Environmental Education Research

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: www.tandfonline.com/journals/ceer20

Environmental and sustainability education in the

Caribbean: Crucial issues, critical imperatives

Therese Ferguson

To cite this article: Therese Ferguson (2020) Environmental and sustainability education in
the Caribbean: Crucial issues, critical imperatives, Environmental Education Research, 26:6,
763-771, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2020.1754342

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1754342

Published online: 21 Apr 2020.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 3486

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 7 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ceer20
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH
2020, VOL. 26, NO. 6, 763–771
https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1754342

Environmental and sustainability education in the Caribbean:

Crucial issues, critical imperatives
Therese Ferguson
School of Education, The University of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

The development, quality and impact of environmental and sustainabil- Received 2 April 2020
ity education (ESE) in the Caribbean have received increased attention Accepted 3 April 2020
from a growing body of education researchers over the past few deca-
KEYWORDS
des. This is not surprising given that the region has been grappling
Environmental and
with various environmental, social, and economic sustainability issues, sustainability education;
and education remains widely regarded as a key mode of response by a climate change;
range of stakeholders, networks and commentators. Drawing on local to environment and violence;
wider perspectives and initiatives, formal and non-formal ESE activities teacher educa-
have been undertaken, to enhance knowledge and awareness, develop tion; Caribbean
values, hone skills, and promote behaviours consistent with sustainable
development. Whilst this increased engagement is significant and heart-
ening, I argue that there is still scope for a renewal of focus in ESE in
the Caribbean, honing in on four main areas: climate change education,
the environment and violence nexus, teacher education, and universities
as models of and for sustainability. These areas are consistent with
regional sustainability imperatives and the global Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), as well as ripe for deeper research-practice
interlinkages. An overview of existing fields of educational inquiry in the
Caribbean is offered, along with the four foci for further and future
research, with the hope that new, emerging and established academics
(as well as practitioners) work productively together to engage these
crucial issues and critical imperatives for ESE.

Introduction
I am a Caribbean citizen and scholar, and fairly new member of this journal’s Editorial Board. In
focusing this Editorial on my region, my intention is deliberate: I use it to issue a call to both
established and emerging scholars, to engage further with various facets surrounding the
researching of environmental and sustainability education (ESE) within the region.
The Caribbean nestles within the Americas, and consists primarily of island states (Benjamin
2010), with three main island groupings - the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the islands
of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos archipelagos (Potter et al. 2004). The region is said to have
the largest number of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) globally (Rhiney 2015). The region
also includes the mainland nations of Belize, Guyana, and Suriname, which have larger land
masses (Rhiney 2015). It is home to a complex interplay of environmental, social, and economic
factors which challenge environmental protection, alongside all the other dimensions of

CONTACT Therese Ferguson therese.ferguson02@uwimona.edu.jm School of Education, The University of the West
Indies, P.O. Box 30, Mona, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies
ß 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
764 T. FERGUSON

sustainability. With respect to their natural environments, peoples of the Caribbean–indigenous

