One of the crucial roles of universities is to encourage students to learn about climate change issues and put strategies into practice to enhance climate literacy. Despite the urgency of the situation, implementing climate change education in universities has not yet achieved the required success. This study aims to examine the significance of climate literacy activities and sustainability practices for students on campus to support them in transferring their knowledge into action.
This research involved a case study from the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, in the United Kingdom, which serves to investigate inner educational transitions that efficiently embed climate literacy activities into the curricula. Data collection was designed around semi-structured qualitative interviews, including postgraduate students and staff, to develop a list of recommendations for universities to strengthen their students’ climate literacy.
The findings illustrate that students still face challenges translating their understanding of climate change science into action. Climate literacy should extend beyond basic knowledge about climate science to building students’ skills via activities that will support them in making sound decisions in adapting to climate change concerns and empower them to create concrete action.
This paper has identified the university’s significant role in developing a teaching and learning strategy to legitimise climate literacy activities in the curriculum and provide a resource bank of quality teaching materials to effectively deliver sustainability and climate literacy in all provisions. The paper’s recommendations are not only beneficial for universities at an institutional level but also for the individual stakeholders involved, including students and staff.
1. Introduction
The Paris Agreement encourages countries to improve climate change education, offering professional training in climate literacy for students at universities, increasing individual awareness and motivating public involvement to access climate change information and scientific knowledge (Horowitz, 2016). In addition, the Paris Agreement calls for the development of new educational programmes and initiatives in various fields. This would allow future generations to have a deeper understanding of environmental sustainability and climate change crises and therefore become equipped to offer innovative solutions for alleviating climate change issues (Molthan-Hill et al., 2019; Mochizuki and Bryan, 2015). Several UK institutions have made crucial initial steps in the right direction, but many challenges remain, and universities need to actively implement different approaches to enhance climate literacy (Mihaela et al., 2021; Leal Filho et al., 2021).
Shafer (2008) stated that climate literacy recognises the scientific knowledge of climate science and how having a clear understanding of climate change consequences influences people’s behaviour and attitude to accelerate significant action for climate change. Therefore, one key approach to fostering social adaptation to climate change is the knowledge, experiences and practices of university students in promoting climate action (GP, 2009; Yeh et al., 2024). Thus, universities should invest in practical activities and training that interactively develop students’ understanding of climate change and build their climate emergency literacy skills to respond to climate change risks (Knussen and Yule, 2008).
An integrated approach to climate literacy requires aligning educational frameworks with internationally recognised standards (Kumar et al., 2025). For instance, the principles of ISO 9000 emphasise the importance of structured processes, continuous improvement (Muleya et al., 2025), and a systematic approach to quality management. Embedding these principles into climate literacy frameworks could enhance the coherence and effectiveness of climate change education by ensuring that the initiatives are systematically implemented, assessed and improved over time (Taufek, 2025). By applying the ISO 9000 PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, universities can focus on continuous improvement and innovation. This method helps create a more engaging and dynamic learning environment for both students and educators, moving beyond the limitations of traditional teaching approaches (Orihuela-Gallardo, 2025; Kayyali, 2025). Gough (2016) mentioned that “Despite efforts over the past 40 plus years, environmental sustainability is still on the margins of the curriculum in most countries”. Therefore, the universities should use their cultural and social strength to enhance climate literacy and embed climate change topics in curricula (Leal Filho et al., 2021). The significant goals of the higher education institutions are typically stated in their vision and mission, such as advancing knowledge, strengthening society, furthering the future for the next generation and fostering the capacity to promote proper decisions. The sustainability activities are not limited to classes and labs for achieving these objectives must extend beyond the confines of the universities or colleges campuses to the larger communities (Serafini et al., 2022).
Climate literacy has not effectively developed in institutions despite increased efforts in the last decade to embed climate change topics into curricula across disciplines and communication channels (Anderson, 2012; Leal Filho et al., 2021). The most significant limitations to enhancing climate literacy at universities are the lack of capacity to make substantial changes and the lack of specialised frameworks, resources, and strategies to put climate action plans into practice (Molthan-Hill et al., 2022). Therefore, universities must implement new methods to empower students to participate in climate change activities and provide professional practical training in climate literacy to enable students to make informed decisions to improve their quality of life (Cooper et al., 2019; Arto-Blanco et al., 2017). Masson-Delmotte et al. (2021) stated that it is essential to link information and scientific knowledge of climate change with social and economic factors. This perspective is similar to that of Hempel (2014), who believes that climate literacy should incorporate various disciplines to encourage all students to take action against climate change via activities and promoting sustainability initiatives. Hempel (2014) mentioned that “experiential learning, the knowledge of personal and social responsibility and understanding of the roles of governance and effective communication in climate action” are keys to “moving from knowledge into action”.
