Purposes This study aims to explore pre-service teachers’ social representations of climate change and biodiversity (sustainable development goals SDGs 13, 14 and 15) to identify barriers and opportunities for strengthening education for sustainable development (ESD) in initial teacher education. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an interpretivist stance and a multiple-case design, the authors administered a mixed-methods questionnaire to 138 Spanish Early Childhood and Primary Education pre-service teachers in the first session of their science education courses (prior to instruction). The instrument combined free word association, perceived-knowledge ratings, knowledge statements, an image-ranking task and open prompts on causes, consequences and educational actions. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis. Findings Participants often overestimated their knowledge while showing conceptual gaps and causal confusions (drivers–processes–impacts). “Pollution” operated as a catch-all cause and “recycling/3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycle)” as the dominant solution, with limited reference to structural drivers, justice dimensions or coupled climate–biodiversity mechanisms. Most framed teachers’ roles as raising awareness and transmitting values, with few proposing pedagogies that connect knowledge to transformative action. Research limitations/implications This study has implications that extend beyond the Spanish context, as the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss are global. Diagnosing future teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and priorities can inform higher education programmes aimed at reducing the knowledge–action gap and strengthening ESD. Empowering teachers as social leaders through an integrated and transversal approach to the SDGs can foster transformative and action-oriented practice. However, the study is limited by its cross-sectional design. Future research should adopt longitudinal and qualitative approaches to examine how students’ representations evolve over time and to develop formative self-diagnostic tools that support reflection, shared understanding and targeted pedagogical responses. Practical implications The study provides evidence for strengthening the scientific and socio-ecological dimensions of teacher education programmes and for embedding active, community-based learning experiences that connect knowledge with action. Social implications By preparing teachers as pedagogical leaders, ESD can move beyond individual eco-actions towards collective and systemic change aligned with the 2030 Agenda. Originality/value Using a multi-elicitation instrument (lexical and visual prompts) before formal instruction and contrasting perceived knowledge with explanatory accounts and action framings, the study provides fine-grained evidence of reductionist representations that may hinder systems thinking and the GreenComp competence of “embracing complexity” in ESD-oriented teacher education.
Calafell et al. (Tue,) studied this question.