and diasporic peoples –face many challenges: examples include biodiversity loss, deforestation,
water degradation, pollution of land, water, and air resources, waste management issues and, of
course, the threats and impacts associated with global climate change (Heileman 2004). In add-
ition to these environmental issues, there are many distinct, overlapping and intersecting social
and economic issues with which Caribbean nations contend; these include, but are not limited
to what some argue as most pressing for these societies: crime and violence, HIV/AIDS, and pov-
erty (ECLAC, 2015; UNDP, 2012).
Given their commitment to attending to and addressing these issues, Environmental
Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are critical to the region. They
sit alongside other related education paradigms, such as peace education and global citizenship
education, as just two of many strategies attempting to transform the living conditions and life-
worlds of Caribbean citizens. Needless to say, in keeping with international discourse and agen-
das, both EE and ESD are critical with respect to developing and enhancing the knowledge,
values and attitudes, skills, and action competencies that support these and related education
models, particularly within the contemporary context of the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). This is on the understanding that these can, and will, ultimately, engender the individual
and societal shifts necessary to address issues such as those identified above.
As a prerequisite to both EE and ESD though, basic research is needed that responds to
important areas of inquiry (e.g. Glasgow, 1989; Arias-La Forgia 1994; Bedasse 2002), and more
sophisticated forms to inform and ground EE and ESD in relevant practice informed by reflexive
scholarship (see Howell 1994; Hiebert 2013; Down and Down 2018). Academics in the region
have been increasingly engaged in various facets of EE and ESD from the 1980s onwards. For
example, university-based scholars, researchers and doctoral students have explored diverse
areas such as the provision for EE in Caribbean national environmental action plans (Bynoe and
Hale 1997); coral reef education through the Bucco Reef Trust in primary schools in Tobago
(Armstrong 2005); the formation of a regional network on ESD (Down and Nurse 2007); concep-
tualisations of nature and the environment in Jamaican primary school curricula (Ferguson
2008a); reviews of the Sandwatch programme (UNESCO 2010) in Caribbean countries (Cambers
et al. 2008a); community-oriented learning (Down 2010); infusion of EE/ESD into various subject-
areas in education in Jamaica (Cambers et al. 2008b; Lee 2008); biodiversity and ESD in teacher
education programmes in Jamaica (Collins-Figueroa 2012); analyses of school curricula for EE,
ESD, and/or climate change content in countries such as Guyana (Bynoe and Simmons 2014) and
Jamaica (Roofe and Ferguson 2018); tertiary-level climate change curricula in Jamaica (Ferguson
and Bramwell-Lalor 2018); and environmental science education in Aruba (Eppinga, de Scisciolo,
and Mijts 2019), to name but some areas of ESE research activity. It is not meant to be an
exhaustive list though, but rather serves to highlight areas of interest for early career to more
established academics in the region thus far. From a brief scan, we see that engagement with
both formal and non-formal learning, with education at various levels, and with perceptions of
and interactions with nature and the environment is consistent and common, as it is in many
other regions (Miller and Howell 1989; Down 2011; Ferguson 2016).
Adding to this, Special Issues of regional journals have been devoted to EE and ESD, and
these tend to offer more depth, and a wider range of perspectives and contributors. Notable
examples include the 2008 issue of Caribbean Journal of Education, edited by academic
Marceline Collins-Figueroa (Collins-Figueroa 2008, see https://www.mona.uwi.edu/soe/publica-
tions/cje/journal/cje-vol-30-no-1) and, more recently, the 2018 issue of Caribbean Quarterly,
edited by academics Michael Taylor, Lorna Down, and Kimberley Stephenson (see Down, Taylor,
and Stephenson 2018). Also of note is work associated with the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), when it convened a regional conference on ESD
in Jamaica in 2010. Proceedings from that conference, which included many academic contribu-
tions, appeared in the inaugural issue of Caribbean Journal of Education for Sustainable
 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 765

Development (Diamond, Scudder, and Pateman 2011). Significant as well is the Teacher’s Guide
for ESD in the region, which followed on from the launch of the 2005–2014 United Nations
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD) (Cambers et al. 2008b). Regionally-
focused and regionally-authored publications such as these highlight the increasing import and
opportunities accorded to ESE in the region by its academics and practitioners.
With this backdrop in mind, I now share my thoughts on four areas of inquiry that I believe
could benefit from further engagement by researchers and practitioners, specifically: (i) climate
change education, (ii) the natural environment, aggression and violence, (iii) teacher education,
and (iv) universities as models of sustainability. As I will briefly sketch, to my mind these four
areas are central to responding to key issues affecting nations in the region – climate change
and violence – and can move forward EE and ESD whilst simultaneously supporting the SDGs. I
invite you to respond to my observations and suggestions, joining us in identifying and address-
ing some of the blind, blank, bald and bright spots for research in the region and international
ESE (Reid 2019).