The current study aims to achieve an in-depth understanding of climate literacy and the university’s mission and action to successfully prepare students to take action and leadership roles in climate change adaptation and implement mitigation measures to enhance climate literacy in the future (Reimers, 2021; Cordero et al., 2020). Klapp and Bouvier-Brown (2021) emphasise that the awareness of developing strategies and approaches to understand climate change science for university students is no longer debateable; Neenan (2021) stated that it is yet to be widely used and documented in academic literature. Three objectives were formulated to achieve this aim; OBJ1; Critically review the significance of promoting climate literacy among students in universities. OBJ2; Examine the importance of students’ activities to combat climate change in university in improving their climate literacy. OBJ3; Develop a list of recommendations for universities to improve the climate literacy of their students.
Rousell and Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles (2020) stated that literature reviews fail to discuss methods to effectively integrate climate literacy with activities to help students transfer their knowledge into practice to take action in the fight against climate change. Thus, this study utilises an abductive approach to move back and forth relative to existing academic literature regarding the importance of developing climate literacy in universities. Additionally, this study critically reviews the role of the universities to identify the best strategies to effectively build learning networks and teaching frameworks to overcome climate literacy limitations. The steps specified by Spens and Kovács (2006) are followed in this study. The abductive approach is conducted: first, a review of existing academic literature is conducted, second, real-life observations are made (primary data collection), and third, propositions are suggested based on the existing academic literature and real-life observations. The qualitative approach is considered suitable. It allows an in-depth investigation of the significance of enhancing climate literacy to identify the universities’ roles in taking significant steps to create climate literate students for a resilient future.
2. Literature review
The significance of enhancing climate literacy at universities should go beyond enriching students’ knowledge and understanding of the fundamental concepts of climate change and earth science (McCowan et al., 2021; Hempel, 2014). Thus, universities have the potential to play a significant role in promoting climate literacy by providing practical methods to solve the climate change problems that our globe faces today (Fantauzzi et al., 2021). For instance, it is essential to comprehend the various approaches implemented by institutions to develop new strategies and innovative frameworks to address climate change (Bilodeau et al., 2014; Barreda, 2018). Although there is an increasing body of work and progress in embedding sustainability and climate change topics into curricula at universities, many challenges remain in fostering climate literacy for students (McCowan et al., 2021). Thus, there is an urgent need to more comprehensively analyse the many types of impacts that institutions have on the environment and society. Examples include sharing knowledge about climate change, student participation in sustainability initiatives, delivery of relevant services, student awareness of the climate crisis and sustainability activities on campus. Hence, various educational initiatives for climate change have been launched in the last few decades to enhance climate literacy and build resilience to combat climate change. For instance, the carbon literacy project at “Manchester University” managed by the “Community Interest Company Cooler Projects”, and Living Lab techniques are significant initiatives that have been implemented to improve innovative research, student participation, and active learning (Molthan-Hill et al., 2022). This type of initiative has significant benefits for students, empowering them to gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of the consequences of climate change and providing them with the skills needed to make a substantial change in developing climate literacy (Helferty and Clarke, 2009).
2.1 The need for new strategies for enhancing climate literacy
Developing climate literacy requires partnership and cooperation to create capable and skilled teachers who are comfortable covering complex climate change topics and conducting sustainability activities for students. Therefore, implementing new approaches, enhancing innovative climate change frameworks, and implementing climate literacy projects in institutions will facilitate the development of practical skills in adapting to climate change consequences (Reimers, 2021; Diaconescu, 2024; Reimers, 2024). Institutions must enhance climate literacy by improving the action competence learning process. This involves encouraging students to engage in long-term active learning and sustainability activities interconnected across different disciplines in universities. Thus, students will be capable of linking numerous complex scientific concepts of environmental and climate knowledge to take action to address ecological challenges (Bybee, 2008; Shepardson et al., 2011; Afrin and Saha, 2024). Implementing new strategies in learning and teaching about climate change will improve students’ behaviour in implementing the climate change knowledge outcomes. This, in turn, will facilitate students to make sound decisions and create a positive vision of the future, empowering them to take action both now and in the future (Duan and Fortner, 2005).Thus, institutions should implement sustainability principles into their practices, frameworks, policies and climate change resources to achieve the significant change of reaching low or zero carbon institutions (Lukman and Glavič, 2007).
