North American Universities and Socioecological Transformation

Otto et al (2020) suggest areas where interventions may trigger a “social tipping point” in efforts to address the climate and ecological crisis. One of the six is climate education and engagement, a natural leadership realm for higher education. Yet Garner et al (2021) observe that universities’ efforts to address the climate and ecological emergency (CEE) are “insufficient” due to “time lags” between education/research and effects as well as universities’ “failure” to confront politics “or the forces invested in maintaining the status quo.” This paper endorses a growing chorus of calls for structural changes in university research, teaching, and service in order to respond to the CEE, drawing on a personal example to illuminate the challenges.