EMO-GI #1 - Introducing the project.

I'm really pleased to have been asked to be involved in a European project once again, funded by ERASMUS. UK institutions cannot take part at the moment, although there are some suggestions that we may be rejoining to some extent. The UK has also rejoined some other EU-wide scientific agreements and partnerships such as Horizon.

The new project is called EMO-GI. 

The theme is Socio-Emotional Learning on Climate Change Mitigation via Geoinformation and AI (EMO-GI).

It is a follow up of two previous projects involving GIS: GI Learner and GI Pedagogy. 

These developed a learning line for GIS (a sequence for acquiring GIS skills) and a model for teaching using GIS effectively, which remains quite influential).

This time the new project adds a socio-emotional element and links directly with young people's growing awareness of climate change, and the arrival of AI.

It was mentioned in the latest newsletter from Eurogeo: the European Association of Geographers. 

I have worked with colleagues from Eurogeo for many years and after a break of a few years I am looking forward to working with them again, along with some new colleagues from European universities I have not connected with before.

The project was funded by the Spanish Agency and will be lead by UNED: a university in Madrid which I have worked at previously.

EMO-GI aims to advance education for climate change mitigation by integrating socio-emotional learning (SEL), geomedia, and artificial intelligence (AI) into the professional development of primary and secondary school teachers.

Image source: Adjusted TPACK model based on Rickles et al., 2017, p.16; Mirsha, 2019; Puertas et al., 2021; and De Lázaro, 2025.

The project is closely aligned with the priorities of Erasmus+ Key Action 2 , promoting sustainability education, countering misinformation, enhancing digital and emotional literacy, and fostering inclusion.

Specific project objectives include:

• Investigating the interconnections between climate change and emotional responses.
• Developing guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence in exploring climate change and its emotional dimensions.
• Designing a socio-emotional learning (SEL) framework for teacher education and piloting its implementation in climate change mitigation initiatives

Once we have our first meetings to start the project, I will then be adding updates here to keep you informed on how we are progressing and particularly how you might get involved in future events we will be organising.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.