Educational climate change strategies and approaches that seek only to encourage “analytical thinking” without any connections to potential solutions to climate change challenges cannot be considered adequate and effective (Vaughter, 2016). Thus, higher education institutions need to explore alternative techniques because depending only on students’ knowledge often results in a cognitive gap. In such a situation, students will have a higher level of conceptual understanding of climate change and potential solutions (learning to understand), but limited skills and abilities to implement these solutions into action (learning to do and act via activities) (Ahmadian F.F et al., 2017). Enhancing climate literacy at universities should not only go beyond preparing only students to understand climate consequences but also encompass practical training for teachers to boost their confidence in teaching climate change topics. This will afford them a solid understanding to teach and develop new learning styles to encourage students to develop their vision (creative thinking) and evaluate new ideas to make a significant change in enhancing climate literacy (Leal Filho et al., 2021; McCowan et al., 2021).
2.2 Limitations and obstacles of climate literacy
Recent decades have seen increased attention on how climate literacy is achieved since it has become a significant phenomenon. However, climate literacy has been dubbed “incomplete” and “limited” by recent studies because it fails to improve effective networking, students’ participation in climate change activities, implementation of sustainability strategies in action and sufficient knowledge and experience among students and teachers (Aguaded, 2011; Lehtonen and Cantell, 2015). Furthermore, the major challenge for teachers is that the subject matter is so complicated and ambiguous that they are considerably aware of their own lack of knowledge and understanding of climate change information and various misconceptions (Ratinen, 2016). Minimising the cognitive gap between climate change knowledge and student engagement in climate literacy activities and training is more challenging without extensive efforts from institutions (Cooper et al., 2019). Thus, understanding only fundamental concepts of climate change science may not always lead to socially and ecologically informed decisions to achieve significant progress in climate literacy (Schreiner et al., 2005).
The main obstacles facing universities today are financial, logistical, technical, and political, including “no specific climate change and sustainable development budgets, unsuitable materials in climate change education, inadequate space and poor infrastructures for climate change activities and initiatives” (McCowan et al., 2021). Leal Filho et al. (2021) mentioned that not all higher education institutions are fully equipped to improve climate literacy, which requires extensive efforts from universities and the government to promote sustainable campuses and develop students’ understanding of climate change. Thus, climate literacy activities, curriculum design, climate change courses, and training in sustainability throughout the range of academic fields are significant areas that must be enhanced in the future.
2.3 Significance of training teachers in climate literacy education
Universities should enhance climate literacy by providing professional climate literacy training for teachers and developing appropriate curricula that include sustainability and climate change science for all disciplines. This will boost their confidence and enthusiasm for teaching climate change science topics and complex concepts in sustainability (Ennes et al., 2021). Offering the training to teachers could enrich their experience and prepare them with sufficient knowledge to confront climate change misunderstandings and enhance their teaching methods (Drewes et al., 2018; Plutzer et al., 2016). Implementing innovative teaching and learning styles by investing time and financial resources for teachers will enhance new visions of various opportunities in teaching students confidently and encourage students to understand climate change topics and engage in sustainability activities on campus (Hestness et al., 2014). Therefore, teachers should be familiar with climate science topics, aware of various teaching styles and willing to implement new strategies in teaching, such as transformative learning and engagement for climate action (Kubisch et al., 2022). This will encourage students to develop their skills and competencies for effective transformative participation in enhancing climate literacy. Dupigny‐Giroux (2010) proposed the significance of promoting transformative learning and engagement for climate action by implementing climate literacy initiatives, work-based learning, and sustainability activities. Such strategies will support professional visions, intellectual development, and the generation of new ideas for students to overcome the lack of motivation and misconceptions that come with learning climate science through traditional learning styles. Thus, universities should take significant steps towards a whole institution’s innovative approach by including the concepts of experiential learning, reflective thinking, and the development of practical skills, while promoting knowledge exchange between students and teachers to effectively implement climate literacy initiatives and sustainability projects on campus. The experiential learning approach related to climate change effectively connected educational content with practical and relatable real-world contexts (El-Sabagh, 2021; Kim, 2024). It empowered students to comprehend, reflect upon and advocate for environmental stewardship, fostering a deeper connection to climate change issues in their communities and beyond (Kim, 2024). The results demonstrated that the experimental group performed statistically significantly better than the control group (El-Sabagh, 2021).
3. Research approach
A qualitative approach was selected for this research to get a depth understanding of a study topic rather than anticipated results, as is the case with positivist research (Denzin and Lincoln, 2011). This approach aims to increase knowledge by gaining a better grasp of people’s knowledge and the values they attribute to those perspectives (Creswell, 2014). Generally, qualitative research assists in answering the key questions by analysing the main factors, causes and consequences that impact people’s attitudes and experiences(Denzin and Lincoln, 2011; Sarhan et al., 2024; Qasem and Alkhawatrah, 2024).Thus, the qualitative method not only helps in the investigation and analysis of data in a real-world setting but also assists in understanding the complexities of the actual conditions that may not be addressed by experimental or survey research (Zainal et al., 2016). Thus, semi-structured interviews were used in this research to gain a comprehensive understanding from postgraduate students and staff about the university’s role in enhancing climate literacy and to develop the study’s findings.
