Environmental Citizenship has been an influential concept in many different arenas. Education and especially environmental discourses in science education have a lot to contribute in adopting and promoting Environmental Citizenship. Τhe roots of Environmental Citizenship derived from the political science arena are examined in this chapter. In addition, the conceptualisation of Environmental Citizenship in educational context is discussed. Furthermore, the relevance of Environmental Citizenship in types of education such as science education (SE), environmental education (EE), Education for Sustainability (EfS) and citizenship education (CE) is explored. Each type of education has something important to contribute to Environmental Citizenship through its specific approaches, dimensions and practices. In addition, the European Network for Environmental Citizenship (ENEC) as a community of practice is presented as well as the main definitions regarding Environmental Citizenship (EC), Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC) and Environmental Citizen (ECn). Finally, the main focus of each part and chapter of the book will be summarised.

For about two years, the climate youth activism initiative Fridays for Future has addressed climate emergency, receiving considerable attention because of their consistent protests every week in many different locations worldwide. Based on empirical studies in Austria and Portugal, this paper investigates the motivations of students to participate in the movement and the solutions proposed by young activists to fight against climate emergency. Moreover, we discuss the integration of climate change activism into ESD (education for sustainable development) and transformative learning processes, and how this enables environmental citizenship. The results of the studies reveal that emotions and feelings of solidarity and collective aims are motives to participate in the strikes. The young activists sometimes propose innovative and sometimes radical solutions to climate emergency. Both demonstrations and exhibitions as forms of bottom-up climate activism initiatives contribute to engagement in political dialogue and scientific knowledge transfer. They can be seen as “triggers of change” for transformative learning.

A citizen’s capacity to act in society as an agent of change is an important element of Environmental Citizenship. This chapter discusses the concept of activism and the importance of activism initiatives in the development of citizens’ willingness and competences for critical, active and democratic engagement in preventing and solving environmental problems. Several possible ways for young people to get involved in environmental activism are presented. Also discussed is the possible and desirable combination of youth activism with citizen science, as a catalyst for empowering future citizens with the willingness and the higher-level abilities for participating in the global effort for a sustainable development and assuming the responsibility for future generations. Youth activism represents a key element in Education for Environmental Citizenship, allowing students to exercise their environmental rights and duties and to develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that empower them as problem-solvers capable of facing the contemporary environmental problems.

Education for Environmental Citizenship plays an important role in social change toward sustainable development, achieving economic, social, and environmental balance through informed, cooperative, and participative citizens. There are several pedagogical models with the potential to involve students in environmental activities, but no specific model suitable for primary education is found. This article describes the preliminary investigation phase of a Design-Based Research that resulted in the development of the first prototype of a Pedagogical Model of Education for Environmental Citizenship in Primary Education (students aged 6 to 10 years), in Portugal. This preliminary investigation phase was based on a systematic analysis and literature review on the topic (thesis, articles, projects, and curricular guidelines for primary education), seeking to answer the following research questions: (1) According to the current world characteristics, which learning outcomes should an environmental citizen achieve, and which of them can be promoted in primary education? (2) What are the most appropriate teaching methodologies and strategies for promoting environmental citizen learning outcomes in primary education? The methodology used is presented, and the proposed prototype is described, along with the desired learning outcomes that are considered necessary for the formation of an Environmental Citizen and the most appropriate methodologies and educational activities to promote them.

Os efeitos negativos do neoliberalismo e da globalização têm-se intensificado e as instituições sociais e políticas parecem incapazes ou não estão dispostas a responder efetivamente às múltiplas situações de injustiça. As assimetrias sociais têm se agravado, perpetuando um sistema que beneficia apenas uma pequena minoria, à custa da degradação do ambiente, da exploração incontrolada e insustentável dos recursos e do sofrimento e da exclusão da maior parte da população.

This article discusses the results of a mainly qualitative study into possible impacts of recent controversial socio‐scientific issues on a group of Portuguese secondary school students regarding their conceptions about scientists. The 86 participants: (1) answered a questionnaire with open‐ended questions; and (2) wrote a science fiction story involving a group of scientists working on a particular situation of her/his choice. Next, semi‐structured interviews were carried out to clarify and discuss the ideas embodied in the stories and mentioned in the questionnaire. All data underwent a process of content analysis. The socio‐scientific controversies recently discussed, and the way science and scientists are depicted in the media, seem to have produced some impact on students' conceptions about scientists. Based on the results obtained, some remarks and educational implications are discussed.