Climate change education

One of the key imperatives for ESE research in the Caribbean surrounds the issue of climate
change. Tropical environments are inherently vulnerable to climate change due to their particular
geographic features, e.g. their location and ecological characteristics, alongside various socio-
economic factors and interactions (Benjamin 2010; Rhiney 2015; Taylor 2015; Taylor et al. 2012).
As a result, both island and mainland states face risks to their natural, social, economic, and
human capital (Bynoe and Simmons 2014). It goes without saying that climate change education
(CCE) to support mitigation and adaptation in the region is a must for the regional populace,
whether that is to: (a) ensure knowledge about key facets of climate change; (b) develop skills to
make decisions about, solve problems of, and creatively address the phenomena; or (c) nurture
or instil values such as tolerance and empathy for those vulnerable to its effects, particularly
given the issues of climate inequities even within the region.
There is undoubtedly a burgeoning literature on climate change and education both from
outside and inside the region, including in this journal. In the context of this editorial, it is worth
noting that in 2018, the aforementioned journal Caribbean Quarterly devoted its Special Issue to
Climate Change and Education for Sustainable Development (see https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/
rcbq20/64/1). Articles focused on such topics as the Regional Climate Science Initiative, experien-
tial learning for farmer engagement and empowerment, tertiary-level sustainability and climate
change education initiatives, disaster risk management information for Persons with Disabilities
(PWDs), and implementers’ perspectives on ESD projects. The issue represents an important col-
lection of recent Caribbean-focused research with respect to CCE and ESD.
Nevertheless, I argue there still needs to be more growth and a refocusing of scholarly activ-
ities in and about the region. As one of the fundamentals, there must be research and/or audits
of curricula content for climate change to offer baseline data and/or to support infusion, such as
that undertaken by Bynoe and Simmons (2014) on science and social studies primary school cur-
ricula in Guyana. There also needs to be further assessment, evaluation and research of impact
where curricular content does incorporate climate change, on students’ knowledge, skills, values
and attitudes, alongside where and when it does not impact as expected, and when and why it
is not incorporated, such as when it remains extra-curricular (cf. Taylor 1988). Beyond this,
researchers must engage with facets of CCE that touch on issues of PWDs, CCE and children, and
schools themselves as spaces of resiliency and safety. Additionally, given the strong faith base of
many Caribbean nations (e.g. Christianity in Jamaica, and Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam in
Guyana), the role of faith and interfaith education merits further investigation. To illustrate
briefly, Swee-Hin and Cawagas (2010) have examined how various faiths share values that
766 T. FERGUSON

promote harmonious relationships with earth, emphasising, for example, interdependence

among all parts of the universe and a divine act of creation by a supreme deity. They explain
that these faiths have “shared values and principles for inspiring their followers to live in har-
mony with the earth, and thereby contribute to the building of sustainable futures based on
active nonviolence, justice, human rights, and intercultural respect” (Swee-Hin and Cawagas
2010, 176). Exploring faith-based and interfaith-based foundations and approaches to education
in the Caribbean context, and religious/theological contributions to sustainable development in
the region, could therefore be useful–and telling–for understanding the practices, potentials and
prospects for CCE and ESD initiatives in these countries (e.g. Lalor, 2018, cf. UNESCO, 2019, on
approaches in ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’, Figure 6, p.8, or more broadly, specific priorities
in nations for education, training, communication and public awareness1).

