The climate educator: a new figure for a complex challenge

Climate change is a global challenge that requires a profound rethinking of how we live, work and interact with our planet. To tackle it, it is not enough to rely on technological solutions or policies far removed from everyday life. What is needed is an education capable of engaging people in their most immediate context, making the climate issue accessible, concrete and linked to everyone’s experiences. It is in this context that the Climate Third Places project, and in particular the figure of the climate educator, fits in.

The climate educator of the Climate Third Places project is not only an expert in climate change or pedagogy. He is a facilitator of change, a person capable of connecting scientific and technical knowledge with the concerns and aspirations of ordinary people. His role is particularly significant in ‘third places’, those spaces of informal socialisation and interaction such as cafes, parks or libraries. Here, outside institutional and formal contexts, relationships of trust are built and opportunities for dialogue open up that can become fertile ground for climate education.

The approach used in the project, inspired by Appreciative Design, is central to this process. This methodology, born out of the encounter between Design Thinking and Appreciative Inquiry, focuses on exploiting the resources and positive experiences already present in a context, instead of focusing on problems. In other words, it starts from the recognition of existing strengths in order to generate meaningful change. In the case of climate education, this means not only informing people about what is happening to the planet, but also actively involving them, building on their existing motivations and skills.

Key competences for climate education

To delineate the profile of the climate educator, the Climate Third Places project also based itself on the 8 transversal competences defined by UNESCO for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These competences are fundamental for promoting education that leads to real behavioural and collective change:

1. Critical thinking: The ability to analyse information objectively and question existing practices is essential for understanding the complexity of climate challenges and developing innovative solutions.
2. Systemic thinking: This competence is about understanding the interconnections between global and local phenomena, recognising how individual actions influence the complex system of sustainability.
3. Collaboration: Working together is crucial in addressing climate challenges. The climate educator must be able to facilitate cooperation between individuals and communities to promote collective action.
4. Valuing sustainability: Reflecting on one’s values and behaviour and aligning them with those of sustainability is the first step in promoting more sustainable and conscious lifestyles.
5. Justice and equity: Supporting social and environmental justice means promoting change that takes into account inequalities and different vulnerabilities, ensuring a fairer future for all.
6. Collective action: Mobilising communities to act together to tackle climate problems strengthens the capacity to create change on a larger and more lasting scale.
7. Individual initiative: Every action counts. Promoting sustainable individual behaviour, even on a day-to-day level, is key to building a culture of change.
8. Imagining sustainable futures: The climate educator must inspire others to think of future scenarios in which sustainability is a concrete reality, encouraging creativity in solving problems and adapting to change.

Education based on empathy and positive design

The first quality that defines the climate educator is empathy. Far from the traditional role of the ‘expert teacher’, the educator must first and foremost be a listener. This means empathising with the audience, understanding their concerns and recognising their limitations or difficulties in perceiving the urgency of climate change. The Appreciative Design method suggests immersing oneself in the local context, observing and participating in community life, in order to understand what latent resources can be harnessed.

For example, imagine a café in a small urban neighbourhood. The owner is a person who cares a lot about the environment, but the customers never talk about climate issues. An empathetic climate educator observes, participates in the life of the café and discovers that many customers are parents concerned about the health of their children. From this motivation, the educator can start conversations about how climate change impacts health, using language and an approach that leverages concerns that are already present, rather than imposing a distant scientific narrative from above.

GreenComp competences: a framework for action

The competences required of the climate educator find solid guidance in the European GreenComp framework, which organises the competences for sustainability into four main areas: values, complexity, future and action. These competences are not only theoretical, but deeply practical: the educator must be able to value sustainability in his or her everyday discourses and actions, to embrace the complexity of interactions between natural and social systems, and to stimulate the ability to imagine sustainable futures. Most importantly, he or she must translate this into concrete actions, inspiring both collective action and individual initiative.

In the context of Appreciative Design, the GreenComp framework finds practical application. For instance, one of the central steps of the method is co-creation: the educator does not impose solutions, but facilitates a process of collective discovery, in which the community itself imagines and develops concrete actions to address climate challenges. In a café or library, this could translate into the creation of participatory workshops where customers themselves propose ideas on how to reduce the ecological footprint of the place, making it more sustainable. Thanks to the empathetic and participative approach, these actions become more relevant and sustainable in the long term.

The pragmatism and flexibility of the climate educator

In addition to empathy, the climate educator must be pragmatic. Not all solutions are applicable everywhere, and the educator must be able to adapt his or her plans to the available resources and the specific context. An educator working in a rural community, for example, might find that access to resources is limited, and therefore propose simple and feasible solutions, such as rainwater harvesting to address water management problems, rather than large infrastructure projects.

Furthermore, the educator must be flexible. Adaptability, one of the GreenComp competences, requires the ability to modify one’s approach according to the reactions of the audience and changes in the context. For example, if during a workshop in a public park it is realised that the interest of the community is more oriented towards the preservation of local wildlife than towards the broader issues of climate change, the educator must be ready to reorient the conversation, leveraging that specific interest to bring out a broader discourse on the environmental crisis.

Creating visions of the future together

One of the most important aspects of climate education in the Climate Third Places project is the ability to imagine and build positive visions of the future together. Being visionaries, as GreenComp suggests, does not only mean preaching a sustainable future, but involving people in a process of co-creation, where each participant feels an active part of the change. Thanks to Appreciative Design, this process is highly participatory: the educator guides the community in recognising its resources, aspirations and concrete possibilities for transformation.

The climate educator as a catalyst for change

In the Climate Third Places project, the climate educator does not simply communicate competences, but is a catalyst for change, a professional who is able to listen, engage and inspire. Through the Appreciative Design method and the skills outlined in GreenComp, the educator works hand in hand with the community, building together concrete paths towards sustainability.

Through this approach, the educator develops and practices five core competences that amplify the impact of her initiatives.

1. Empathy: Essential for building deep bonds and understanding local concerns, empathy allows the educator to personalise her approach, responding to the emotional and practical needs of the audience. For example, the educator listens and observes the community she works with, identifying deep-seated motivations, such as the health of loved ones or the desire for a greener city. This emotional connection stimulates authentic dialogue and brings out insights that truly resonate with people.
2. Perspicacity: The educator is able to grasp the hidden dynamics and deep motivations of the people participating, understanding local trends and needs that influence the way people perceive climate change. This in-depth reading ability allows her to design targeted and customised educational interventions that respond to the real needs of the community and promote active participation.
3. Vision: The educator imagines and builds positive future scenarios with the community, where sustainability and climate justice are a shared reality. This visionary approach not only inspires others, but mobilises collective energies to realise concrete actions. In the context of Third Places, the educator does not just present problems but stimulates the community to imagine and strive for a more equitable future, capable of responding to current needs and inspiring lasting change.
4. Pragmatism: Pragmatic competence manifests itself in the ability to translate ideas into concrete and adaptable actions. The educator, aware of the resources and limitations of the context, facilitates the creation of simple but incisive projects, such as the installation of rainwater harvesting containers in neighbourhoods with low water availability. This approach achieves tangible results and keeps group motivation high.
5. Self-confidence: Self-confidence enables the educator to communicate with clarity and conviction, motivating the community to take concrete action. This competence inspires confidence and credibility, making the educator a point of reference for those who wish to contribute to change. A confident presence fosters a positive learning environment and encourages active participation.

In summary, the climate educator, thanks to the Appreciative Design approach, not only raises awareness, but also makes Third Places into potential catalysts for climate and social transformation.