Research and consultancy

About our research

We undertake research and consultancy to advance understandings of the role that education can play in response to the climate crisis, and in reorienting society towards sustainability.

Our research activities explore questions of policy, teachers practice and professional development, and teacher and student perspectives. Through our consultancy work we partner with a variety of national and international organisations to expand these enquiries into multiple countries and contexts, with recent projects undertaken in Iraq and Brazil.

Research and Consultancy Projects

• The potential of asynchronous online professional development
• Developing primary mathematics skills through a seasonal biodiversity project
• Climate action and sustainability for schooling in Egypt (CLASS)
• Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England
• Branching Out: Tackling mental health inequalities in schools with community artscapers
• Eco-capabilities: Supporting children’s wellbeing through participatory art in nature
• Sustainability Across Subjects (SAS) – David Mitchell, Alison Kitson, Alexis Stones, Emma Newall
• Learning and teaching of local knowledge for climate action through school-community collaboration
• Secondary schools’ engagement with climate change and sustainability education in England

Publications

2026

• Essays on nature and the philosophy of environmental education. Routledge. Bonnet, M., Dillon, J., & Reid, A. (Eds)

2025

• Humour and environmental education. Routledge. Russel, C., Chandler, P., & Dillon, J. (Eds)
• Reducing gender inequalities in education helps mitigate climate change. Cheng, L., Walshe, N. & Mi, Z. (2025). Energy Economics, 145
• Towards a whole-school approach to educating for hazard literacy to address the climate and environment emergency. Dillon, J. (2025). Journal of Hazard Literacy, 1(2), 1-9
• Learning from the past; thinking for the future: Reflections on STEM and its integration in formal and informal settings. Dillon, J. & Wong, V. (2025). International Journal of STEM Education, 12(32).
• Socioeconomic variation in emotional and behavioural engagement with the climate crisis in England: Perspectives for education. Edwards, R.C., Perry, J. & Walshe, N. (2025). Behavioural Sciences, 15(4), 407
• Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England. Greer, K., Sheldrake, R., Rushton, E., Kitson, A., Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N. (2023). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Teaching climate change and sustainability in England: committed individuals and the prevalence of ‘self-taught’ professional learning. Greer, K., Kitson, A., Rushton, E. A. C., Walshe, N., & Dillon, J. (2025). Professional Development in Education, 1-23.
• Climate change and sustainable development (CCSD) education in Egypt: Policy-relevant evidence from girls and their teachers in under-privileged urban primary schools in Egypt. Policy Briefing (Arabic Version). University College London. London, UK.Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N., Elhawary, D., Sheldrake, R. and Perry, J. (September 2025)
• Climate change and sustainable development (CCSD) education in Egypt: Policy-relevant evidence from girls and their teachers in under-privileged urban primary schools in Egypt. Policy Briefing. University College London. London, UK.Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N., Elhawary, D., Sheldrake, R. and Perry, J. (July 2025)
• Climate change and sustainable development education in Egypt: Policy-relevant evidence from girls and their teachers in under-privileged urban primary schools in Egypt. University College London. London, UK.Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N., Elhawary, D., Sheldrake, R. and Perry, J. (July 2025)
• Exploring the use of digital technologies for Ocean Literacy Education using a material-dialogic theoretical framework. Hetherington, L., Brandt, H., Chappell, K., Dillon, J., & Malmierca, M. R. (2025). Environmental Education Research, 1-29
• “What do I do? Save the environment or let children go hungry?” Leading English schools at a time of climate crisis. Higham, R. & Kitson, A. (2025) International Journal of Leadership in Education
• Leading English schools at a time of climate crisis. 23 April 2025, Dr Rupert Higham & Dr Alison Kitson
• The key contributions of subjects to climate change and nature education: a curriculum policy proposal. Kitson, A., Phillips, M. & Dillon, J. (2025). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Curriculum making in an age of crisis: the contribution of the capabilities approach. Lambert, D., Béneker, T., Bladh, G., & Mitchell, D. (2025). Geography, 110(3), 146-155
• The science curriculum: issues, tensions and future prospects. Millar, V., Park, W., Dillon, J. (2025). International Journal of Science Education, 1-7
• Climate change and child wellbeing: a systematic evidence and gap map of published studies on impacts, mitigation and adaptation. Prost, A., Mohamed, M., Amin, A., Lever, L., Montini, A., Machida, K., Rajagopalan, S., Costello, A., McGushin, A., Jennings, B., Benoit, L., Saville, N., Ayeb-Karlsson, S., Sterlini, S., Walshe, N., & Dalglish, S.L. (2025). The Lancet Planetary Health, 9(4), e337-e346
• Towards a justice-oriented climate change and sustainability education: perspectives from school teachers in England. Rushton, E.A.C., Walshe, N. & Johnston, B. (2025). The Curriculum Journal, 00, 1-18
• Telling tales: the use of narratives in informal STEM settings. Shaby, N., Dillon, J., Peleg, R., Ben-Zvi Assaraf, O., Pattison, S., Pierroux, P., Barzilay, M., Grenon, M., Steier, R., Svarovsky, G., Ramos-Montanez, S., Wagner, C., Quijano, M., Corbett, A., López Burgos, V., & Contreras, D. (2025). Research in Science and Technological Education, 1-22
• Agentic action as an aim for sustainability education: views from secondary school teachers in England. Sheldrake, R., Walshe, N. & Hargreaves, E. (2025). Environmental Education Research, 31(6), 1117-1134
• Understanding teacher agency in the context of school-based climate change and sustainability education: a case study of the experiences of teachers and school students in England. Walshe, N. & Rushton, E.A.C. (2025). British Educational Research Journal.
• Student perspectives on climate change and sustainability education in England: experiences and expectations. Walshe, N., Perry, J. & Healy, G. (2025). UCL Open Environment. 7(1)

