Analyzing Climate Change Education: Insights from University Teachers in Pakistan

This study examines how university teachers in Pakistan perceive and experience the teaching of climate change education (CCE). It focuses on the challenges they face, the strategies they use, and the opportunities available to improve classroom practice. The aim is to demonstrate how higher education can play a more significant role in supporting Pakistan’s response to the climate crisis. Although climate change is a global concern, its place in Pakistani university curricula is limited, inconsistent, and often left to the initiative of individual teachers rather than supported through institutional policies. A qualitative design was used in the current study. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 12 faculty members from public and private universities in Islamabad (Pakistan). Participants were selected through purposive sampling and came from disciplines including environmental science, social sciences, and media studies. The study revealed that climate change is usually addressed as a small part of broader courses, leaving little room for detailed discussion. Teachers identified five major challenges: gaps in curriculum design, limited institutional support, poor student understanding, lack of professional development, and broader cultural and political barriers. The study concludes that to improve CCE effectiveness in Pakistan, reforms are needed in curriculum development, teacher training, institutional leadership, and culturally sensitive strategies that link global science to local realities.