Using Climate Fiction in Education for Sustainable Development in the EFL Classroom. A Literature Review

Abstract

Due to climate change, the human race faces the challenge of how to change our behaviour towards nature in order to achieve a more sustainable future. In educational settings, this is reflected in the Swedish steering documents issued by the National Agency for Education requiring teachers to implement environmental education in their teaching. However, there are no explicit instructions on how to achieve this. For subjects within humanities, such as English as a Foreign Language (EFL), the possibility of using literature to address environmental issues, has lately become a topic of discussion. More specifically, climate fiction is proposed to complement scientific perspectives and contribute with alternative narratives of possible future scenarios. The aim of this paper is therefore to review the research field on this topic and in alignment with existing educational frameworks, investigate whether literature, in the form of climate fiction, can help students reflect upon their relationship to the natural world and become environmentally conscious members of society acting for a sustainable future. The result of the study suggests that climate fiction used under the right circumstances could fulfil this purpose, although there is still a need for future empirical research before drawing any firm conclusions.