Combating Climate Change and its Impacts through Responsible Management Education: Business Schools responses to SDG 13

Sustainable Development Goal 13 ‘Climate Action’ calls upon nations to identify urgent measures to combat climate change and its impacts building on the momentum achieved by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which entered into force on 4 November 2016. Stronger efforts are needed to build resilience and limit climate-related hazards and natural disasters by governments and also from businesses whose activities contribute to climate change as well as being affected by climate impacts for example higher raw material and transportation costs from flood and drought risk. Business schools, as the primary source of management education, prepare professionals who will lead, manage and work and, as such, influence organisations in the future. A such numerous initiatives problematise traditional management education and demand that business schools adapt to global challenges such as climate change. Despite this, little is currently known about the state of climate change education in business schools. Where is climate change taught, if at all? How is it taught? what pedagogical approaches are employed? At which level of study is climate change education considered? What good practice has been developed? In response to these questions and others, this paper sets out results from a recently conducted literature review on climate change education in business schools and beyond aimed at developing a baseline understanding of the topic. The results of the review are being used to develop a questionnaire which will survey business schools’ providing empirical data on current actions, identify good practice and areas for further investigation. From this, guidance will be provided to enable business schools who do not incorporate climate change education to develop strategies to ensure students are prepared to face this challenge once they enter industry.