Impact of Climate Change on Teaching and Learning: A Literature Review Perspective of Higher Education in Africa

Abstract

The impact of climate change on teaching and learning affects the future development of the educational system. The rising temperature and other drastic weather conditions are not only a threat to our environment, but also to the psychological, mental, cognitive, social, and physical development globally. Recent data suggests climatic changes pose a significant challenge in academic development as they slow down academic activities and general performance. The study pays great attention to the need to invest in climate resilience for the improvement of teaching and learning in higher institutions in Africa. Given that universities and other higher education establishments are identified as major players in bringing about change, African universities must communicate these adaptation and mitigation strategies to their students. A systematic review of existing literatures based on the related key findings was considered as factors that could improve teaching and learning in Higher Education in Africa. Evaluated papers from selected African Higher institutions presented divergent perceptions on the results of mitigating climate change in African nations, offering a detailed view of strategy implementation. The consequences of climate change could be avoided in the future if dire attention is paid to it. This implies the need for developing skills and creating awareness to build a more sustainable future. African universities must consider the topic of climate change by encouraging initiatives to research climate change. Suggesting strategies that benefit employees, students, policy makers, and other stakeholders also goes a long way.

Keywords: Climate change; education; future development; higher education; teaching and learning

References

Abdulsalam, R. S., & Magaji, A. (2024). Green Features: A Pathway to Climate Change Mitigation in Gombe State University (GSU), Nigeria. International Journal of Real Estate Studies, 18(2), 39-51. https://doi.org/10.11113/intrest.v18n2.372

Adewole, O. (2025). Emerging Trends in Business from Climate Change:‘Dynamics, Strategic investments with CSR as a Tool Towards Shared Value Creation and Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.70382/sjaass.v8i2.021Adom, R. K., Makananisa, T., & Simatele, M. D. (2025). Assessing Social, Economic and Environmental Challenges of Veld Fires in South Africa: A Case Study of Capricorn District Municipality in Limpopo Province. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10549811.2024.2448028

Banu, N., & Fazal, S. (2025). Climate Change, Livelihood Crisis and Resilience: An Introduction. In Livelihoods and Well-Being in the Era of Climate Change: Risk to Resilience Across India (pp. 3-18). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Bawono, S. (2021). Human capital, technology, and economic growth: A case study of Indonesia. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business.

Beckert, J. (2025). Climate Change and the Social Order. Regulation & Governance, 19(2), 520-523.

Caruso, G., de Marcos, I., & Noy, I. (2024). Climate changes affect human capital. Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, 8(1), 157-196.

Chishiba, O. M. (2024). Enhancing Climate Change Adaptive Capacity Through Engineering Infrastructure: A Case Study in the Kafue Sub-Basin (Master's thesis, University of Johannesburg (South Africa).

Dyke, T., Mathew, T. H., & Agnes, R. S. (2020). Rural community perceptions on the impact of climate change on subsistence farming: Mutoko community in Zimbabwe. e-BANGI, 17(7), 89-104.

Gounaridis, D., & Newell, J. P. (2024). The social anatomy of climate change denial in the United States. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 2097.

Gust, S. (2024). (Not) going to school in times of climate change: Natural disasters and student achievement (No. 413). ifo Working Paper.

Hassan, M. K. (2021). Online teaching challenges during COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 11(1), 10-18178. http://dx.doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2021.11.1.1487

KONKO, Y. (2024). Climate Change Induced Sea level rise along the coastland of Togo. https://wascal.futminna.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/KONKO_Thesis_final_21-06-2024-2.pdf

Leal Filho, W., Dinis, M. A. P., Lange Salvia, A., Sierra, J., Vasconcelos, H., Henderson-Wilson, C., ... & Carvalho, F. (2024). Assessing climate change and health provisions among staff in higher education institutions: A preliminary investigation. Plos one, 19(5), e0304019. https://doi.org/10.1371

Leddin, D. (2024). The impact of climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss on digestive health and disease. Gastro Hep Advances. https://doi.org/10.1136/flgastro-2023-102567

Liang, Y., Zhou, H., Zeng, J., & Wang, C. (2024). Do natural resources rent increase green finance in developing countries? The role of education. Resources Policy, 91, 104838. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.104838

Mavuso, M. P., Khalo, X., Kafu-Qavane, B. P., & Olawumi, K. B. (2022). Strategies used by Secondary Teachers in Integrating Climate Change Education in their Lesssons: Toward a Framework for Combating Climate Change through Education. e-BANGI, 19(3), 179-191.e-Bangi: Journal of Social sciences and Humanities.

Matsapa, W. (2023). Revitalising indigenous names in balancing environmental science: A case of ignored names of places in Rusitu Valley.

Mfon, U. Y. (2024). Climate Change Outcomes and Educational Development: Implications of Flooding on Children's Well-Being and School Attendance in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. In The Climate-Health-Sustainability Nexus: Understanding the Interconnected Impact on Populations and the Environment (pp. 483-503). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. 10.1007/978-3-031-56564-9_19

Mishra, R. K. (2023). Fresh water availability and its global challenge. British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies, 4(3), 1-78. https://doi.org/10.37745/bjmas.2022.0208

Moellendorf, D. (2023). Climate Change and Poverty. In The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Poverty (pp. 446-456). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003162926-40/climate-change-poverty-darrel-moellendorf

Raihan, A. (2023). A review of the global climate change impacts, adaptation strategies, and mitigation options in the socio-economic and environmental sectors. Journal of Environmental Science and Economics, 2(3), 36-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.igd.2023.100035

Rees, N. (2021). The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children's Climate Risk Index. UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/education

Smith, W. C. (2021). Consequences of school closure on access to education: Lessons from the 2013–2016 Ebola pandemic. International Review of Education, 67(1), 53-78. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11159-021-09900-2

Serame, S. M., & Afuye, G. A. (2024). Geographic Information Systems Methods in Practice: Higher Education Curricula and Practitioner Registration Standards in South Africa. Trends in Higher Education, 3(4), 1053-1071.  https://doi.org/10.3390/higheredu3040061

Tang, K. H. D. (2022). A model of behavioral climate change education for higher educational institutions. Environmental Advances, 9, 100305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151657

Thenga, M. (2025). Barriers and opportunities in implementing climate change education in the FET Phase Geography curriculum in South Africa. Journal of Geography Education in Africa, 8, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.46622/jogea.v8i1.5382 

Tilak, J. B., & Kumar, A. G. (2022). Policy changes in global higher education: What lessons do we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic?. Higher education policy, 35(3), 610.

Torres, E. (2024). A Pre-Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Analysis of the Mathematics Performance of Texas Grade 8 Emergent Bilingual Students by Economic Status, Special Education Status, and Ethnicity/Race: A Multiyear Investigation (Doctoral dissertation, Sam Houston State University).

Uzoechina, G. (2025). Navigating the Climate Crossroads: Exploring Africa's Response to Climate Change Challenges and Opportunities. Available at SSRN 5093405. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5165826