Environment and violence

Nations within the region have struggled with issues of crime and violence, challenges that can
undermine sustainable development processes and goals in various ways. Caribbean countries
such as Jamaica have high rates of violence (UNDP, 2012). A few researchers have focused on
how children’s natural and/or physical environments have influenced how they perceive nature,
but it remains a telling gap in our studies, despite pleas to address this.
Take Elizabeth Thomas-Hope, a former Grace Kennedy endowed Chair in Environmental
Management at The University of the West Indies (UWI), who argued for a need for a revolution
in the approach to education in the Caribbean. This was after highlighting the conscious and
unconscious interactions of children to adults from a range of backgrounds, and the influence of
the conditions for and forms of contact with the physical environment in the development of
self-identity and relationships with and within the natural world. In a particularly powerful extract
from her 1996 public lecture on ‘The Environmental Dilemma in Caribbean Context’, the
esteemed geographer lamented that: “Children in Kingston’s so-called ‘garrison’ communities,
where green is the colour of a political party, not of vegetation, grow up in an environment
devoid of nature. The power, which they assert over their own environment, reflects inner anger
rather than positive interaction. Cats, you kick; dogs, you stone; and birds, you shoot. They do
not find a friend in any of these animals, nor do animals find a friend in them” (Thomas-Hope
1996, 10).
Such seminal research, summaries and calls to action need to be reimagined for the 2020s,
even as they continue to focus on the psychological impacts of contact with nature and the con-
verse – lack of contact with nature – on aggression and violence over the lifetime, at home and
in the Caribbean diaspora (see for example, Lousley 1999, p.301, on racist assumptions and fram-
ings; and Down 2007, on a project in initial teacher education to address attitudes to and behav-
iours of violence through literature that unpicks social/historical, economic and environmental
aspects, p.7). Based in the USA, academics Kuo and Sullivan (2001) pointed out that greenery in
urban areas, such as in community parks, can enhance cognitive functioning and decrease men-
tal fatigue which may lead to irritability and decreased impulse control. This points to the role of
nature, but also both connection to nature and place as potent psychological factors in reducing
violence and aggression. So given the levels of aggression and violence in a number of
Caribbean societies, research surrounding the psychological and educative benefits of nature in
violence prevention and peace remains an important arena for inquiry. Linked to this is research
on the human-nature connection and how urban and green spaces, travel, work, and exposure
to nature and so forth can heighten and/or diminish connection to nature and, by extension,
environmental care and protection, respect and care for self, others, and the environment in the
lives of educators and those being educated, or otherwise (e.g. on ethnographic approaches,
Tzou and Bell 2012, but see also Taylor 1988).
 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 767

Teacher education
A related area of importance then, is pre- and in-service teacher education. Major global docu-
ments and initiatives underscore the significance of and prioritise capacity-building in teacher
education including Agenda 21, the UN DESD, and the Global Action Programme on ESD
(UNCED, 1992; UNESCO 2014). The literature on EE and ESD highlights the importance of teach-
ers in the dissemination of environmental and sustainability knowledge, with scholars in the
region concurring with this call (e.g. Collins-Figueroa et al. 2008; Hordatt Gentles 2018; Ori and
Blanchard 2015; Down 2015). In my own early research on environmental education for sustain-
able development in Jamaica (Ferguson 2008b), I highlighted that teachers are those in the class-
room best positioned to translate written curricula into lived experience in the classroom. This
relies on their own pedagogical content knowledge and expertise in EE, ESD and related issues,
as well as their own skills development, and clarification of their own values and attitudes, and
as the foci shift for internal and external reasons, so must our research, to stay abreast of these
changes, and inform current and future generations of teachers and stakeholders in ESE.
On this, I note that significant work in ESD and teacher education has been carried out in the
region, through both the Joint Board of Teacher Education (JBTE) and UWI on the infusion of EE
and/or ESD in teacher education. Work has also been accomplished through the Mainstreaming
of Environment and Sustainability in Caribbean Universities (MESCA) network. Academics such as
Down (2008), Ferguson (2008b), Collins-Figueroa (2012), and Hordatt Gentles (2018) have
engaged with various facets of teacher education. However, minimal to no research has been
carried out or published on the impact of capacity-building initiatives, for instance, the impact of
MESCA workshops held in the region. Research, including by graduate students, is needed to
assess impact of capacity-building and training initiatives in teacher education, especially with
respect to teachers’ knowledge and skills, and also in terms of the translation of capacity-
building efforts into the classroom. Research is also needed on models for capacity-building in
teacher education (what works best) and teachers own self-efficacy with respect to CCE and ESD
(barriers and enabling factors).

Universities as models of sustainability

The fourth and final area where I believe more research is needed is through a focus on the
claims and evidence base for universities acting as exemplars of ESE. Speaking with reference to
CCE in particular, Rooney and McMillin (2010) propose that university campuses can move
beyond the delivery and dissemination of knowledge and research to drive CCE through out-
reach and engagement with communities, institutional behaviour, and campus design.
Concomitant with this, research is needed in the Caribbean to assess the impact of Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) environmental and sustainability work in the areas of (i) education
and training, (ii) research, (iii) community engagement, and (iv) campus operations. Additionally,
research is needed to inform the design of initiatives and engagement. Given the existence of a
major regional institution in the Caribbean – UWI – alongside various other tertiary-level institu-
tions in both the island and mainland nations, this is an apt moment for research driven by
these HEIs on these HEIs for the further work of these HEIs. A critical aspect of this must be the
effect of university outreach and community programmes, and how these programmes interface
with the communities, alongside studies of the drivers, capacities and nesting of these pro-
grammes in wider initiatives, e.g. as beacons in regional centres of expertise in ESE, but also in
relation to their funding, leadership, mentoring and professional learning.
In addition, it is important to recognise that this research can encompass participatory action-
based research in which academics, in collaboration with colleagues and/or students, undertake
inquiries in EE and ESD “in partnership with community members in order to build research
768 T. FERGUSON

competencies, engage in transformative learning, and promote lifelong learning in communities”

(Ferguson 2017, 119).

