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 GC-special 

Call for articles for a special issue of Geoscience Communication

https://www.geoscience-communication.net/articles_and_preprints/scheduled_sis.html
 

 Climate and ocean education and communication

 Practice, ethics and urgency 

We are inviting contributions to a special issue of the

European Geosciences Union (EGU) journal Geoscience Communication

on the theme of Climate and ocean education and communication:

Practice, ethics and urgency

Please look at all sections of this CfP before submitting your outline;
they include:

Humanity’s impact on the climate and the ocean constitutes an existential threat of unprecedented magnitude.  The consequences are dire, including the loss of life and ecosystems, parts of the Earth being rendered uninhabitable, species extinction and increased vulnerability to disasters.  Numbers of estimated deaths vary, but seem to be between 1/4M per year now, rising to 14M by 2050 (WHO, World Economic Forum), with suffering on a par with that.

Effective education and communication are crucial components of climate and ocean change mitigation and adaptation.  By imparting knowledge, reinforcing skills and fostering awareness, education and communication have the power to enable individuals to understand the complexities of the climate and ocean crisis and its existential implications.  They cultivate a sense of responsibility, motivating individuals to adopt sustainable practices and make informed decisions.

 

Education needs to equip present and future generations with the skills needed to innovate, develop social justice, and advocate for policy changes.  Accompanied by clear communication, education fosters critical thinking, enabling us to challenge harmful practices and embrace environmentally-conscious alternatives.  Thus, education holds a heavy responsibility with respect to creating a knowledgeable and engaged citizenry and to laying the foundation for collective action and a sustainable future for humanity.  Communication is the means by which all education is accomplished.  Education and communication are two sides of the same coin, and work hand in hand, even if we may not be aware of that during our acts of education and communication.
 

Aim & scope

The broad aim and scope of this issue is to

  • showcase innovative and ordinary research methods and initiatives in:

  • highlight impactful and standard research in:

  • emphasize the urgent and critical need for research and insight into:

  1. climate and ocean education,

  2. clear and effective communication about climate change and ocean degradation, and

  3. purposeful and timely policy development for climate and ocean.

In other words, the central goal and scope is to show how climate/ocean education may effectively communicate with and raise awareness in everyone, from ordinary citizens, through educators to high-level decision makers.

We solicit contributions (e.g. original research articles and review articles) from researchers, practitioners, educators, students, policymakers, communicators, activists and artists working across different sectors (e.g. academia, industry and nongovernmental organizations).  This will be a unique opportunity to explore and enhance climate and ocean communication and education.

Scope

We welcome research articles that investigate a wide variety of topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • best practices and innovative approaches to climate and ocean education;

  • the ethics and geoethics of climate and ocean education, including social justice and equity;

  • the role of technology (including artificial intelligence) and new media in climate and ocean education;

  • the intersection of climate and ocean education with other issues, such as biodiversity, sustainable development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);

  • the impact of climate and ocean education on public opinion, policy and behaviour;

  • the integration of climate and ocean education into formal and informal education;

  • the role of geoscience research in advancing climate and ocean education;

  • awareness of the relationships between overshoot (as a cause) and climate change (as a symptom);

  • scientific investigation of outreach initiatives targeting different age groups, settings, and approaches;

  • learners’ content and procedural knowledge of climate science and options for action (e.g. climate feedbacks, impacts, adaptation measures, and renewable energy), cultivating science and communication skills (e.g. quantitative literacy, critical thinking, and writing to inform), initiating positive attitudes and actions (e.g. empathy and behavioural change) and issues related to the transfer of education into action and to timescales needed for mindset and behavioural change.

Objectives

The special issue, on the theme of climate and ocean education and communication (COEC) will have four interlocking objectives:

  1. Constitute a collection of research articles in the areas of climate and/or ocean education and/or communication (COEC), from around the world.

  2. Provide an outlet for authors to share their research in the areas of COEC, including analyses, curriculums, outreach, case studies, policy, actions and pedagogical materials.

  3. Advance our thinking and practice in COEC, and provide guidance for future development of COEC.

  4. Provide a go-to source for research and inspiration for all those interested in COEC, from researchers, teachers, policy makers, educational planners, activists, outreach communicators, curriculum designers, NGOs implementing COEC, ministries needing concrete materials on COEC, UN agencies (eg, UNEP, UNESCO) working in COEC, and of course parents and friends.

Terms & rationale

For the purpose of this special issue, climate and ocean education and communication are to be taken in as broad a manner as is reasonable.  Climate education and communication comprises any activity, research, object, institution, movement, person, group, policy, publication or idea that intends in some way to enlighten, educate, inform, train or influence people and organizations about climate change, its causes and consequences.