Yin (2017) argues that the case study strategy is a holistic and suitable method to examine “how” or “why” qualitative research questions. The current study aims to answer the research questions “why is it essential to promote climate literacy among students in universities?”, “how do the students’ activities to combat climate change in universities impact climate literacy?” and “how can universities improve the climate literacy of their students?”. Therefore, the case study strategy is most suited for primary data collection. Moreover, climate change and climate literacy are at the forefront of a global conversation and can therefore be considered contemporary events. This study was conducted at the University of the West of England (UWE), which has a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental education. UWE is recognised for its initiatives in embedding sustainability into its curriculum and campus operations, making it an ideal case study for this research (Cicmil et al., 2017; Longhurst et al., 2025).
The data for the case study in this research was collected from semi-structured interviews. Given that there are two predominant stakeholders of higher education at universities, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 postgraduate students from the students’ Union at UWE and eight staff from the Climate Action Hub, Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Education and Environmental Management Department at UWE. The research will utilise an ideal number of members for each stakeholder group to maintain a balance between insufficient representation and extremely diversified, skewed or polarised opinions that a generalisation is not possible (Guest et al., 2006). Since the abduction approach (collecting secondary data, making real-life observations and suggesting propositions) is used as the primary research approach for this study, the findings from semi-structured interviews will be discussed by moving back and forth relative to existing academic literature regarding the importance of developing climate literacy in universities. Taken together, the results will be used to propose new insights into the climate literacy framework in higher education.
The data collected from semi-structured interviews was analysed manually using an Excel spreadsheet to organise and group the responses systematically. This approach allowed for efficient tracking of patterns and themes, ensuring a clear and replicable process for data analysis (Mabesele, 2024). The analysis began with transcribing the interviews, after which the transcripts were reviewed to extract key phrases, recurring ideas, and relevant insights. These responses were then entered into an Excel sheet, with each row representing a participant’s input and columns used to categorise the data based on emerging themes. Open coding was conducted by assigning initial labels to the data, capturing the essence of participants’ responses (Saldaña, 2021; Saunders et al., 2016). The Excel sheet allowed for filtering and sorting these codes, helping to identify patterns and clusters of similar ideas (Salmona and Kaczynski, 2024). As themes became more apparent, responses were grouped into broader categories aligned with the research questions, such as the university’s role in promoting climate literacy, the impact of student activities on climate literacy, and strategies for enhancing climate literacy among students.
According to the research strategy and to meet the study aim and objectives, postgraduate student participants were selected from the University of the West of the England students’ Union to examine the importance of students’ activities and scientific knowledge (climate change awareness and understanding) for improving climate literacy. Moreover, the roles and responsibilities of students in taking action to ensure sustainable practices at the university were identified. Furthermore, staff participants were selected from the Climate Action Hub, Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Education and Environmental Management Department at the University of the West of England, all of whom had sustainability, climate change, and climate literacy backgrounds. Staff participation aimed to critically analyse the university’s role or actions towards improving climate literacy among students and to identify the kinds of activities and initiatives that best support student engagement to enhance climate literacy.
4. Findings and discussion
4.1 The significance of climate literacy perceptions, knowledge and awareness of climate action
The student interviews commenced with their perceptions of climate literacy. The postgraduate student interviewees stated that climate literacy that enables students to take urgent action requires a clear understanding of the impacts of climate change on local communities as well as awareness of both the requirements for mitigation and measures for adaptation. For example, one student from the Environmental Consultancy department said, “Climate literacy is understanding the essential principles of earth’s climate system, knowing how to assess scientifically credible information about climate, and communicating about climate change in a meaningful way”. However, two students stated that climate literacy should extend beyond basic climate science. One student commented:
Climate literacy is a scientific knowledge that extends beyond the basic and into the functional and explains elements specific to and surrounding climate change. Additionally, it is how we may transfer knowledge into practice by having skills to make effective decisions and implement sustainable solutions for future generations.
Another student from the Environmental Management department reflected the same perspective:
Climate literacy awareness is how we educate ourselves on adaptation and mitigation plans to combat the negative changes and calculate the risks by enhancing communication with sustainability experts and becoming involved in sustainable forums and webinars to create awareness. I think it is important to know how to translate our scientific knowledge into action and to show substantial steps in climate action.
