My research takes its point of departure in the change of emphasis in the field of environmental and sustainability education (ESE) towards the inclusion of social and human development issues. I have a particular interest in poststructural and postcolonial criticism of universalistic approaches in ESE. The first studies in my PhD research concerned the philosophical problem of addressing universally sustainable responsibilities and values in ESE. The following studies have investigated teachers’ ethical reflections in a first-hand intercultural experience and also explored how teachers integrate issues of social justice into their teaching of global sustainability. This research aims to contribute to the discussion about how teachers can develop a conscious and critically informed approach to the teaching of environmental and sustainability issues and also to contribute to theoretical and philosophical discussions about universalism, normativity and global ethics within environmental and sustainability education research.