The new ecological paradigm and attitudes towards sustainable business practices – a Mexican case study

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of teaching programmes on perceptions of sustainable development among students. The researchers argue that existing educational programmes must provide a comprehensive approach to mitigating collapse risk. To address this issue, the study developed a teaching programme to be delivered by experienced educators and experts, consisting of lectures, seminars, exercises, research projects, and related activities. The programme aimed to raise awareness of sustainable development and deepen understanding of the complexity of the subject. The results showed that the teaching programme increased students' appreciation of the importance of complexity and the non-linear impacts of Black Swans in the sustainability discourse without changing their adherence to the New Ecological Paradigm. The study highlights the need for education to enable students to deal with problems characterised by complexity, uncertainty, and low probability, as well as high-impact events that pose a non-linear threat to sustainable development.