A key challenge within ESE can be understood as the question of Proportionality. Global issues are addressed in a localized educational setting and by specific contextualized students and teachers. A relationship is key between those different perspectives, but insight into the scope of the global challenges we face, and the miniscule impact of individual action could also be seen as a slippery slope towards apathy and disengagement by the individual (Anderson, 2009; Cavas, Acık, Koc, & Kolac, 2023; Marks et al., 2021). The sheer differences in scale, impact and efforts needed for change between global challenges and local perspectives and efforts has haunted our field throughout the decades. From early emphasis on pollution and its sources (Gough & Scott, 2003; Jickling & Wals, 2008), to a more globalized understanding of climate change (UNESCO, 2017) , to various efforts to mobilize societal transformation in order to stem or change planetary development (Jänicke, 2008; Robbins, 2020) could be seen as walking the line between the importance of acknowledging a world out of control, but still insisting on the crucialness of the path that the individual treads (Scott & vare, 2021). This presentation will outline key positions of how to navigate the question of proportionality in ESE and emphasize the educational importance of relating to this question in a structured and critical manner in practice and research.

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