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As environmental challenges intensify, has become increasingly important for promoting sustainable practices and supporting adaptation to environmental change. Discussions of EE often focus on countries such as the UK, where recent policy initiatives have sought to . Chile, however, has experienced decades of neoliberal reforms that have contributed to a and (Valenzuela et al., 2014). Despite their different contexts, Chile and the UK face similar challenges, including uneven policy support, socioeconomic inequalities, and gaps in teacher training and resources (Archer et al., 2015). Then EE is not only about acquiring knowledge but also about fostering civic agency, justice, and young people’s ability to address environmental challenges.

The Role of Environmental Education

Environmental education promotes critical thinking and scientific inquiry by connecting knowledge, society, and the environment (Vineis & Gambhir, 2023); even simple initiatives, such as teaching recycling, can foster civic and ecological responsibility. As environmental challenges grow, Hampton & Whitmarsh (2023) argue that worsening environmental crises make educational research and action essential for preparing future generations to understand and address climate change.

Insights from Recent Literature

Recent EE research has expanded beyond teachers’ and students’ beliefs and practices to examine policy and curriculum contexts. Bascopé et al. (2025) emphasise the importance of professional development for educators, while Gough (2024) highlights the often-overlooked political and gender dimensions of EE. in the field also suggests that remains marginal within the English curriculum and calls for more transdisciplinary approaches. Together, these studies show that EE is shaped not only by individual learning but also by the structural and institutional conditions that influence educational opportunities.

‘Environmental education is not simply about individual knowledge but also about understanding the structural, institutional and ideological conditions.’

Policy Gaps and Implications

Although the UK government has introduced sustainability strategies, environmental education has not been systematically embedded within English education policy. , creating uneven access that often disadvantages schools and communities with fewer resources. These issues reflect global inequalities found in countries such as Chile and Uganda, where poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and limited teacher training hinder opportunities for effective environmental learning (Silva-Laya et al., 2020).

Neoliberalism and Environmental Education

Chile also illustrates how broader neoliberal policies could be focused on markets and competition, which has reshaped educational priorities, often sidelining environmental and social goals in favour of economic outcomes (Kopnina, 2015). This dynamic is not unique to Chile; similar logics operate across the Global North, including England, where parental education and geography shape access to scientific capital (Archer et al., 2015). Placing EE within this larger political economy lens reveals it as not only an educational concern but also a social justice issue.

Why Is Research in This Field Urgent?

The urgency of research in EE lies not only in advancing pedagogical practices but in understanding the political, structural and economic conditions that shape its implementation. Recognising that EE is inherently unequal and contested allows us to reframe it: not as a peripheral curricular topic, but as a vital and justice-oriented field of education, central to preparing young people to navigate and transform uncertain futures.

References

Archer, L., Dawson, E., DeWitt, J., Seakins, A. and Wong, B. (2015), “Science capital”: A conceptual, methodological, and empirical argument for extending bourdieusian notions of capital beyond the arts. J Res Sci Teach, 52(7), 922–948.

Bascopé, M., Becerra, R., Salazar, D., Arenas, A., Morales, R., Merino, C., Ampuero, P. (2025). Teacher continuous professional development in climate change education: Analyzing teachers’ perspectives. Journal of Environmental Education, 56(4), 285–306.

Gough, A. (2024). Gender and environmental education: Feminist and other(ed) perspectives: The selected works of Annette Gough (1st ed.). Routledge.

Hampton, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2023). Choices for climate action: A review of the multiple roles individuals play. One Earth, 6(9), 1157–1172. 

Kopnina, H. (2015). Neoliberalism, pluralism and environmental education: The call for radical re-orientation. Environmental Development, 15, 120–130.

Silva-Laya, M., D’Angelo, N., García, E., Zúñiga, L., & Fernández, T. (2020). Urban poverty and education. A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review, 29, Article 100280.

Valenzuela, J. P., Bellei, C., & Ríos, D. de los. (2014). Socioeconomic school segregation in a market-oriented educational system. The case of Chile. Journal of Education Policy, 29(2), 217–241.

Vineis, P., & Gambhir, A., (2023). Social inequalities and the environmental crisis: need for an intergenerational alliance. Front. Public Health, 11.