Journal of Education and Human Development

Humanity Faces a Global Life Emergency: We Must Start Teaching Teachers and Students About It
Karl F. Wheatley

Abstract
This review summarizes evidence regarding the urgent existential threats facing humanity, and concludes that education at all levels should start teaching teachers and students about this global life emergency. Thereview defines the global life emergency, describes itsten most dangerousenvironmental and societal threats (e.g., climate disruption, loss of biodiversity, breakdown of democracy, vast inequality), and explainshow these threats could collapse ecosystems, society, or both. The scale of the global life emergency is explored, including secondary ripple effects from those ten main threats (e.g., heat waves, droughts, wildfires, sea level rise). The review also discusses why technology is not a panacea, and often does more harm than good. The scale of the global life emergency is illustrated through the massive changes that would be needed in the lifestyle of an average American to bring their individual environmental footprint within their fair share of Earth’s annual carrying capacity.What is needed to solve these enormous environmental and social crises simultaneously is a profoundand almost unimaginable transformation of industrialized economies and lifestyles. The case for reorienting education to teach about the life emergency and its solutions is outlined, and common objections to this shift in curricular focus are addressed.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v11n1a1