Peter Higgins: Learning for sustainability in Scotland

Professor Peter Higgins is the Chair in Outdoor Environmental & Sustainability Education, Director of the United Nations University Regional Centre for ESD (Scotland), Director of the Global Environment & Society Academy. This interview is recorded in Edinburgh, UK in June 2023 for Cornell University and the University of Edinburgh's online courses.

Chapters
0:00 Introduction
2:06 Learning for sustainability (LfS)
6:34 Connection to outdoors
11:09 Scottish government and curricula
15:55 Natural systems
19:10 Commitment to LfS
24:32 6Cs model
31:11 Citizens and systems
39:06 Teachers, educational policy
44:49 Cross-departmental policy
48:29 Interdisciplinary learning
51:56 Sustainability and equity
55:24 Media influence
57:43 Social justice, colonialism
1:05:15 Conversations with MS students
1:13:42 Transformative experiences
1:17:45 Advice to policy-makers
1:20:48 Book recommendations
1:28:19 Teaching goal

Books recommended by Peter Higgins:
• Silent Spring — Rachel Carson
• To Kill a Mockingbird — Harper Lee
• Sapiens — Yuval Noah Harari
• Homo Deus — Yuval Noah Harari
• 21 Lessons for the 21st Century — Yuval Noah Harari
• Ultra-Processed People — Chris van Tulleken
• The Crow Road — Iain Banks
• The Silver Darlings — Neil Miller Gunn
• Various documentary films — David Attenborough
• A Man in Assent — Norman MacCaig
• On the Other Side of Sorrow — James Hunter

[hayden]

The professor's perspective is helping me see the world in a different light. The 6C model is a unique take on sustainability that benefits civilization as a whole. I believe the professor's empathy and compassion bring his studies and findings to life.

[danieldixon]

This is exactly how what I have been trying to explain to people for years. We already have the science to solve all these issues, yet we lack the initiative from emotions. However, if there are people who feel emotionally connected with the environment, then there are certainly people who feel the opposite, yet how can we alter even the most stubborn person?

[briancatmaster]

Professor Scott, my name is Brian Guo and I live in San Diego, California.

This video resonates deeply with the very essence of why many of us embarked on our sustainability journey - to harmonize our relationship with our planet. The authenticity and power of the narratives here serve as an impactful reminder of the critical role education and youth action play in the climate change equation. Indeed, while strides have been made in sectors like renewable energy and green construction, I believe we risk overlooking the immense potential held by our future generations. Educating them on sustainable practices is not just a strategy, but a necessity to counteract our environmental footprint and usher in positive, lasting change.

However, I do find myself contemplating the balance between scientific solutions and educational initiatives. While I firmly believe in the significance of education, I sometimes question if we are already saturated with educational endeavors and should pivot our focus more towards scientific solutions. As an expert in environmental education, I'd appreciate your insight on this. How do you perceive this balance and its potential implications on our fight against climate change?

[jupa]

Awesome, very down to earth. I am grateful for the links made with holistic knowledge and personal responsibility.
Constant critiquing, reflection, questioning the consequences, connect and care for the environment. Constant learning and expecting better!
Thank you

[clearybc]

Hi Professor, thank you for sharing your story. I found the 6Cs model to be fascinating, and how it connects so many ideas. At first, it seems like 6 disconnected topics, but after examining it further, it's actually a complex, connected web, where any action in one process or idea impacts the others. The cross-departmental policy idea is also an excellent idea, because the current state of politics, locally, nationally, regionally, and globally, is not good. The influence of media was something that I expected, because social media can both divide and bring people together on a variety of subjects. But, social media can be used to bring problems to peoples attention.

[AndrewWang-so]

The models of six Cs are just brilliant! This system of how we may view the world around us is above only environmental information. I think this system provides not only more comprehensive approaches in seeing the natural environment but also different aspects in viewing the world. In fact, I think this system may be also philosophical in a certain degree. This six Cs system encourage us to realize that problems in real life often have more than one side, and they are linked to each other. We need to think critically about the results of the decisions we make, and acknowledge our rights to influence the larger decisions.

[whisper]

I have come across the term 6Cs, which is a model used to analyze meta-enterprise information systems from a system-oriented perspective. However, it also holds significant relevance in the field of environmental science. Among the six Cs, I believe that "Care" stands out as the most crucial one. It emphasizes the need to cultivate an ethical mindset of responsibility towards the Earth. Rather than considering humans as the rightful owners of the planet, we should acknowledge that we are its primary inhabitants. As such, we bear immense consequences and responsibilities. It is our duty to care for all forms of life on Earth, extending our protection from small backyard gardens to community forests and diverse ecosystems worldwide. This concept of care embodies a deep sense of responsibility that each individual must uphold.

