Learning on a Warming Planet: How Curriculum Can Alleviate Eco-Anxiety and Inspire Hope

Abstract

This study investigates how geoscience curriculum design influences students’ experiences of eco-anxiety and climate hope. The purpose was to examine whether traditional instruction heightens eco-anxiety among community college students and whether a hope-centered curriculum fosters emotional resilience, agency, and sustainability-oriented behaviors. Students enrolled in Geology of the National Parks at a community college in northern Illinois completed pre- and post-instruction surveys that included validated measures of eco-anxiety, constructive hope, personal efficacy, and climate perceptions, along with a new Park Awareness and Behavior scale. Using a quasi-experimental design, responses were compared between a traditional control curriculum and a hope-centered curriculum that integrated positive climate narratives, the National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy, and a solutions-focused capstone project. Results indicated that ecological worry remained high while negative consequences of eco-anxiety (psychological distress) were consistently low across both groups. Students in the hope-centered curriculum reported greater gains in emotional hope, constructive hope, personal efficacy, and awareness of climate challenges and solutions in the National Parks. These findings suggest that framing climate content around constructive hope and solution-oriented pedagogy can enhance engagement and agency without diminishing concern about the climate crisis. The study recommends that geoscience educators integrate emotionally responsive strategies, such as success stories and solution-focused projects, to balance concern with agency, support student well-being, and promote sustainability-oriented action.