Given the previous points, students require sufficient skills combined with knowledge to engage confidently in a wide range of sustainability activities to make responsible decisions in the fight against climate change in the communities (McNeal et al., 2008).
The most common challenges highlighted by the student interviewees were cognitive gaps in how they could translate climate change information and their understanding into action, combined with a lack of motivation and skills to take action in alleviating the climate crisis and implementing novel future solutions. One student from the Civil Engineering department said:
I am challenged by what I learned about the adaptation and mitigation measures of climate change and how they could be implemented into action. Also, I do not have the motivation and skills to participate in any climate literacy workshops and sustainability discussion sessions. So, I think the climate change discussion sessions or the sustainability activities should be structured as an interactive activity where students across disciplines would share ideas and learn from each other.
Adding to this, another student reflected on the same barriers to participating in climate action “I do not have the passion and time to participate in any climate change discussion or sustainability webinars”. Given this, and in response to the perceptions regarding the promotion of climate literacy among university students, the staff suggested that it is essential to understand students’ perceptions, attitudes, and values concerning climate change to encourage them to take action. Recognising their perspectives might put pressure on the university to take action and employ innovative teaching and learning strategies while implementing a wide range of activities to overcome barriers to improving climate literacy (Wachholz et al., 2014).
Offering another perspective on the impact of climate literacy on students’ behaviour, attitudes and their desired sustainable future, one staff member from the Climate Action Hub said:
Theoretically, it will prepare them for a very different future by developing aptitudes, competencies, skills and capabilities. However, in practice, it is probably too early to see major impacts on behaviour linked to climate literacy action as today's students are already quite aware of the climate emergency.
Given this, all staff interviewees agreed that it is crucial for students to continuously gain new climate science knowledge and boost their skills to address climate change challenges in their societies to build low/zero carbon institutions. Thus, enhancing climate literacy requires the implementation of new educational methods ranging from large-scale awareness programs across disciplines to efficiently encouraging the students to participate in such programs and become climate literate students (Mochizuki and Bryan, 2015). Adding to this, one of the staff from the Environmental Management department pointed out:
Actuary life tables tell us that this year’s graduates will have a life expectancy of 60 years’ post-graduation. That will take them into the 2080s when much of the already committed change to the climate system will be manifested. They will have to live through these changes, so how will their higher education prepare them to cope with these issues in their professional and private lives? Understanding how to live sustainably, including carbon/climate literacy, will be the key to building a sustainable climate-resilient future, along with a focus on how the university could implement new strategies to foster climate literacy for students.
Another staff member from the Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Education argues for the importance of equipping all students to combat climate change:
It is crucial to make further steps in enhancing awareness of climate literacy by focusing on practical elements relating to their behaviours, such as food, travel, and energy usage. We want all students to leave the university empowered, skilled and enthused about taking positive action to address the crisis by also communicating with sustainability experts about new solutions.
Given the previous points, improving climate literacy will support students in making sound decisions to face environmental issues and effectively network with the public and sustainability experts about potential solutions for climate change challenges. However, students’ perceptions and awareness of climate literacy require comprehension of climate change at various geographical and temporal dimensions because students who have a deeper understanding of climate science are more passionate and confident about taking action to address climate change threats (Leiserowitz et al., 2013; Rebich and Gautier, 2005; McNeal et al., 2008).
Furthermore, the staff interviewees mentioned that all students must clearly understand the science behind climate change, the consequences of climate change on their societies, and how it links to their personal and professional behaviours. Therefore, all students should have a basic appreciation and practical skills to effectively improve climate literacy. Given this, one of the staff from the Environmental Management department described the difference between the actions of the University of the West of England (UWE) and other institutions in enhancing climate literacy among students, saying:
I think the University of the West of England (UWE) is better than most institutions but many challenges remain to implementing new strategies for enhancing climate literacy for students and efficiently embedding climate literacy activities into curricula. Many institutions stick within narrow disciplinary boundaries and fail to see ramifications across disciplines and provide insufficient skills for students to transfer their knowledge into practice.
Adding to this, one staff member from the Climate Action Hub showed concern that universities do not take sufficient further steps to enhance climate literacy:
Universities are complacent and too slow to enhance climate literacy and to respond to changes in society. So, they need to take responsibility for this problem and ensure students are clear of the challenges of climate change.