Conclusion
In this year 2020, while I acknowledge that although the Caribbean regional body of literature
on ESE has not reached the extent of the literature base that exists in Anglophone areas such as
Australasia, North America, or the United Kingdom, it is growing, and not just in English too
(see Briggs, Trautmann, and Fournier 2018). Emerging and established scholars have been contri-
buting to a steadily advancing field of inquiry across the lifespan, be they working in the pre-
dominantly English-speaking or Spanish-speaking Caribbean (see, for example, Ellis 2000;
Gonzalez-Gaudiano 1999, 2007, p.158). With this in mind, I have proposed several areas ripe not
only for deeper inquiry but of urgency too, given the current global and regional issues at play,
as well as the acknowledged role of HEIs in supporting and advancing this work. As one of the
leading international journals in the field of ESE, Environmental Education Research has always
welcomed empirical, philosophical, practice and/or policy-based contributions from those work-
ing in the region. It is my hope that this Editorial goes some way to encouraging those working
within and beyond the region to take stock, stimulating additional inquiry in the Caribbean and
via comparative efforts (cf. Gonzalez-Gaudiano & Lorenzetti, 2013), as well as furthering the writ-
ing up and dissemination of Caribbean-focused ESE research which can be published in forums
and formats such as those offered by this journal. I would like to end by proposing that a
Special Issue of Environmental Education Research could be devoted to ESE in the Caribbean
region and centred on three or four key areas (those raised in this Editorial or others) and serve
as a springboard for increasing research dialogue and collaboration amongst those working in
the region.

Note
1. For practice development examples, case studies and country profiles from the region, see, for example,
UNESCO (2012, 2015a, 2015b).

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes on Contributor
Therese Ferguson is a Lecturer in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in the School of Education at The
University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica. She is the Coordinator of the ESD Working Group within the
School of Education and the Programme Leader for Change from Within, a school-based initiative in Jamaica which
addresses violence and indiscipline. Her research interests include ESD, environmental education, children and the
environment, and peace education.

References
Arias-La Forgia, A. 1994. Environmental Education in the School Systems of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Working Paper No. 4. Washington, DC: US Agency for International Development. Available at: http://files.eric.ed.
gov/fulltext/ED378030.pdf
Armstrong, H. 2005. “Environmental Education in Tobago’s Primary Schools: A Case Study of Coral Reef Education.”
Revista de Biologıa Tropical, 53, 229–238. https://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-
77442005000300028
 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 769

