Sustainable development

 
Climate change and sustainable development are currently among the hottest topics, globally speaking, and the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14) has placed them firmly on the educational agenda. IALEI has therefore decided to pool its unique resources within the field of education for sustainable development in a joint project to explore educational initiatives and experiences in a truly international perspective. Research teams at each of the ten partner universities have produced reports analysing the state of affairs in their particular country. Based on the national reports, a cross-national analysis detailing global trends and regional differences within the field has been made. In this issue of       Education Alliance Quarterly, you will meet some of the researchers from the project and learn about the global state of the art of education for sustainable development.


Education Alliance Quarterly, Vol. 4, September 2009
(unavailable for download)


 

Editorial: `There is no simple solution in merely teaching people to act differently. The solution is rather to empower citizens to make informed choices in a complex and rapidly changing world,´writes Professor Lars Qvortrup.


 

The response from education.


 

How can education be a means to sustainable development?


 

IALEI is analysing the role that education ought to play in a world struggling with climate change. Professor Jeppe Læssøe talks about the initial findings.


 

The debate about climate change is accompanied by feelings of loss, fear and tragedy. This should be reconsidered for the sake of education, says Associate Professor Noah Feinstein.


 

Best practice around the globe.


 

Korea’s master plan for the next six decades is Green Growth. To begin with, the focus is on growth rather than sustainability, but investment in education could turn the picture around, says Dr Chankook Kim.


 

China’s ‘recycling economy’ – from paper to practice

Climate change and sustainability are hot topics in China, but it is hard to find research addressing the outcomes of education for sustainable development, says Associate Professor Yi Jin.


 

Snapshots from a leading eco-city

The government of Singapore wants to make Singapore the leading eco-city in Asia. Professor Kim Chuan Goh explains why this might be an achievable goal.


 

Sustainability should be a university’s badge of honour

Sustainability has been on the agenda at universities for years, but so far most of the changes have been to the daily operations of university infrastructure, says Dr Dianne Chambers.


 

No child is too small to work with ESD

Even children in the third grade can learn through education for sustainable development, because ESD develops their ability to address open questions, according to two Danish researchers.