Lorenzoni et al. (2007) highlighted the significant role of the universities in taking responsibility for preparing students and overcoming the barriers to developing climate literacy, including a lack of teaching and learning resources, inadequate student skills, and a lack of suitable frameworks to motivate students to engage in climate action. In line with this, all the staff interviewees stressed the responsibility of the university to implement new strategies for improving climate literacy for students and raising awareness of the climate crisis. Universities should support students to promote adaptation and mitigation measures against climate change challenges. Additionally, students should understand the impact of climate change on their lives and the lives of others, what actions they should take, and what the university needs to do to reduce the effects of climate change.
4.2 The level of student engagement in climate literacy activities
The student interviews delved into any activities or climate literacy training that students were partaking in to combat climate change and ensure sustainable practices on campus. Only five students out of 11 responded that they had participated in climate literacy activities, training, workshops or sustainability initiatives. Interestingly, they expressed their passion and motivation for implementing climate literacy initiatives and were involved in a wide range of climate change activities led by the students’ union to ensure green practices on campus. One of the students from the Sustainable Development in Practice department highlighted such experiences:
I am obtaining my MSc in Sustainable Development, and this course teaches us how to implement green practice and sustainable development initiatives in the university. I am also part of the university's student-led sustainability committee and student union. I hope my efforts in both groups and participating in sustainability activities can positively contribute to combatting climate change and ensuring sustainable practices on campus. I hope these practices may also positively impact my lifestyle and behaviour.
Consistent with this, all the students who engaged in sustainability or climate literacy activities such as sustainability clubs or outdoor activities emphasised the significance of promoting these activities and practices across disciplines to expand their climate science knowledge and skills in creating new solutions and adapting to the climate crisis in the future (Leiserowitz et al., 2013).
As the literature review demonstrates, students should not only be seen as victims of climate change; they should have new visions, skills, and responsibilities to take action to combat climate change, such as engaging in climate literacy activities to enhance sustainable practices on campus (Cumiskey et al., 2015). For example, one student from the Environmental Consultancy department said, “Engaging in climate literacy activities made me use climate awareness in everyday life, not just at university, and ensured sustainable practices become a priority in my life”. From another perspective, a student from Sustainable Development in Practice department discussed the potential barriers to implementing or enrolling in climate literacy activities:
It takes a lot of work and a lot of people to make a real change. In addition, there are workload pressures on staff and not everyone is willing to participate or take action to address climate change threats.
This supports the idea presented by Kalina and Powell (2009), that sustainability activities (e.g. active learning networks) would positively impact students’ behaviour and attitudes while upskilling them to holistically understand climate literacy topics, find innovative solutions and communicate confidently with sustainability experts and scientists. This will support students in creating new activities and implementing climate literacy initiatives to ensure green and environment-friendly practices on campus.
Six student interviewees out of 11 from different departments answered that they did not engage in sustainability or climate literacy activities. They mentioned various barriers to participating in or implementing sustainability activities, including lack of motivation, insufficient skills and a cognitive gap between scientific knowledge and engagement in climate action. Additionally, one participant from the Civil Engineering department spoke about challenges in participating in activities:
I do not spend much time on campus, and I do not have the motivation to engage in climate literacy activities due to facing obstacles in finding information and lack of skills to promote sustainable practices on campus.
Another student talked about the same challenges in engaging in sustainability activities:
Most of the students are busy in their studies and it is therefore difficult to engage them in activities or attract their attention. So, I think the university should implement innovative and practical climate literacy activities to encourage all students to participate in climate action.
The experiential learning approach to climate change successfully bridged educational content with practical, real-world applications. This method enabled students to understand, critically reflect on, and champion environmental responsibility, strengthening their engagement with climate change issues both within their communities and on a broader scale Findings revealed that students in the experimental group outperformed those in the control group by a statistically significant margin (Kim, 2024; El-Sabagh, 2021).
Keeping the above observations in mind, the staff interviewees strongly recommended that all students (across disciplines) participate in activities such as online climate literacy courses, outdoor activities, interactions with environmental surroundings and climate literacy training. In addition, students must hear from scientists and sustainability experts on the importance of taking action to combat the climate change crisis and the consequences of delayed action. One staff from the Environmental Management department acknowledged the benefits of embedding climate literacy activities in the curriculum and implementing comprehensive training to improve climate literacy, saying:
It is crucial to include the climate literacy activities in the curriculum, supported voluntary sessions on specific issues. In addition, this can include the formal curriculum (workshops, seminars and lectures, field activities, assessment) and informal voluntary activities and professional training (scientific training, evidence of impact and examples of innovations linked to lowering carbon emissions) alongside the Students' Union-led actions.
Given this, it is crucial to equip students with effective climate literacy platforms, activities within the curriculum, and wide forums for discussion between students across disciplines and sustainability experts about practical methods to implement innovative solutions in the future. This will empower students to make significant changes in their life towards a more sustainable future, such as reducing their emissions and advocating for other individuals or organisations to reduce their carbon footprint (Lorenzoni et al., 2007; Leal Filho et al., 2021).