Bedasse, J. 2002. Education for Sustainable Development Initiatives in the Caribbean. Gland, Switzerland and
Cambridge, United Kingdom: IUCN, Commission on Education and Communication. https://www.nepa.gov.jm/
neec/resource_centre/pulications/ESD%20Initiative%20in%20Caribb.pdf.
Benjamin, L. 2010. “Climate Change and Caribbean Small Island Developing States: The State of Play.” The
International Journal of Bahamian Studies 16: 78–91. doi:10.15362/ijbs.v16i0.129.
Briggs, L., N. M. Trautmann, and C. Fournier. 2018. “Environmental Education in Latin American and the Caribbean:
The Challenges and Limitations of Conducting a Systematic Review of Evaluation and Research.” Environmental
Education Research 24 (12): 1631–1654. DOI:. doi:10.1080/13504622.2018.1499015.
Bynoe, P., and W. Hale. 1997. “An Analysis of Environmental Education Provision in a Sample of Caribbean National
Environmental Action Plans (NEAPs).” Environmental Education Research 3 (1): 59–68. DOI:. doi:10.1080/
1350462970030105.
Bynoe, P., and D. Simmons. 2014. “An Appraisal of Climate Change Education at the Primary Level in Guyana.”
Caribbean Geography 19: 89–103.
Cambers, G., H. Belmar, M. Brito-Feliz, P. Diamond, C. Key, A. Paul, and G. Townsend. 2008a. “Sandwatch: A Practical
Issue-Based Action-Oriented Approach to ESD.” Caribbean Journal of Education 30 (1): 1–28. https://www.mona.
uwi.edu/soe/publications/cje/article/154.
Cambers, G., G. Chapman, P. Diamond, L. Down, A. D. Griffith, W. Wiltshire, and U. Miura. 2008b. Teacher’s Guide for
Education for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean. Santiago: UNESCO Regional Bureau of Education for
Latin America and the Caribbean. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000161761.
Collins-Figueroa, M. 2008. “Introduction: Environmental Education and Sustainable Development in the Caribbean.”
Caribbean Journal of Education 30 (1): v–xii. https://www.mona.uwi.edu/soe/publications/cje/article/401.
Collins-Figueroa, M. 2012. “Biodiversity and Education for Sustainable Development in Teacher Education
Programmes of Four Jamaican Educational Institutions.” Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 6 (2):
253–267. doi:10.1177/0973408212475257.
Collins-Figueroa, M., G. Sanguinetti Phillips, E. Foster-Allen, and C. Falloon. 2008. “Advancing Jamaican Formal
Education through Environmental Education for Sustainable Development.” Caribbean Journal of Education 30
(1): 160–176. https://www.mona.uwi.edu/soe/publications/cje/article/164.
Diamond, P., K. Scudder, and M. P. Pateman (Eds). (2011). “Environmental Education and Sustainable Development
in the Caribbean.” Caribbean Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 1 (1): 1–72.
Down, L. 2007. “Literature to Address the Problem of Violence: Infusing ESD in the Curriculum.” In: R. McKeown
(Ed.), UNESCO, Good Practices in Education for Sustainable Development: Teacher Education Institutions, 7–10. Paris:
UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000152452.
Down, L. 2008. “Extending the Constructivist Paradigm: A New Approach to Learning and Teaching for Sustainable
Development.” Caribbean Journal of Education, 30, 60–81.
Down, L. 2010. Teaching and learning in, with and for community: Towards a pedagogy for education for sustain-
able development. Southern African Journal of Environmental Education, 27, 58–70. https://www.ajol.info/index.
php/sajee/article/view/122869
Down, L. 2011. “Education for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean – Latest Buzzword or Paradigmatic Shift
in Education.” Caribbean Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 1 (1): 9–17.
Down, L. 2015. “Engaging Mindfully with the Commons: A Case of Caribbean Teachers’ Experience with ESD.”
Applied Environmental Education & Communication 14 (2): 105–111. doi:10.1080/1533015X.2014.974852.
Down, K.-A., and L. Down. 2018. “Implementers’ Perspectives on Creating Successful Education for Sustainable
Development Projects.” Caribbean Quarterly 64 (1): 167–187. doi:10.1080/00086495.2018.1435348.
Down, L., and H. Nurse. 2007. “Education for Sustainable Development Networks, Potential and Challenge: A Critical
Reflection on the Formation of the Caribbean Regional Network.” Journal of Education for Teaching 33 (2):
177–190. doi:10.1080/02607470701259473.
Down, L., M. Taylor, and K. Stephenson. 2018. “Introduction.” Caribbean Quarterly 64 (1): 3–4. doi:10.1080/00086495.
2018.1435285.
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) 2015. The Caribbean and the post-2015 sustain-
able development agenda. https://unite.un.org/events/sites/unite.un.org.events/files/Final%20Paper%20on%
20SDGs%20for%20the%20Caribbean.pdf
Ellis, P. 2000. “Environmental Adult Education in the English-Speaking Caribbean.” Convergence 33 (4): 86–96.
Eppinga, M. B., T. de Scisciolo, and E. N. Mijts. 2019. “Environmental Science Education in a Small Island State:
Integrating Theory and Local Experience.” Environmental Education Research 25 (7): 1004–1018. doi:10.1080/
13504622.2018.1552248.
Ferguson, T. 2008a. “Nature’ and the ‘Environment’ in Jamaica’s Primary School Curriculum Guides.” Environmental
Education Research 14 (5): 559–577. doi:10.1080/13504620802345966.
Ferguson, T. 2008b. “Preservice Teachers’ Views on Nature, the Environment and Sustainable Development:
Implications for Teacher Education.” Caribbean Journal of Education 30 (1): 108–135. https://www.mona.uwi.edu/
soe/publications/cje/article/158.
770 T. FERGUSON