I particularly admire Scotland's landscape and its integrated government policy framework. This approach involves systematically dividing environmental policies into various categories, resulting in efficient and effective implementation. One aspect that intrigues me is their nature policy. I am keen to understand more about it and whether it primarily focuses on international tourists or places a greater emphasis on environmental conservation.

[akzxxzyx]

I think it's important to recognize and reflect on the consequences of our actions. Every decision we make has a ripple effect, impacting various aspects of our lives and the world around us. So it's important to use our hearts, minds, and actions in order to create meaningful change. These values are in line with the core principles of our school. Education should not only focus on cultivating our minds, but also nurturing our passion, empathy, and the ability to take action in a responsible and manner that will work with our current needs.

[柯炜轩]

Thank you for sharing! When I was young, I always felt that the power of individuals was very weak. At that time, I tried to change the polluted river at my doorstep but failed. Later, when the government began to guide people to protect the environment through some policies, such as "garbage classification" and "five water co-governance", I found that the environment of the community was indeed improved due to the efforts of each resident. I recognize that individual and collective impact on the environment is important, and that governments live under the guidance of those in power to help people's thoughts and actions positively impact nature. Because many things in nature are interconnected

[SourishDutta-de]

I find the concept of the 6Cs very interesting in such a way that it connects 6 topics which seem vaguely interconnected at first but throughout the video, the overlaps between them grows. The interconnectedness between the concepts of culture that shapes the media, consciousness that involves power dynamics, consumption which refers to unsustainable resource use, communication that forms narratives, and cooperation which is imperative for bringing change shares common traits which depict the positive and negatives throughout the process of address unsustainability. Thus the spider-net is a metaphor for how each strand is woven together and all of them must be present and addresses for working towards a more just and sustainable society.

[nivedha]

The 6Cs model allows people to understand their connections with the natural world, and the fact that each aspect of this model has an overlap with another (ex: environmental in multiple places) allows people to truly recognize these relationships. Education for sustainability wasn't something I was familiar with before this video, but it is something I am definitely going to look more into. Understanding what unsustainability is is crucial because, although all of us have definitely seen unsustainable practices, often times we aren't able to identify them. The fact that the layers of complexity involving the world, the media, and the influential and how we often consume these things online without any critique influence unsustainability wasn't a thought that crossed my mind before but makes so much sense. Education is needed when addressing social justice issues, but among many marginalized communities, it is something that is lacking. How do you ensure we provide decolonized forms of education in these communities?

[samanthaliu]

I love how Professor Higgins emphasized the interdisciplinary side of environmental education, and how it isn't purely a transfer of knowledge. Education is such a crucial part to bring awareness and help any issue, and it's interesting how environmental education can touch on other issues as well. Do you think our younger children in primary school are lacking environmental education? How would the idea of teaching more interdisciplinary be spread, ideally?

[Xie.J.W]

The lecturer's opinions and ideas on cross-sectional policies are helpful for me. The lecturer emphasizes the wide range of benefits of cross-sectional policies as well as complex interactions between sectors that may lead to negative impacts, a decision that is beneficial in one field may cause harm in another filed. Facing such circumstance, we can make evaluations on different impacts and consider the impacts of one decision in a totalized mindset. We should be aware of the core changes and peripheral changes, as well as that changes that are more and less related to people and environment. Making such evaluations is a difficult task, during this process we should depend on collective wisdom.

[영화가조아-qe]

When you said that social justice cannot operate just within one country, it reminded me of Martin Luther King's quote "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Also, I agree with you on how we still have the colonial approach. Can you give any advice on how to educate why they should care and act for the environment to those who are indifferent about sustainability?

[eugenekwon]

Hello Professor Higgins! I deeply enjoyed this video and your amazing thoughts on sustainability. I especially agree with you in regards of the fact that humanity is continuously exploiting the systems that support us and how we will reach a limit at some time. I also agree with the fact that “bloated capitalism” is a huge problem in our modern world. However, if that is the problem, I was wondering if there are any potential solutions? What direction should humanity go out in order to better our situation?

[sabrinalewis]

The 6Cs model is intriguing because it emphasizes the interconnectedness of various processes, where influencing one has a ripple effect on others. Another thought-provoking topic you included in your video is the concept of bloated capitalism. When observing our society, it becomes evident how corporate influence and privatization have contributed to inequality and environmental problems. Is there an effective approach to decentralize such powers and create a society where people hold more influence, redirecting the priority from capitalism? Among the necessary changes for a more sustainable world, transitioning from private to public ownership requires a fundamental shift in the prevailing philosophy that underpins many aspects of our current system…how can we accomplish this?