ABSTRACT
In 1995 Nelleke Bak set out four responses to what she saw as a dominant Western/Northern interpretation of environmental education and argued that one might prove the most fruitful for South Africa to pursue, as it developed and moved beyond tensions generated by race and class. The chapter explores these responses and Bak’s arguments, noting that, in principle, they were applicable to any state with a history of colonial exploitation. It then brings the argument up to date by asking Bak’s questions of South Africa in the present context of climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the Paris Agreement. The chapter ends by asking, when making a shift to a net-zero carbon economy, how long a country should take.
