On March 22, 2020, the United Nations will mark World Water Day by focusing on the relationship between water and climate change. The Journal of Sustainability Education is pleased to be planning a March 2020 special issue, “Educating for Water Resilience in the Context of Climate Crisis,” to mark the occasion. The editors of this special issue seek submissions, including a wide range of academic literature, personal essays, media/book reviews, editorial pieces, photo essays, poetry, and other publishable works, that address the questions below among other related topics.

The editors ask these questions in an effort to stimulate research, reflection, theory development, and discussion of praxis, the intersection of theory and action.

1. How do we teach sustainable water resilience strategies in the context of climate crisis? This question applies not only to the classroom setting, but also to the process of educating the public at large, policymakers, corporate leaders, elected officials, consumers, and other stakeholders.
2. What new frameworks are emerging for successful education, advocacy, and/or communication for sustainable water resilience?
3. Through the presentation of case studies or other article formats, what specific education activities have been proven effective—or not? These ideas may include, but are in no way are limited to, engagement in calculating virtual water footprints, place-based (watershed) education, gaming/simulation exercises related to water conservation or water conflict management, etc.  
4. What is the current status of water literacy in the context of climate instability among various audiences, including classroom students, educators, the public, policymakers, elected officials, etc.? What strategies are being implemented to increase this level of water literacy and any potential action and/or activism that follows on the path toward water resilience?
5. How are Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities experiencing and addressing water insecurity at local and regional scales, and what education strategies are being implemented to increase water resilience in the context of climate crisis? How is Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) being implemented to address and/or teach sustainable water resilience strategies?
6. What role do youth and climate crisis activists play in also advocating for sustainable water resilience? 
7. What education strategies are being employed to increase marginalized communities’ advocacy and/or demand for the realization of the Human Right to Water?
8. How does sustainability education work to increase understanding of the links between water resilience and the future of biodiversity, specifically as both are threatened by climate change?  
9. How are communities with the potential of conflict over water—such as upstream and downstream communities within transboundary waterways or communities that share a scarce water resource—employing sustainability education strategies to work toward cooperation and peace related to water rather than engaging in prolonged conflict? Some examples may include Participatory 3D Mapping and/or the creation of shared water governance groups. Case studies may be a particularly useful way to submit a response to this question.
10. What is the potential for grassroots water governance structures, such as watershed councils, to serve as sources of sustainable water resilience education to the community at large and other audiences?
11. What are effective strategies to educate voters, policymakers, infrastructure planners/investors, and elected leaders on the value of nature-based solutions, such as green and natural infrastructure, for water-cycle sustainability in both urban and rural settings? These strategies may include, but are not limited to, the protection of source water-protecting upstream forests, the implementation of urban green infrastructure (bioswales, green roofs, constructed wetlands, and other green stormwater infrastructure), the uptake of conservation agriculture that reduces chemical and sediment runoff, and other nature-based strategies. How might sustainability education strategies play a role in facilitating discussions between proponents of traditional grey infrastructure and those who are working to increase implementation of green infrastructure?
12. How do various communities, jurisdictions, and peoples value water differently, and how does sustainability education play a role in decision-making based upon differing valuation models? Some nations, for instance, have granted rivers human legal rights, allowing rivers to achieve legal standing in court to protect themselves. Some models value water instrumentally, while others value it intrinsically. Many cultures value water for its sacred, spiritual, or cultural significance. Some environmental economics models assign dollar values to calculate waters’ value using an ecosystem services framework. How do these different ways of valuing water influence our collective ability to move toward water resilience in the context of climate crisis, and what role does sustainability education play in facilitating those conversations?
13. What is sustainability education’s role in water-related climate adaptation? For instance, what are some of the most effective strategies in place to engage the public and other audiences in contemplation and action related to rising sea levels, intensifying floods and droughts, and intensifying fires?

Submission deadline: November 1, 2019

Anticipated journal acceptance responses back to submitting authors: January 15. 2020

Submission details: If you are interested in submitting work for this issue, please visit the Journal of Sustainability Education website (www.susted.com) and register as an author. To do so, look for the “RATS” (Review and Article Tracking and Submission) system link at the top of the home page. Style requirements: Please ensure submissions comply with APA style as well as the Journal of Sustainability Education’s specific style and submission guidelines. Seeking Peer Reviewers: The Journal of Sustainability Education also seeks potential peer reviewers who have a background in water resilience and/or climate change/crisis education, advocacy, policy, or related fields of expertise. If you believe you are qualified and are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, a role that typically requires a terminal degree in a related field, please contact us at editor@susted.com using “Water Issue Peer Reviewer Interest” in the email subject line. We look forward to exploring this impactful topic with the special issue “Educating for Water Resilience in the Context of Climate Instability” in March 2020. For further information, please contact the issue editors, using “JSE Special Water Issue” in the subject line of your message.