Re-envisioning the Role of Higher Education in Tackling the Climate Crisis through Action Research

Abstract

Higher Education (HE) must take a leading role in addressing the current climate crisis. Universities have the capacity to provide the critical research and training to enable us to respond to the multiple environmental, economic, social, and cultural challenges this crisis creates. In order for this to happen, however, researchers will need to go beyond the confines of the academy to engage with government, industry, and civil society as active partners. Action research provides a model for researchers to expand their roles to include community relationship-building, collaborative design, and advocacy. Fortunately, there are already spaces within and outside HE where this reinvention is taking place. This chapter explores how we might use action research as a model to create universities prepared to take their part in addressing the climate crisis and contribute to the well-being of human beings and the planet.