4.3 The main skills and resources required for staff to conduct climate literacy activities
The staff interviewees unanimously agreed that to achieve significant steps in enhancing climate literacy, the university must first fully equip all staff by offering comprehensive training on climate literacy and offering teaching resource supports. Thus, implementing climate literacy training or courses will need various resources (e.g. staff training to legitimise climate literacy as a component of all degrees). In addition, the university should build sufficient skills for all teachers to conduct activities and teach climate literacy as a part of the curriculum (Reimers, 2021).During the interview, one of the staff members from the Environmental Management department recommended that:
It is significant to offer general training packages to all staff such as comprehensive carbon literacy training, professional association communications, and climate literacy courses. This will overcome the barriers of insufficient skills for staff in teaching climate change topics or conducting climate literacy activities.
Another staff member from the Climate Action Hub emphasised that “The most beneficial resources needed are time and financial resources to roll out comprehensive carbon literacy training for the staff.”
There was common consent regarding the importance of the decision to encourage all students across disciplines to engage in climate action activities on campus. Thus, the university should implement an innovative learning process to support students in thinking critically and becoming motivated to participate in a wide range of sustainability activities to adapt to climate emergency issues. Therefore, traditional education that emphasises lecturing, knowledge of scientific facts and tasks led by teacher instruction contrast dramatically with an “Inquiry-oriented approach via activities” (Manolas and Leal Filho, 2011). One of the staff from Knowledge Exchange for Sustainable Education (KESE) explained the significant benefits of providing professional training for staff to support them in implementing a creative learning network for conducting climate literacy activities:
Staff training on conducting climate literacy activities is a prerequisite to building skills, knowledge and confidence to include these issues alongside the disciplinary content. All disciplines must consider how their graduates can be given the skills and capabilities to cope with climate change challenges. Offering examples of how to do it in different contexts, disciplines and levels of study are essential to foster climate literacy in universities.
Another staff member from the Environmental Management department emphasised the significance of providing cross-departmental academic resources to build confidence for teachers: “Internal cross-departmental educational resources are essential to help staff grasp the subject and become confident”. Thus, building teachers’ skills and confidence is a radical and critical requirement for enhancing climate literacy and motivating all students to engage in a wide range of sustainability activities to develop their responsibility and leadership roles to take action in alleviating climate change consequences (Bell et al., 2010).
This research mainly focused on teaching staff and their role in advancing climate literacy and sustainability within the university. However, non-teaching staff, such as management and administrative teams, were not included in this study. That being said, their role is undoubtedly important. These teams often shape the learning environment in ways that go beyond the classroom – through policies, resource allocation and the example they set in their day-to-day work. They can also influence how students and staff engage with sustainability, serving as leaders and role models. Including non-teaching staff in future studies could provide a richer understanding of how the entire university community contributes to student engagement and participation in sustainability activities. Their involvement would give a more complete picture of how different parts of the institution work together to address challenges like climate change.
4.4 The role of the university in improving the climate literacy of students
There was also a consensus among the staff that an important responsibility of the university is to improve climate literacy by embedding climate literacy activities in the context of all taught courses and institutional operations. During an interview, one of the staff from the Environmental Management department stated:
It is vital to embed climate change awareness, adaptation and mitigation measures across all disciplines and departments by promoting partnership across institutions and strengthening cooperation with international organisations (e.g. United Nations), businesses, schools, and UWE academics to foster climate literacy on campus. In addition, the need for scientific information and abilities is nowhere more pressing than in sustainability and climate literacy in universities.
Currently, this is not the case, as the students mentioned that the main barrier is a lack of clarity on how they could transfer their scientific knowledge into action to promote sustainable and green practices on campus. There was also a consensus that the main reason to foster climate literacy is to prepare students to mitigate the climate change crisis and to have a leadership role in implementing effective decisions in developing urgent new solutions.
Keeping the above observations in mind, for example, a student from the Environmental Management department described his experience:
I have been pleasantly surprised by the number of students who care about sustainability practices (e.g. climate change initiatives) and are eager to do their part to help. However, getting other non-interested students across disciplines to join in sustainability-driven conversations and climate change clubs are challenging.
Commenting on this, one of the staff from the Climate Action Hub stressed that universities have a key responsibility to embed climate literacy in courses to encourage all students to participate in sustainability activities:
The main role of the university toward improving climate literacy is to take a policy position on it being a crucial part of embedding climate literacy in all courses and the student experience. This will motivate students to take action and become involved in climate literacy activities.