Similarly, ocean education and communication refers to any effort to increase understanding of the ocean and its critical roles in shaping our planet, especially in regard to climate change.  Articles may focus on climate, on ocean or on both, especially their interactions.

We are concerned about the perils that climate change and ocean degradation inflict upon the natural, social, economic, ecological, psychological, governance and policy world of which humans are a part on planet Earth.  Ethical and geoethical issues are, of course, implicated in most matters relating to climate and ocean education.

The term communication is included because no education can happen without clear communication.  Communication often contains an implicit educational dimension, even if this is not explicitly stated.  If relevant, articles should discuss communicational aspects of climate and ocean education.  However, a ms (manuscript) on climate/ocean and communication without a fundamental educational purpose should be submitted to an ordinary issue of the journal.  For example, an article on advocacy or demonstrations is welcome if it focuses to a large degree on the educational purposes of advocacy or demonstration, rather than, say, its political dimensions.  The line is, of course, thin between such areas.

 

We welcome submissions from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to education, geoscience, geoethics, environmental science, communication, ethics, pedagogy, psychology, learning science, sustainability science, biodiversity, simulation/gaming and governance.  Interdisciplinary articles are particularly welcome, as are review articles.

The term education is intended here to refer to things like literacy, training, learning, workshops, schooling, instruction, pedagogy, andragogy, coaching, guidance, culture, academia, scholarship, cultivation, knowledge, skill, know-how, study, tutoring, nurture, apprenticeship, etc.  The word teaching is absent because we are interested more in what helps learners learn, rather than in what teachers do, which, of course, does have an effect on learning, but so much learning happens independently of teachers, especially in informal or non-institutional settings.

The abbreviation  ms , for manuscript, is used throughout this guide and CfP and in much of the correspondance.

Topics

Topics of research may include, but are not limited to:

  • Best practices and innovative approaches to climate and ocean education.

  • The ethics and geoethics of climate and ocean education, including social justice and equity.

  • The role of technology and new media in climate and ocean education.

  • The intersection of climate and ocean education with other issues, such as biodiversity and sustainable development.

  • The impact of climate and ocean education on public opinion, policy, and behaviour.

  • The integration of climate and ocean education into formal and informal education.

  • The role of geoscience research in advancing climate and ocean education.

  • Outreach across all age levels (primary, high school and adult), settings (formal and informal) and approaches (e.g., websites, lab demos, serious games, pedagogic research, course design, citizen science, filmmaking, art).

  • Learners’ content and procedural knowledge of climate science and options for action (e.g., climate feedbacks, impacts, adaptation measures, renewable energy), cultivating science and communication skills (e.g., quantitative literacy, critical thinking, writing to inform), and initiating positive attitudes and actions (e.g., empathy and behavioural change).

For an incomplete list of methods, techniques and approaches that might be relevant to this special issue, please see this page - Approaches.  Some references are provided here.

These webpages contain the following information:

  • A description of the aim and scope of the issue - this page

  • An incomplete list of educational methods for climate and/or ocean change - Approaches

  • Some references to publications on our theme - Refs

  • Editorial board of the special issue - Guest Eds

👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 We strongly recommend that you team up with colleagues to write a multi-author article.  These are generally of higher quality and you have greater chance of getting through the review process relatively unscathed 😞.

📞 If you have questions about suitability of your ms, or would just like to talk things over, please do not hesitate to say, and we can set up a time - if possible, on google meet (it seems to be the easiest video chat program to set up).  However, in case your answers are already in the web pages, please do look there first, including the specail issue Author guide.

From https://www.herdsoft.com/climate/widget/

 

This website,

like the Earth,

is constantly changing.

If you have not visited in a while, it would be good to refresh your browser page.

As the area of climate/ocean education is still developing, we welcome any additions and suggestions for this website.  Please send to us here.

graphic_gc_cover_huge.png

Poems, by ChatGPT

Poem about climate education

Amidst the raging storms and scorching heat,
Our love for this Earth cannot be beat,
For we are committed to a cause,
To save our planet from inevitable loss.

With knowledge as our guide and passion as our fuel,
We'll work tirelessly to break the rules,
Of ignorance and apathy that plague our world,
And ensure that our planet's story is not yet unfurled.

We'll teach the young and the old,
The importance of caring for what we hold,
We'll show them that our actions matter,
And that together, we can make our Earth better.

Through climate education, we'll spread the word,
That our planet deserves to be heard,
And that the love we share for it will endure,
As we work towards a sustainable future.

