title: Why we're seduced by climate tech and what it means for our happiness

authors: Weijers, Dan M.

abstract: For the most climate-anxious among us, it may even seem best to succumb to the climate tech horizon bias because of the short-term happiness benefits. However, recent research and personal experience are increasingly revealing that the climate catastrophe has already begun. Severe weather events, sea-level rise, and record-breaking heatwaves are impacting millions of people around the world, and doing so with increasing frequency (IPCC, 2023). In the face of this overwhelming evidence, nearly everyone (that doesn't already) should realize that climate tech is not a complete solution to the climate crisis. For those so in the grip of the climate tech horizon bias that they haven't done anything to help address climate change, the happiness impacts of being exposed to extreme weather events and other climate-change-related harms (Clayton, 2020) will include the extra sting of realizing that they had been seduced by the easy solace offered by over-hyped climate tech, and that they could have done more to prevent this affront to their and others' happiness.

Human selfishness, weakness of will, and uncritical thinking are the root problems. Climate tech is part of the solution but, thanks to the horizon bias, may exacerbate the climate problem and cause unhappiness if it is relied upon too heavily. Given the current climate crisis, some unhappiness seems unavoidable. In our view, the best solution is to keep acting in climate friendly ways as individuals, which includes joining with others to encourage governments and businesses to take immediate large-scale steps to reduce emissions as well as mitigate the ongoing effects of historical emissions. Schwartz et al. (2022) found that collective climate action seemed the most likely way to prevent climate anxiety turning into depression, plausibly because it alleviates feelings of individual powerlessness. Perhaps even more importantly, collective climate action may be necessary to prevent a future marred with many climate catastrophes (Gonzalez-Perez and Piedrahita-Carvajal, 2022) and the widespread unhappiness they would cause. So while we should empower promising climate tech by investing in it, we should also empower ourselves by joining with others and pushing for immediate emissions reductions. If we're right, this will make us happier individually and collectively, especially in the medium- and long-run.

text: Why we're seduced by climate tech and what it means for our happiness For the most climate-anxious among us, it may even seem best to succumb to the climate tech horizon bias because of the short-term happiness benefits. However, recent research and personal experience are increasingly revealing that the climate catastrophe has already begun. Severe weather events, sea-level rise, and record-breaking heatwaves are impacting millions of people around the world, and doing so with increasing frequency (IPCC, 2023). In the face of this overwhelming evidence, nearly everyone (that doesn't already) should realize that climate tech is not a complete solution to the climate crisis. For those so in the grip of the climate tech horizon bias that they haven't done anything to help address climate change, the happiness impacts of being exposed to extreme weather events and other climate-change-related harms (Clayton, 2020) will include the extra sting of realizing that they had been seduced by the easy solace offered by over-hyped climate tech, and that they could have done more to prevent this affront to their and others' happiness.

Human selfishness, weakness of will, and uncritical thinking are the root problems. Climate tech is part of the solution but, thanks to the horizon bias, may exacerbate the climate problem and cause unhappiness if it is relied upon too heavily. Given the current climate crisis, some unhappiness seems unavoidable. In our view, the best solution is to keep acting in climate friendly ways as individuals, which includes joining with others to encourage governments and businesses to take immediate large-scale steps to reduce emissions as well as mitigate the ongoing effects of historical emissions. Schwartz et al. (2022) found that collective climate action seemed the most likely way to prevent climate anxiety turning into depression, plausibly because it alleviates feelings of individual powerlessness. Perhaps even more importantly, collective climate action may be necessary to prevent a future marred with many climate catastrophes (Gonzalez-Perez and Piedrahita-Carvajal, 2022) and the widespread unhappiness they would cause. So while we should empower promising climate tech by investing in it, we should also empower ourselves by joining with others and pushing for immediate emissions reductions. If we're right, this will make us happier individually and collectively, especially in the medium- and long-run.