Ferguson, T. 2016. “Education for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean: Demystifying the Concept to Enhance
and Broaden Practice.” Caribbean Educational Research Journal 4 (1): 20–36. https://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/fhe/
education/publications/past-issues/volume-4-number-1-april-2016/articles/2_cerj-vol-4-no-1-ferguson-murray.aspx.
Ferguson, T. 2017. “Educators’ Understandings of Education for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean:
Learning from the Regional Literature.” In: C. Hordatt Gentles (Ed.), ICET 2016 60th World Assembly: Teachers for a
Better World: Creating Conditions for Quality Education - Pedagogy, Policy and Professionalism, 106–122. Kingston,
Jamaica. July 18–21, 2016. Mona: School of Education, UWI. http://www.icet4u.org/docs/Jamaica_2016.pdf.
Ferguson, T., and S. Bramwell-Lalor. 2018. “Tertiary-Level Sustainability and Climate Change Education: Curricula
Development Efforts for Caribbean Teachers.” Caribbean Quarterly 64 (1): 79–99. DOI:. doi:10.1080/00086495.
2018.1435337.
Glasgow, J. 1989. “Environmental Education: Global Concern, Caribbean Focus.” Caribbean Journal of Education 16
(1&2): 1–11.
Gonzalez-Gaudiano, E. 1999. “Otra Lectura a la Historia de la Educacio n Ambiental en America Latina y el Caribe.”
Topicos en Educacio n Ambiental 1: 9–26. Reprinted at: http://www.ecologiasocial.com/biblioteca/
GonzalezGhisotiraEducAmbALat.pdf.
Gonzalez-Gaudiano, E. 2007. “Schooling and Environment in Latin America in the Third Millennium.” Environmental
Education Research 13 (2): 155–169. DOI:. doi:10.1080/13504620701295684.
Gonzalez -Gaudiano, E., and L. Lorenzetti. 2013. “Trends, Junctures, and Disjunctures in Latin American
Environmental Education Research.” In: International Handbook of Environmental Education Research, edited by B.
Stevenson, M. Brody, J. Dillon, and A. Wals, 171–177. New York/London: Routledge.
Heileman, S. (Ed.) 2004. Caribbean environment outlook. UNEP. http://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.
11822/9376/-Caribbean_Environment_Outlook-2004GEO_CarribeanEnvironmentOutlook_2004.pdf.pdf?sequence=
3&isAllowed=y
Hiebert, M. 2013. Education for Sustainable Development in Small Island Developing States. London: Commonwealth
Secretariat.
Hordatt Gentles, C. 2018. “Reorienting Jamaican Teacher Education to Address Sustainability.” Caribbean Quarterly
64 (1): 149–166. doi:10.1080/00086495.2018.1435346.
Howell, C. A. 1994. “Environmental Education in the English Speaking Caribbean.” In: Environmental Education in
Small Island Developing States, edited by W. L. Filho, 65–87. Vancouver, BC: The Commonwealth of Learning.
Kuo, F. E., and W. C. Sullivan. 2001. “Environment and Crime in the Inner City: Does Vegetation Reduce Crime?.”
Environment and Behavior 33 (3): 343–367. doi:10.1177/0013916501333002.
Lalor, G. 2018. “A Caribbean Theological Reflection on Development in the Writing of Ashley Smith.” Caribbean
Quarterly 64 (1): 136–148. doi:10.1080/00086495.2018.1435345.
Lee, N. 2008. “A Recycling and Resource Centre for Mathematics: Recycle for Maths Today – Preserve the
Environment for Tomorrow.” Caribbean Journal of Education 30 (1): 136–159. https://www.mona.uwi.edu/soe/
publications/cje/article/159.
Lousley, C. 1999. (“De)Politicizing the Environment Club: Environmental Discourses and the Culture of Schooling.”
Environmental Education Research 5 (3): 293–304. doi:10.1080/1350462990050304.
Miller, B. A., and C. A. Howell. 1989. “Environmental Education in the English-Speaking Caribbean: A Report.”
Caribbean Journal of Education 16 (1/2): 105–116.
Ori, H., and G. Blanchard. 2015. “Teacher Education and the Challenges of Sustainable Development.” Academic
Journal of Suriname 6: 547–554. http://www.adekusjournal.sr/adekusjournal/data/documentbestand/547-554-
V02-Teacher_Education_and_the_challenges_of_sustainable_Development.pdf.
Potter, R. B., D. Barker, D. Conway, and T. Klak. 2004. The Contemporary Caribbean. Harlow: Pearson Education
Limited.
Reid, A. 2019. “Blank, Blind, Bald and Bright Spots in Environmental Education Research.” Environmental Education
Research 25 (2): 157–171. DOI:. doi:10.1080/13504622.2019.1615735.
Rhiney, K. 2015. “Geographies of Caribbean Vulnerability in a Changing Climate: Issues and Trends.” Geography
Compass 9 (3): 97–114. doi:10.1111/gec3.12199.
Roofe, C., and T. Ferguson. 2018. “Technical and Vocational Education and Training Curricular Subjects at the Lower
Secondary Level in Jamaica: A Preliminary Exploration of Education for Sustainable Development Content.”
Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education 9 (2): 93–110. doi:10.2478/dcse-2018-0017.
Rooney, M., and J. McMillin. 2010. “The Campus as a Classroom: Integrating People, Place and Performance for
Communicating Climate Change.” In: Universities and Climate Change: introducing Climate Change to University
Programmes, edited by W. Leal Filho, 117–136. Heidelberg: Springer.
Swee-Hin, T., and V. Cawagas. 2010. “Transforming the Ecological Crisis: Challenges for Faith and Interfaith
Education in Interesting Times.” In: Education and Climate Change: Living and Learning in Interesting Times, edited
by F. Kagawa & D. Selby, 175–196. New York: Routledge.
Taylor, D. 1988. “Environmental Education in Jamaica: The Implementation Gap between Policymakers, Teachers,
and Students.” The Journal of Environmental Education 20 (1): 22–28. doi:10.1080/00958964.1988.9942777.
 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH 771

