ABSTRACT
Like liberty, justice and democracy, sustainability has no single and agreed meaning. It takes on meaning within different political ideologies and programmes underpinned by different kinds of knowledge, values and philosophy. Its meanings are contested and a key function of education for sustainability (EFS) is to help people reflect and act on these meanings and so realize alternative futures in more informed and democratic ways. This chapter promotes such reflection by relating debates about sustainability to the changing nature of modern societies, different political ideologies and utopias, and contemporary environmental politics.
