Agency in the Age of Human Influence
In a groundbreaking report titled "Agency in the Anthropocene", a team of experts has outlined core competencies that aim to equip students with the necessary skills to address the environmental crises and climate change challenges of our era.
The report underscores the importance of collective agency, interdisciplinary understanding, and adaptive action skills. These competencies emphasize the ability to pool knowledge, skills, and resources collaboratively to shape sustainable futures amid complex ecological challenges.
Collective agency is the capacity to act together by combining diverse knowledge and skills to influence and transform environmental outcomes. This competency is crucial for students to understand the power of collaboration in shaping a sustainable future.
Interdisciplinary and systemic thinking is another key competency, focusing on understanding interconnected systems—ecological, social, and technological—and how human actions impact these systems in the Anthropocene era.
Students are also encouraged to develop sustainability assessment and anticipatory skills, enabling them to critically evaluate technologies and actions based on sustainability criteria and foresee long-term environmental impacts.
The report also highlights the importance of adaptive governance and anticipative research skills, which enable students to participate in flexible, anticipatory decision-making that prevents or mitigates climate-induced crises through integrative research and cooperation.
Recognizing the interdependence of human, animal, and ecosystem health is essential for integration of ecological and human health perspectives. This concept is embodied in concepts like One Health and Planetary Health.
Lastly, the report advocates for the use of creative and participatory methods to evoke deeper emotional and sensory engagement with environmental issues. These approaches support agency and alternative imaginaries for sustainable living.
By equipping students with these competencies, the report aims to prepare them not only with scientific knowledge but also with the social, emotional, and collaborative skills necessary to act effectively in response to the Anthropocene’s unprecedented environmental challenges.
The report provides examples of standardized, written assessments, including presentations from the 2024 national summit, webinars on learning benefits of a knowledge systems approach to science, and a recorded professional learning webinar on enduring competencies for designing science learning pathways.
The report is available for access and serves as a valuable resource for educators, policymakers, and students alike, as we strive to build a sustainable future for all.
Students need to learn integrative science, including environmental-science, to address climate-change challenges, as outlined in the "Agency in the Anthropocene" report. Effective learning involves the use of creative and participatory methods that stimulate deep emotional and sensory engagement with environmental issues.
