
The study uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine 22 globally distributed ELT textbooks published between 2015 and 2023. Drawing on Fairclough’s three-dimensional framework, the analysis identifies discursive patterns related to environmental themes, consumerism and sustainability. Textbook content was systematically coded to assess the presence and quality of ecological narratives. Coding examples were integrated into the analysis to demonstrate transparency and interpretive grounding. The paper also introduces a pedagogical model – CRELT – to guide sustainable and critical language teaching based on the findings.
The analysis revealed a dominant presence of consumerist discourse and a marginalization of ecological themes across the 22 ELT textbooks. Only 12% of sampled content directly addressed environmental issues, often in superficial or depoliticized ways. The textbooks failed to promote critical ecological consciousness, instead reinforcing unsustainable ideologies. These discursive trends limit opportunities for learners to engage with environmental responsibility. The study also identified patterns of omission and silencing regarding climate justice and sustainability, underscoring the need for pedagogical frameworks – such as CRELT – that embed critical and ecological awareness within ELT practice.
This study is limited by its exclusive focus on textbook discourse and does not account for how these materials are used in diverse classroom contexts. While the CDA approach reveals dominant ideological patterns, it does not capture learner interpretation or teacher mediation. Future research should explore classroom-based implementations of CRELT, comparative analyses of national versus global ELT materials and longitudinal studies of ecological language awareness in learners. Expanding the data sources and incorporating multimodal or ethnographic methods could deepen understanding of ELT’s role in climate resilience education.
This study offers a practical framework – CRELT – to support educators in integrating sustainability into language teaching. By highlighting the lack of ecological discourses and the dominance of consumerist narratives in ELT materials, the research encourages curriculum developers, teachers and policymakers to critically evaluate textbook content and adopt eco-conscious pedagogical practices. The CRELT model provides clear strategies for embedding environmental awareness into teaching goals, classroom discourse and assessment design, aligning ELT with the UN SDGs and promoting a more transformative, socially responsible form of language education.
By exposing how dominant ELT materials often obscure ecological issues, this study contributes to raising public awareness about the cultural and ideological role of education in shaping environmental consciousness. The proposed CRELT model empowers educators and institutions to foster more critical, sustainability-oriented learners. Its adoption could influence educational policy, encourage eco-literacy in schools and contribute to long-term behavioral shifts in environmental responsibility. Ultimately, this research supports broader societal efforts to align education with climate justice and sustainable development, improving collective responses to the climate crisis and enhancing global quality of life.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is among the first to critically examine global ELT textbooks through the lens of climate discourse, using CDA to reveal the lack of ecological content and dominant consumerist ideologies. Its primary contribution lies in the development of the CRELT model, offering a concrete pedagogical framework for integrating sustainability into language education. The study is valuable to ELT practitioners, curriculum developers, policymakers and researchers interested in aligning education with global sustainability goals and fostering environmentally responsible learners.