So let us hold hands and walk this path,
Together, we'll make a lasting impact,
For in each other's eyes, we see the hope,
That our love for this Earth will never elope.

A poem about ocean literacy

Beneath the waves, a world so vast,

An ocean deep, an endless cast,

Of creatures that swim, and creatures that fly,

And in your eyes, I see the beauty and why.

For in your heart, the ocean resides,

A passion that swells with the tides,

Of knowledge that grows with each passing day,

As we learn and explore in our own way.

With ocean literacy, we'll unlock the secrets,

Of a world that is both wondrous and treacherous,

And with each new discovery, we'll marvel and sigh,

For the love we share for the ocean will never die.

From the coral reefs to the open sea,

We'll explore and learn and set ourselves free,

And in each other's embrace, we'll find solace and peace,

As we let our love for the ocean never cease.

So let us dive deep and swim with the whales,

And marvel at the beauty that our love unveils,

For in this world of wonder, we'll find our own bliss,

As we explore the depths of the ocean's kiss.

A poem about climate and ocean education


Oh, climate and ocean, two worlds so grand,
Whose fates are entwined, like lovers' hands,
For in their embrace, a balance so fine,
That if disturbed, could bring an end to mankind.

But fear not, dear hearts, for knowledge is power,
And with education, we'll find the tower,
Of wisdom and truth, that will guide our way,
And lead us to a brighter, sustainable day.

Let us teach the world of the ocean's might,
Of its depths and its wonders, and its ancient plight,
And with each new lesson, we'll unveil,
The secrets that lie within its watery veil.

And let us not forget the climate's call,
For the earth is in peril, and we must stand tall,
To fight for a future that is green and bright,
And ensure that our planet survives the night.

With each new student, we'll plant a seed,
Of passion and knowledge, that will lead,
To a world that is conscious and aware,
And free from the burdens that we cannot bear.

So let us raise our voices, and let us sing,
Of a world that is flourishing, and with joy, it rings,
For in our love for education, we'll find,
The hope that our climate and oceans will forever bind.

 

A poem about climate change education and ocean education


Amidst the chaos of our changing world,
Two crucial realms call out to be unfurled,
The climate and the ocean, intertwined,
With knowledge as the tool that we must find.

For in the depths of the vast ocean blue,
A fragile ecosystem needs our view,
And with each new lesson that we impart,
We can help heal and preserve this living art.

And in the world above, the changing climate,
Demands that we become more cognizant,
Of the impact that we have on our Earth,
And how we can help bring about its rebirth.

So let us teach the young and old alike,
The importance of these realms we must strike,
For with education, we'll pave the way,
Towards a brighter, greener, and sustainable day.

A poem about climate change education


Harken ye now, to a tale of old,
Of a world that's changing, a story to be told,
Of a climate that's shifting, and growing bold,
And of the lessons we must learn to behold.

Come gather 'round, and hear me speak,
Of the knowledge that's there, for all who seek,
Of the lessons we learn, when we're at our peak,
And the wisdom we gain, when we're feeling weak.

For the climate, my friends, is a master so great,
A force to be reckoned with, both early and late,
And with each new lesson, we'll learn to navigate,
And find our way to a brighter fate.

Let us learn of the storms, and the winds that blow,
Of the rising seas, and the melting snow,
And of the stories, that in the world's fate flow,
Waiting for us to uncover and to show.

For the world, dear friends, is a teacher of life,
A force to be reckoned with, in times of strife,
And with each new lesson, we'll conquer the strife,
And ensure that the world remains rife.

So let us embrace, the climate's call,
And learn from it, both big and small,
For with education, we'll break the thrall,
And ensure that our world will never fall. 

 

A poem about ocean education


Listen ye all, to the tale I tell,
Of the ocean's secrets, known so well,
Of creatures great and small, and tides that swell,
And the mysteries that within them dwell.

Come gather round, and hear me out,
Of the knowledge that we can't do without,
Of the lessons we learn, when we're in doubt,
And the wisdom we gain, when we set out.

For in the ocean's depths, a world unfolds,
A realm of beauty, untold and bold,
And with each new lesson, we behold,
The wonder and awe, that can't be controlled.

Let us learn of the currents, and the waves that crash,
Of the coral reefs, and the fish that flash,
And of the stories, that in the ocean's depths are stashed,
Waiting for us to uncover, and to rehash.

For the ocean, dear friends, is a teacher so wise,
A master of life, that can't be disguised,
And with each new lesson, we'll come to realize,
The beauty and power, that in it lies.

So let us embrace, the ocean's call,
And learn from it, both big and small,
For with education, we'll break the thrall,
And ensure that our ocean will never fall.

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