Ecological Emotions and Environmental Education: Voices of Youth in a Mediterranean Region

Abstract

This study examines climate anxiety and perceptions regarding the future among Generation Z youth living in a Mediterranean region vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters. It also explores their perceptions of the content and effectiveness of environmental education. A quantitative survey based on an online questionnaire was conducted with 93 undergraduate students and future environmental education teachers in Greece. We investigated their ecological emotions, thoughts about the future, and their ideas on the orientation of environmental education content. The results reveal (a) a high level of climate anxiety among participants, (b) pessimistic ideas about the future, and (c) the need for a holistic pedagogical approach to environmental education theory and praxis.