Furthermore, Levrini et al. (2021) mentioned that building a bridge between activities and epistemological knowledge of climate literacy is crucial to developing inquiry practice and collaborative learning via climate literacy activities. This will encourage all students across disciplines to be involved in shaping a sustainable future and creating solutions to respond to the climate change crisis. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the main research findings for the climate literacy framework in higher education, showing the climate literacy activities, resources for staff, and partnerships.
Schematic diagram for developing a climate literacy framework in higher education
Schematic diagram for developing a climate literacy framework in higher education
This study underscores the importance of integrating climate literacy into university operations and strategies. The linkage to the ISO framework, particularly the structured approach of the ISO 9000 PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, provides a valuable pathway for institutions to systematically embed climate literacy into their policies and practices (Orihuela-Gallardo, 2025). By aligning with such internationally recognised standards, universities can enhance their institutional strategies, ensuring that efforts to promote climate literacy are both effective and sustainable. In the context of higher education, fostering progressive intellectual capacity building requires a strong emphasis on quality education (Jackson et al., 2006). Ensuring this quality relies on robust quality assurance and management systems, which are essential for higher learning institutions to meet the needs of their primary stakeholders effectively(Aithal and Maiya, 2023). By adopting the ISO 9000 PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle principle, which prioritise continuous improvement and innovation, universities can create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment for students and educators alike, surpassing the limitations of traditional “good enough” educational approaches (Jani, 2011; Kayyali, 2025). Future research could explore the practical implementation of this framework across diverse institutional contexts, further contributing to the development of structured approaches to climate education (Jani, 2011; Sirirattanchit, 2025).
The results of this study were derived from a qualitative approach, which was chosen to gain in-depth insights into the perceptions and experiences of university staff and students regarding climate literacy. While the findings provide valuable context-specific information, it is acknowledged that comparative analysis with studies employing quantitative approaches could further enrich the understanding of the topic. Quantitative methods could complement these findings by offering statistical evidence of trends and generalisable outcomes. Future research could integrate both approaches to explore the intersection of qualitative depth and quantitative breadth, providing a more holistic perspective on the promotion of climate literacy in universities.
5. Conclusions and future research
This research demonstrated the importance of promoting climate literacy among students because it is the youth who will be affected by climate change challenges more than any other generation. Therefore, the youth are among the groups that most urgently need to know about promoting climate literacy due to the environmental, economic, and social climate change consequences that will befall them in the future. Furthermore, the findings illustrated that students face challenges in translating their understanding of climate change science into action and lack sufficient skills and motivation to take action. Thus, climate literacy should extend beyond basic knowledge about climate science to building students’ skills via activities that will support them in making sound decisions in adapting to climate change concerns. Therefore, enhancing climate literacy will open up new opportunities and expand visions to foster student participation in creating climate literacy initiatives on campus and implement climate literacy projects through future-oriented action.
This study was based on carefully curated subsets of two predominant groups of stakeholders (students and staff) of higher education at universities in the UK from the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) as a case study for semi-structured interviews. However, these cannot represent all possible cases. The study sample represents only a systematic collection of primary data feasible for a cross-sectional study, such as this one, that provides a snapshot view.
This research has highlighted the importance of implementing climate literacy activities and sustainability practices for students on campus to support them to transfer their knowledge into practice in adapting to climate change. Moreover, it identified the university’s significant role in developing a teaching and learning strategy to legitimise climate literacy activities in the curriculum and provide a resource bank of quality teaching materials to effectively deliver sustainability and climate literacy in all provisions. Further recommendations for higher education institutions include implementing extensive efforts to explore and develop curriculum design to integrate climate literacy activities in all courses, considering the workload pressure on the staff, and creating innovative options of new additional activities to be suitable for all students across disciplines, to increase their motivation to engage in climate action and implement new project ideas to promote climate literacy. One limitation of this research is that it focused exclusively on students and staff from environmental-related programs. Future research could expand the scope by including participants from non-environmental disciplines or programs. Such an approach would allow for comparative analysis, offering insights into how perspectives and outcomes differ across disciplines, thereby enriching the understanding and applicability of the findings. Another limitation of this study is that it did not account for the timeline of how long students had been studying their program or participating in the hub. This was due to time constraints within the research process. Future studies could address this by examining how the duration of engagement in their programs or hubs influences perspectives and outcomes, providing a more nuanced understanding of the findings. Additionally, further research is required to explore the impact of climate literacy on student behaviours, values, and attitudes in the long term. There is currently very little robust evidence of its impact.
This work was supported by the Nuclear Energy and Climate Change Department of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria.
Data availability statement: All are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