year: 2023

title: Development of action competence using Education for Sustainability in a New Zealand school

authors: Arthur, Margaret

subjects: action competence

abstract: This thesis explores whether an intervention carried out with a senior secondary school Environmental Science class was able to develop action competence in Education for Sustainability (EfS) in the students. The concept of action competence was initially proposed by Danish researchers who were dissatisfied with a focus on behavioural change by other researchers in the field. I was particularly interested in using a New Zealand model of action competence in my classroom and examining the role that the culture of the student played in that model. The United Nations literature includes culture as part of Education for Sustainability but international educational research has not to date. In designing the intervention, examined a range of learning theories and matched them with the needs of students in a city in New Zealand with a very multicultural population. Links were also made between The New Zealand Curriculum and Best Evidence Synthesis from the Ministry of Education here in New Zealand. The resulting intervention had a student centered approach and an emphasis on recognising the culture of students that was based around an action competence model developed for New Zealand. The aim was to see if this combination would enable the students in the intervention to make progress towards being action competent during an EfS unit on action –taking. The intervention was carried out with a class of seventeen students who were undertaking an Education for Sustainability Achievement Standard involving taking an action towards becoming more sustainable. I used an action research approach whereby I taught and supported students through the process. I used their log books, reports, journals and informal conversations to provide my research data. This data was analysed using a continuum I developed that was based on the work of a New Zealand team that adapted the concept of action competence for the New Zealand situation. The research findings indicate that the framework developed by the New Zealand team with the addition of starting from the culture of the students can lead to development of student action competence in EfS.

text: Development of action competence using Education for Sustainability in a New Zealand school This thesis explores whether an intervention carried out with a senior secondary school Environmental Science class was able to develop action competence in Education for Sustainability (EfS) in the students. The concept of action competence was initially proposed by Danish researchers who were dissatisfied with a focus on behavioural change by other researchers in the field. I was particularly interested in using a New Zealand model of action competence in my classroom and examining the role that the culture of the student played in that model. The United Nations literature includes culture as part of Education for Sustainability but international educational research has not to date. In designing the intervention, examined a range of learning theories and matched them with the needs of students in a city in New Zealand with a very multicultural population. Links were also made between The New Zealand Curriculum and Best Evidence Synthesis from the Ministry of Education here in New Zealand. The resulting intervention had a student centered approach and an emphasis on recognising the culture of students that was based around an action competence model developed for New Zealand. The aim was to see if this combination would enable the students in the intervention to make progress towards being action competent during an EfS unit on action –taking. The intervention was carried out with a class of seventeen students who were undertaking an Education for Sustainability Achievement Standard involving taking an action towards becoming more sustainable. I used an action research approach whereby I taught and supported students through the process. I used their log books, reports, journals and informal conversations to provide my research data. This data was analysed using a continuum I developed that was based on the work of a New Zealand team that adapted the concept of action competence for the New Zealand situation. The research findings indicate that the framework developed by the New Zealand team with the addition of starting from the culture of the students can lead to development of student action competence in EfS.

year: 2011

title: Te Kotahitanga: culturally responsive professional development for teachers

authors: Bishop, Russell

subjects: indigenous

abstract: Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development project that aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand's indigenous Māori students in public/mainstream classrooms. An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Māori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction and focus for both the classroom pedagogy and the professional development. While the authors understand that there are many institutional changes necessary at the school level, this paper focuses on the professional learning opportunities developed for classroom teachers within this project to support the development of more effective classroom relationships and interactions with Māori students. This has resulted in Māori students attending school more regularly, engaging as learners and achieving to levels where they begin to realise their true potential.

text: Te Kotahitanga: culturally responsive professional development for teachers Te Kotahitanga is a research and professional development project that aims to support teachers to raise the achievement of New Zealand's indigenous Māori students in public/mainstream classrooms. An Effective Teaching Profile, developed from the voices of Māori students, their families, principals and some of their teachers, provides direction and focus for both the classroom pedagogy and the professional development. While the authors understand that there are many institutional changes necessary at the school level, this paper focuses on the professional learning opportunities developed for classroom teachers within this project to support the development of more effective classroom relationships and interactions with Māori students. This has resulted in Māori students attending school more regularly, engaging as learners and achieving to levels where they begin to realise their true potential.

year: 2010-05