2024

• The role of subjects and subject associations in climate change and sustainability education in England University College London (2024). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Greer, K., Walshe, N., Kitson, A. & Dillon, J., (2024) Responding to the environmental emergency through education: the imperative for teacher support across all subjects. UCL Open Environment 6(1)
• Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England. Greer, K., Sheldrake, R., Rushton, E., Kitson, A., Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N. (2023). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Geography teacher educators’ perspectives on Education for Sustainability: identity and agency in a period of rapid education policy change in England. Hammond, L., Fargher, M. & Walshe, N. (2024). International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 1-18.
• Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education: Conceptions of Teachers of Geography in England. Healy, G., Mitchell, D. & Walshe, N. (2024). Sustainability 16(7213)
• Climate change and sustainability education in music: the current situation in England. Purves, R. & Himonides, E. (2024). Diskussion Musikpädagogik, (102), 0.1-0.7
• Walshe, N.; Sheldrake, R.; Healy, G.; Edwards, RC; Wale, W.; Hargreaves, E.; (2024) Climate Change and Sustainability Education: A survey of students in England. UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Walshe, N., Moula, Z. & Cox-Condron, H. (2024) ‘The heart of the forest is here’: Reframing children’s disempowered relationships with once-familiar places through Eco-Capabilities. In Pike, S. & Rawlings-Smith, E. (Eds) Encountering Ideas of Place in Education, pp 39–52. Routledge
• Climate Change and Sustainability Education: A survey of students in England. Walshe, N.; Sheldrake, R.; Healy, G.; Edwards, RC; Wale, W.; Hargreaves, E.; (2024). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK

2023

• Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination (2023) Artscaping: A guide to establishing arts-in-nature opportunities in your schools. Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination and University College London
• Dillon, J. (2023) Climate change education. In J. Dillon & M. Watts (Eds). Debates in Science Education (2nd edition) (pp. 59–72). Routledge
• Climate Change Education. Dillon, J. (2023). In J. Dillon & M. Watts (Eds). Debates in Science Education (2nd edition) (pp. 59–72). Routledge
• Dillon, J. (2023) Environmental and science education: Overlaps and issues. In S. Faircloth (Ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in Education. Oxford University Press
• Dillon, J. & Herman, B. (2023) Environmental education. In N. G. Lederman, D. L. Zeidler & J. S. Lederman (Eds). Handbook of Research on Science Education, Volume 3. (pp. 717–748). Routledge
• Dillon, J. & Watts, M. (2023) Debates in science education. In J. Dillon & M. Watts (Eds). Debates in Science Education (2nd edition) (pp. 1–9). Routledge
• Dillon, J. (2023) Environmental and science education: Overlaps and issues. In S. Faircloth (Ed.). Oxford Bibliographies in Education. Oxford University Press
• Environmental education. Dillon, J. & Herman, B. (2023). In N. G. Lederman, D. L. Zeidler & J. S. Lederman (Eds). Handbook of Research on Science Education, Volume 3. (pp. 717–748). Routledge
• Debates in science education. Dillon, J. & Watts, M. (2023). In J. Dillon & M. Watts (Eds). Debates in Science Education (2nd edition) (pp. 1–9). Routledge
• Greer, K. & Svennevig, H. (2023) Citizenship education in the context of climate change: Two research frameworks that can support teaching, Teaching Citizenship, 58
• Greer, K, King, H. & Glackin, M. (2023) ’Standing back or stepping up?’ Exploring climate change education policy influence in England. British Education Research Journal, 49(5), 1088–1107
• Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England. Greer, K., Sheldrake, R., Rushton, E., Kitson, A., Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N. (2023). UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
• Kitson, A. (2023) Climate change teaching for sustainable futures, Teaching Citizenship, 58
• Mitchell, D. (2023) Teaching for Sustainable Futures: A research-informed professional development course, Geography, 108(3), 147–151
• Moula, Z. & Walshe, N. (2023) How arts-in-nature experiences can boost the wellbeing of children and young people. The House, 17 April
• Moula Z., Walshe N., Lee E. (2023) “It was like I was not a person, it was like I was the nature”: The impact of arts-in-nature experiences on the wellbeing of children living in areas of high deprivation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 90, 102072
• Owens, J., Greer, K., King, H., Glackin, M. (2023) Conceptualising HE educators’ capabilities to ‘teach the crisis’: Towards critical and transformative environmental pedagogies. Frontiers in Education, 8
• Reiss, M. J. (2023) ASE Presidential Address: Science education at a time of existential risk. School Science Review in Depth, 105(389), 5–10
• Rushton, E., Sharp, S. & Walshe, N. (2023) Global Priorities for Enhancing School-based Climate Change and Sustainability Education. British Council
• Rushton, E. A. C., Sharp, S., Kitson, A. & Walshe, N. (2023) Reflecting on climate change education priorities in secondary schools in England: Moving beyond learning about climate change to the emotions of living with climate change. Sustainability, 15(8), 6497
• Scaramanga, J. & Reiss, M. J. (2023) Evolutionary stasis: Creationism, evolution and climate change in the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 18, 809–827
• Walshe, N., Bungay, H. & Dadswell, A. (2023) Sustainable outdoor education: Organisations connecting children and young people with nature through the arts. Sustainability, 15(5), 3941
• Walshe, N., Perry, J. & Moula, Z. (2023) Eco-Capabilities: Arts-in-nature interventions for supporting nature visibilisation and wellbeing in children. Sustainability, 15, 12290
• Walshe, N. & Perry, J. (2023) Nurturing eco-capabilities for transformative learning and wellbeing. Primary Geographer, 110(1), 7–9

