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1 Introduction and Overview
Pages 13-20

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From page 13...
... The urgency to address environmental, economic, and societal challenges has increased worldwide as social and environmental processes intersect to exacerbate climate change, deforestation, ecosystem degradation, poverty, inequality, and conflict. When Our Common Journey was published in 1999, its authors envisioned a time horizon of two generations to make serious progress in the transition toward sustainability.
From page 14...
... As defined by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, education for sustainable development "empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity."2 At the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in 2012, the international community agreed to "promote education for sustainable development, and to integrate sustainable development more actively into education beyond the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (UNESCO, 2014a, 2014b)
From page 15...
... . Therefore, for the sake of clarity, we define some of the key terms used throughout this report in Appendix A: these include sustainable development, sustainability, sustainability education, sustainability education programs/sustainability programs in higher education, sustainability curricula, environmental education, sustainability science research, and sustainability education research.
From page 16...
... Specific issues to be addressed in the workshops may include: • Providing an overview of current practices and major advances in sustain ability education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, both domesti cally and internationally, including trends in expansion across programs and disciplines and promising new approaches; • Examining a comprehensive set of key competencies critical for sustainabil ity education, and identifying knowledge gaps and critical barriers related to the effective development of common core competencies for interdisciplin ary sustainability programs; • Identifying strengths, gaps, priorities, and opportunities for university en gagement with the SDGs, including accreditation of programs or national level organizations to support and guide sustainability programs; • Fostering partnerships between schools, universities, sectors, regions, and nations in sustainability higher education with enhanced recognition of the SDGs; and • Discussing research agendas related to sustainability and the SDGs and the role of academic institutions to inform post-2030 processes. Based on the content of the three workshops, the committee will produce a report that provides findings and recommendations for strengthening sustainability programs and curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels that relate to the SDGs and other relevant sustainability frameworks.
From page 17...
... They used the questions to stimulate discussion about current sustainability education practices and gaps, trends in sustainability education and workplace needs, and critical barriers to access. The first workshop included discussions on a systems thinking approach to sustainability; the diversity of necessary competencies, including such skills as communications and negotiations; and the importance of engaging with new technologies and big data and ethical dimensions in sustainability education.
From page 18...
... In addition, the committee encourages using the evaluations of those efforts to inform subsequent research on strengthening sustainability programs in higher education. SCOPE OF THE STUDY AND ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT Sustainability education around the world includes all levels from the primary grades to adult training and continuing education courses.
From page 19...
... 1993. Agenda 21: Pro gramme of Action for Sustainable Development; Rio Declaration on Environment and Develop ment; Statement of Forest Principles: The Final Text of Agreements Negotiated by Governments, June 3–14, 1992, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.


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