How marketing and business school educators can contribute to the fight against climate change

The holidays are over and the new year is an opportunity for reflection and change. For many people, the holiday season is a time of overconsumption, but researchers at the University of Arizona, concerned about the environmental impact of overconsumption and the marketing that fuels it, say this doesn’t have to be the case and suggest solutions. is proposed.

In a recent study published in macromarketing journal, lead author Sabrina Helm, associate professor in the Norton School of Human Ecology and College of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Arizona, and her co-authors explore whether and how we are integrating climate change into society. To understand this, we conducted a survey of marketing educators in 42 countries. their curriculum.

The results showed that more than a third of respondents actively incorporate sustainability and climate change into their classrooms. Helm said about half recognize the need for change but feel stuck teaching a “traditional” marketing curriculum. The remaining respondents emphasize the standard marketing her curriculum. Members of this group do not deny climate change, but rather believe that marketing education is not the place to address this issue.

“When we are facing such great challenges in society, it makes no sense to teach the standard repertoire of normal marketing,” says Helm. “I hope people realize how much influence we have as educators on the decisions of future business leaders. If one thing, marketing, is driving consumer behavior, you can immediately see the connection, and change is needed.”

In their paper, the research team also provides suggested solutions and support resources for educators interested in changing their research and curriculum to promote nature restoration and an economy that encourages net-zero carbon emissions. are doing.

“My role, and the role of all educators, is to encourage these discussions in the classroom,” Helm said. “I don’t have the solutions to the climate crisis, I can’t overhaul the capitalist system, but I can bring new ideas to my students. You can persistently teach them to practice, and they go on to their careers.”

Helm says change needs to happen at multiple levels, not just in the classroom, including at the individual level, at the university and industry level, and in the broader social environment.

“The current economic system works well for many of us in many ways, including cleanliness, comfort, and convenience, but it doesn’t work for everyone, and it doesn’t work well for nature. Absolutely,” Helm said. “Given the planet’s resource constraints, a model that requires infinite growth is not viable. This requires rethinking what economic success means and changing the way we live our lives. Challenges. is huge, but I think it’s very interesting to think about.”Marketing has been pursuing this idea of ​​growth, so we need to do marketing in that context, but we can instead use marketing for good.” . ”

Helm also wants educators to consider how they can change their work environments to be more adaptable to curriculum changes. For example, she says, tenure-track faculty often feel limited in what they can teach and research. Additionally, faculty who are not enrolled on the tenure track may feel pressure to conform to the system because they exist on short-term contracts.

“If higher education ignores our responsibility to teach what needs to be taught, we will lose our license to operate,” Helm said. “My students are very aware of climate change. If we don’t address it, they end up in a state of cognitive dissonance. They don’t know if marketing or business is what they want to do in their careers. But we can’t embed sustainability into society.” If your curriculum doesn’t fit, you may find that your values ​​don’t align with your future career. ”

Helm, who also studies climate change and anxiety, acknowledges that having such discussions with students can be difficult, but doing so in a thoughtful way can lead to better outcomes and greater He says it could lead to change.

The paper states, “How we teach about climate change is just as important as what we teach.”

If not taught with purpose, Helm says climate anxiety can lead to ignorance, or strategic ignorance, about how to cope with the stress of a threat.

“It is normal to have reactions such as extreme worry, anger, disillusionment, and despair, but if left unchecked, you will likely resort to maladaptive coping mechanisms such as apathy or retail therapy. “It doesn’t help us fight the problem or even contribute to it,” she says. “We need to remain productive and proactive to meet the challenges before us.

“I say this to my students: The way to deal with this problem is to do everything within your power. have.”

Ultimately, Helm hopes to encourage students, businesses, and consumers to create a business environment where marketers and businesses can do less or no harm or more good. We are working on this.

“It’s a great time to think about what you can and should do to make positive changes,” she says.