Photo: Alexis Brown/Unsplash
A new toolbox developed at Lund University supports students in transforming climate anxiety into resilience, creativity, and meaningful climate engagement. Through practical exercises and a complementary teacher’s guide, the initiative aims to strengthen emotional, relational, and action‑oriented competencies that are often missing in traditional sustainability education.
Climate change education can leave many young people feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or unsure of how to respond. To address this, researchers at Lund University – together with experts in pedagogy, psychology, arts, and climate science – have created the CLARITY Toolbox and Teacher’s Guide.
The toolbox includes short and long exercises, from breathing and movement practices to journalling, intergenerational learning, and creative exploration of hopeful futures. These activities support five key areas: caring for climate emotions, strengthening connection to self and others, embracing life‑supporting values, imagining regenerative futures, and taking collective action.
Educators have already begun integrating the exercises into their teaching. Simple emotional check‑ins, for example, help students recognise and process their feelings, creating space for constructive engagement rather than overwhelm.
Pilots across Europe and Africa show strong positive feedback from both teachers and students, highlighting the need to complement cognitive learning with emotional and relational competencies. The toolbox is currently available in English, Hungarian, and Swedish, with more languages on the way.
The CLARITY project is part of an Erasmus+ collaboration led by Lund University, together with organisations such as One Resilient Earth, Legacy17, Climate Creativity, Real School Budapest, and The Vision Works.
