Resource Exploitation and Consumption in the Frame of Education for Sustainable Development in German Geography Textbooks

Abstract

This paper discusses the representation of resource exploitation and consumption in German geography
textbooks. The aim of the paper is to contribute to a critical and reflective understanding of the
representation of resource-related issues in textbooks by analyzing two scientific debates (resource
curse and actor analysis). The paper shows that all studied geography textbooks contribute to a certain
degree to awareness raising in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), but references to the
everyday life of students are rare. There are only few action-orientated tasks in the frame of resource
exploitation and consumption in the studied textbooks. As real-world examples help develop students’
critical thinking skills and shape their ideas of sustainable development, these aspects reflect a
pedagogical shortcoming.