Doreen Martínez noted in 2014 that climate colonialism “forces a re-embodiment and relocation of how, why and who is at fault/responsible. The climate is failing to change. It is being colonised and forced to alter, modify, and – as catastrophes indicate – it is rebelling and resisting the assault upon it.” This perspective shows the need for decolonial teaching approaches to address the climate crisis by reexamining responsibility and power relations.
Examining decolonial climate pedagogy
Through the perspective of Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action, Martínez’s quote criticizes climate colonialism. She argues that the blame for the climate crisis is unfairly shifted to communities and nations least responsible, while Global North entities maintain control over defining problems and solutions. This perspective views the climate’s instability as a resistance to dominant approaches that perpetuate the same unequal systems that caused the crisis.
Decolonial Climate Pedagogy in Higher Education
One research project was undertaken to better understand how decolonial climate pedagogy might be reflected in higher education. The project drew on the International Association of Universities (IAU) SDG 13 Global Cluster, a network of lead and partner universities within the IAU Global Cluster on Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development. The study investigated the University of the West Indies (Fiji), the lead institution of the SDG 13 Cluster, and the University of Nairobi (Kenya), an SDG 13 Cluster partner.
Publicly available website materials were reviewed to identify documented climate-related teaching and learning activities. These findings were supplemented by a short qualitative survey distributed to institutional representatives to clarify practices that may not have been publicly documented. The survey asked respondents to describe their institutions’ principal SDG 13 teaching and learning activities, assess the extent to which these activities incorporated decolonial pedagogy, and explain how South–South partnerships influenced the activities and the challenges encountered.
The evidence gathered through both sources was then examined using specific decolonial climate-pedagogy markers. Definitions of the markers were derived from a variety of academic literature sources. Teaching and learning refers to activities where climate-related knowledge is intentionally taught or developed through courses, programmes, workshops, training, student projects, fieldwork, curriculum initiatives, online modules, certificates or community-based learning.
Climate learning recognises communities as knowledge producers, not just beneficiaries or research subjects. This can include various forms of Indigenous knowledge, local ecological knowledge, etcetera. It can also involve community members serving as co-teachers, guest speakers or local experts. It should be evident that students learn from community experience, not only from textbooks.
Locally situated teaching and learning is another marker. Climate education is grounded in a specific place or community rather than taught only as a global or abstract SDG issue. It can look like fieldwork, local case studies, community-based learning and courses focused on local climate vulnerability.
Climate justice framing and action is also a key marker. Climate change is taught as a historical and political issue shaped by colonialism, not only as a technical environmental problem. This includes activities that ask who caused the crisis and who is most affected. South–South connections are important because countries in the Global South often share related histories of unequal development and thus common goals. That said, these partnerships aren’t inherently decolonial and need to be examined for internal hierarchies.
University of the West Indies’ Approach
The University of the West Indies showed strong evidence of locally situated teaching and learning and climate justice framing and action. Its climate courses focus on Small Island Developing States and connect climate learning to Caribbean development priorities. The programme also refers to reparatory justice, historical exploitation and the disproportionate climate burdens experienced by poor and vulnerable groups.
The University of Nairobi showed strong locally grounded teaching but weaker climate justice framing. Its Master of Science in Climate Change aligns with Kenya’s National Climate Change Response Strategy and Vision 2030, addressing national priorities and sociopolitical dimensions. However, it lacks explicit references to colonial histories or unequal historical responsibilities.
University of Nairobi’s Climate Courses
Both universities exhibited weak or unclear community knowledge integration. Nairobi includes fieldwork and visiting lecturers but doesn’t clearly partner with community members in student learning.
Evidence of South-South teaching and learning connections was difficult to identify at both UWI and Nairobi. UWI leads a cross-regional SDG 13 consortium and participated in an online course with the United Nations Development Programme, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), Associates of Malaysia and the Caribbean Development Bank. However, there is limited direct evidence of South-South collaboration through joint courses or collaborative learning.
Nairobi’s Master of Science in Climate Change mentions the Kenyan and international community and credit transfer from other institutions but does not mention evidence of shared knowledge production between Global South institutions or communities. Analysis of these markers within the University of the West Indies’ International School for Development Justice and the University of Nairobi’s masters programmes related to climate change indicated significant evidence of locally situated teaching and learning, as well as climate justice framing.
Challenges in Community and South-South Connections
Assessments of SDG 13 success often rely on institutional self-reporting and the presence of climate keywords. This method neglects pedagogical substance and justice orientation. The study found limited evidence of community members directly shaping teaching or student learning. While both universities engaged in South-South partnerships, explicit links to SDG 13 teaching initiatives were absent. UWI leads a cross-regional SDG 13 consortium and participated in an online course with partners in Malaysia and the Caribbean.
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