Heads, hearts, and hands: a systematic review of empirical studies about eco/climate anxiety and environmental education

Can environmental education help to mitigate learners eco/climate anxiety? Anxiety surrounding climate change has drastically risen in youth in recent years. This paper aims to answer the call from Pihkala’s (2020) previous review for more concrete information on educational approaches to support learners in processing eco/climate anxiety. As such, this systematic review analyzed 15 studies from 2017 to 2022, looking at eco/climate anxiety in environmental education literature. The studies were thematically organized by their emphasis on (1) students’ and/or educators’ perspectives in each of the studies and (2) elements of the study that emphasized the (a) heads (knowledge), (b) hands (action), or (c) hearts (emotions). The findings suggest that transformative education-based (heads, hands, heart) pedagogical approaches support learners in processing their emotions surrounding climate change, including their eco/climate anxiety. We conclude with recommendations for research, practice, and policymakers.