Taylor, M. 2015. Why Climate Demands Change. Kingston: Grace Kennedy Foundation. http://gracekennedy.com/lec-
ture/GKL2015-Climate.pdf.
Taylor, M., T. Stephenson, A. A. Chen, and K. Stephenson. 2012. “Climate Change and the Caribbean: Review and
Response.” Caribbean Studies 40 (2): 169–200. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41917607?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_
contents.
Thomas-Hope, E. 1996. The Environmental Dilemma in Caribbean Context. Kingston: Grace Kennedy Foundation.
http://gracekennedy.com/lecture/GKF1996Lecture.pdf.
Tzou, C. T., and P. Bell. 2012. “The Role of Borders in Environmental Education: Positioning, Power and Marginality.”
Ethnography and Education 7 (2): 265–282. doi:10.1080/17457823.2012.693697.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) 1992. Agenda 21: Programme of action for
sustainable development. New York: United Nations. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/
Agenda21.pdf
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2012. Caribbean human development report 2012: Human develop-
ment and the shift to better citizen security. New York: UNDP. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000215314
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2010. Sandwatch: adapting to climate
change and educating for sustainable development. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/
pf0000189418
UNESCO 2012. Climate change education for sustainable development in Small Island Developing States: report and
recommendations. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000216473
UNESCO 2014. UNESCO roadmap for implementing the global action programme on education for sustainable devel-
opment. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000230514
UNESCO 2015a. Experts Meeting on Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the
Caribbean: report and recommendations. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000234550
UNESCO 2015b. Not just hot air: putting climate change education into practice. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.
unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000233083
UNESCO 2019. Country progress on climate change education, training and public awareness: an analysis of country
submissions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Paris: UNESCO. https://unesdoc.
unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000372164