Leveraging Sustainability Mindsets in Adult Climate Literacy Training and Education: A Brief Summary of Sustainability Mindsets in the Enhancing Capacity in Adult Climate Literacy (ECACL) Study

Climate change poses significant challenges for emergency management professionals tasked with preparing and adapting communities to its impacts. This study aimed to understand how climate change education can meet the learning needs of emergency management professionals throughout the United States. This exploratory collective case study involved six certified emergency management professionals as key informants, along with a survey distributed to 56 emergency managers. The study initiated an essential needs assessment, combining their knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions about climate change with effective engagement in adult learning. The findings carry national and global implications, offering insights into climate literacy programs’ design and implementation. The study revealed that most emergency managers feel unprepared for climate impacts, but their sustainability mindsets, such as purpose and mindfulness, are strengths. However, areas for development were identified in long-term thinking, interconnectedness, and embracing both-and thinking and flow in cycles. The research has the potential to equip emergency managers with a deeper understanding of climate literacy, striving for a sustainable and resilient future.