An essential element for achieving ecological literacy and for realizing equity or social justice is the possession of the knowledge and skills for decision-making. Successful decision-making at the interface of ecology and society necessitates ecological thinking coupled to the application of ecology concepts and human concerns within an integrated understanding of human-social systems. Despite the increase in extreme events, ecologists and environmental educators have yet to engage and partner in opportunities that enhance ecosystem resilience. We explored linkages between ecology, equity and justice as presented in assessments of literacies for climate change, ecology and environment. We also examined formal and non-formal educational materials available for all learner levels using commercial library databases. We searched for extreme events (including floods, fires and hurricanes) to determine whether and how ecological concepts and justice dimensions were conveyed to communities impacted by these events. Finally, we examined the potential of the newer areas of sustainability education and global initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for achieving ecological literacy. Our aim was to identify the best practices and promising methods by which ecologists can engage with co-educators and community partners to enhance the integration of ecology and justice.
Results/Conclusions
A comprehensive search in several education and natural resource databases using the terms ‘climate change’ and ‘social justice’ yielded 274 citations: 75% climate change, 16% floods, 5% hurricanes and 4% fire. Overall, 58% covered natural disasters outside the USA. Though rural communities are often the most impacted by extreme events, they comprised only 20% of all studies. These findings suggest the need for US education and outreach materials that include equity. Campus improvement measures and sustainability literacy assessments provide vehicles for enhancing the engagement of ecologists with allied fields. An example of intentional integration of best practices is at the Catholic, Marianist University of Dayton’s (UD). Laudato si’s ecological integrity and the SDG are the framework for UD’s aim for the common good. The complementary initiatives of the Hanley Sustainability Institute, the Human Rights Center, and the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community with its Rivers Institute, all engage curricular and co-curricular experiential learning on-campus and with community partners. Ecosystem resilience is demonstrated through native plant installations, green roofs, water monitoring and urban greenspace and food partnerships. Such integrated studies approaches support ecologists’ role in enhancing ecological literacy and the future decision-making towards achieving equity and ecosystem resilience.