Curricula, sustainable literacy and decarbonisation: The Net-Zero challenge for tourism educators in Ireland

This paper focuses on the area of sustainable literacy and the role of tourism higher education in providing skilled graduates to facilitate the transition towards Net-Zero emissions. Taking a knowledge management perspective, curricula are assessed based on their adherence to explicit knowledge stocks identified as key elements of sustainable literacy. Desk-based research was conducted to develop a quantitative research analysis tool. A case study approach was applied to the Republic of Ireland to assess the higher education provider’s provision of sustainable literacy. The findings identified that third-level tourism degrees have a significant knowledge gap in the area of sustainable literacy, particularly in the area of measuring and monitoring emissions to facilitate the transition towards Net-Zero emissions before 2050. These findings are helpful for practitioners and educators alike to increase the standards required in the workforce.