2022

• Dunlop, L. & Rushton, E. A. C. (2022) Putting climate change at the heart of education: Is England’s strategy a placebo for policy? British Educational Research Journal, 48(6), 1083–1101
• Howard-Jones, P. & Dillon, J. (2022) Climate Change education: A “world-leading strategy” would benefit from being research-informed. PolicyBristol
• Kitson, A. (2022) What does climate change and sustainability have to do with me? Educate
• GeoCapabilities 3: knowledge and values in education for the Anthropocene. Mitchell, D. (2022). International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education.
• Reiss, M. J. (2022) Learning to teach controversial topics. In: Handbook of Research on Science Teacher Education, Luft, J. A. & Jones, M. G. (Eds), Routledge, pp. 403–413
• Rushton, E. A. C. & Walshe, N. (2022) Climate change, sustainability and the environment: The continued importance of biological education. Journal of Biological Education, 56(3), 243–244
• Walshe, N., Moula, Z. & Lee, E. (2022) Eco-capabilities as a pathway to wellbeing and sustainability. Sustainability, 14(6), 3582
• Walshe, N. & Perry, J. (2022) Transformative geography education: Developing eco-capabilities for a flourishing and sustainable future. Teaching Geography, 47(3), 94–97
• Walshe, N. & Sund, L. (Eds) (2022) Developing (Transformative) Environmental and Sustainability Education in Classroom Practice. MDPI

2021

• Walshe, N. (2021) How can we meet the pledge to put climate ‘at the heart of education’? Schools Week
• Walshe, N. & Moula, Z. (2021) Eco-capabilities: Supporting children’s wellbeing through arts in nature. Environmental Education, 126, 16–17

Blogs

2025

• Teachers are teaching themselves how to incorporate climate change and sustainability into their teaching: we can and should support them. 4 September 2025, Dr Kate Greer, Professor Justin Dillon, Dr Alison Kitson, Professor Nicola Walshe
• Challenges for climate change and sustainability education in England: Reflections on teachers’ practices and priorities for policymakers. BERA BLOG, 6 June 2025, Rushton, Elizabeth and Professor Nicola Walshe
• Is There A Place For Justice-Focused Climate & Sustainability Education? SEEd Blog, 25 March 2025, Lizzie Rushton and Professor Nicola Walshe

2024

• Faltering Progress: Reflections of Action for Climate Empowerment at COP28. 20 February 2024, Dr Kate Greer
• The Francis Review: why do we educate young people today? 7 September 2024
• Branching Out: Mobilising community assets to support the mental health and wellbeing of children in primary schools. 17 September 2024, Professor Nicola Walshe and Hilary Bungay

2023

• Reflections on international climate change and environmental policy engagement. 11 December 2023, Dr Kate Greer
• Action for Climate Empowerment: why this ‘policy glue’ needs a cross-government approach. 30 November 2023, Dr Kate Greer
• ‘Everything, everywhere, all at once’: Reflections on international climate change and environmental policy engagement. 11 December 2023, Dr Kate Greer
• The potential of infrapolitical dissent for influencing climate change education policy. 4 October 2023, Dr Kate Greer et al
• Climate change education: what happened at COP27 and what happens next? 23 November 2022, Dr Kate Greer
• The climate crisis needs a whole-school approach, starting with teacher access to professional development. IOE blog, 13 July 2023, Dr Kate Greer and Dr Alison Kitson
• How arts-in-nature experiences can boost the wellbeing of children and young people. 17 April 2023, Dr Zoe Moula and Professor Nicola Walshe
• Educating for Sustainable Futures in Secondary Education. 29 November 2023, Professor Nicola Walshe