Global Environmental Sustainability: Case Studies and Analysis of the United Nations' Journey toward Sustainable Development presents an integrated, interdisciplinary analysis of sustainable development, addressing global environmental problems in the contemporary world. It critically examines current actions being taken on global and local scales, particularly in relation to the UN's efforts to promote sustainable development. This approach is supported by empirical analysis, drawing upon a host of interweaving insights spanning economics, politics, ecology, environmental philosophy, and ethics, among others. As a result, it offers a comprehensive and well-balanced assessment of the overall perspective of sustainable development supported by in-depth content analysis, theoretical evaluation, empirical and actual case studies premised on solid data, and actual field work. Also, the book marks a milestone in placing the Covid-19 pandemic into a perspective for understanding the universality of human collective environmental behavior and action.By utilizing in-depth analysis, both quantitative and qualitative, and challenging the status quo of what is expected in the global approach to sustainable development, Global Environmental Sustainability provides the theory and methodology of empirical sustainable development which is especially germane to our advanced society today, which is deeply entrenched in a crisis of environmental morality. More particularly, it serves as a salient source of moral reconstitution of society grounded in empirical reality to liberate man's excessive spirit of individualism and self-aggrandizement to the detriment of the environment. Epistemologically, the book furnishes a remarkable tour de force with a new level of analytical insight to help researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in sustainability and environmental science, as well as the many other disciplines involved in sustainable development, to better understand sustainability from a new perspective and provides a methodological direction to pursue solutions going forward. - Provides a systematic exposition of sustainable development in all its complexity, with all the chapters complementing each other in an integral way - Presents extensive empirical evidence of various environmental problems across the world including China, the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa, and the extent to which the United Nations has succeeded in driving toward global environmental sustainability - Provides a cogent examination of the treatment of our global commons by some of the world's most powerful leaders - Includes data from field studies and in-depth interviews with indigenous people in Borneo's rainforests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak most affected by environmental change

"Making Knowledge Together - Addressing Climate Change through Innovative Place Based Education and Blended Learning" is the official name of the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project, shortly EduChange. The project aimed to innovate our way of teaching about Climate Change in both local and global perspectives via the field course methodology. It brought together students and teachers from four European universities - University of Malta, Utrecht University (the Netherlands), Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim (Norway), and Palacky University Olomouc (Czechia) with an idea, that teaching and learning in the field is often rather traditional and teacher-led. Through EduChange, we wanted to transform field courses into innovative, creative learning environments in which teachers, students and pupils can create knowledge together. We believe that supporting innovation and creativity can be achieved via international partnerships and inter- and trans-dis- ciplinary approaches. This book presents the overall methodology used during the EduChange project.

A paradigm shift is underway in education, challenging traditional teaching methods and calling for a more engaging and purposeful approach. It is necessary to explore how service learning empowers students to address real-world issues, fostering critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills essential for the 21st century. Effective and Meaningful Student Engagement Through Service Learning is a comprehensive exploration of the transformative power of service learning in contemporary education. Within this text, seasoned researchers and practitioners delve into the intricacies of student engagement, emphasizing the importance of active involvement in the learning process. This book opens with a reflection on education, where traditional practices give way to innovative pedagogies. This includes a new pedagogical approach that not only imparts knowledge but also cultivates socially responsible citizens. The book provides a rich tapestry of theoretical foundations, curriculum development strategies, and innovative pedagogical approaches that move beyond passive learning. From evaluating the impact of service learning to incorporating technology and measuring learning outcomes, each chapter offers theoretical frameworks, practical experiments, and real-life examples for educators, administrators, and policymakers. The diverse audience within and beyond the education sector, including students, faculty members, parents, policymakers, NGOs, and community organizations, will find within the pages of this book valuable insights and tools to create more effective and meaningful learning experiences. The book covers a broad spectrum of topics, from the institutionalization of service learning to motivations for sustainable engagement, making it an indispensable resource for anyone passionate about shaping the future of education.

This volume explores the process of heritage making and its relation to the production of touristic places, examining several case studies around the world. Most existing literature on heritage and tourism centers either on its managerial aspects, the tourist experience, or issues related to inequality and identity politics. This volume instead establishes theoretical links between analyses of heritage and the production and reproduction of places in the context of the global tourist trade. The approach adopted here is to explore the production of heritage as a complex process shaped by local and global discourses that can have a deep impact on several policies and legislations. Heritage itself has now become not only a global discourse, but also a global practice, which may eventually lead to the use of heritage as a field for hegemony. From these perspectives, heritage making may be incorporated in the world economy, mainly through the global tourism trade. The chapters in this book stress the need for identifying the intrinsic political implications of these processes, relocating their study in political, economic and social settings. Combined with a diversified set of theoretical approaches and research methods, guided by a common thematic rationale, The Making of Heritage is at the forefront of current debates about heritage.

This book examines the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programs in schools across Europe. It describes and analyzes how individual countries and the region as a whole have established teaching and learning methods to help students develop the competencies needed to be part of a sustainable society. Featuring chapters written by experts throughout Europe, the book first provides a general overview of ESD in various contexts, including the state-of-the-art of ESD theory and conceptual development; political and social analysis; the various concepts of ESD competencies; and teacher training. Next, the book details how ESD has been implemented in different European countries and regions, including: Sweden, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Catalonia, Hungary, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Flanders, France, Cyprus, UK and the Netherlands. In recognition of education as a motor of change, the United Nations General Assembly declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), calling for the integration of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. Inside this book, readers will find details on what has been done, as well as assessments of what more could be done, across Europe. It will help readers gain valuable insights into how to help students develop the knowledge, skills and values needed to shape a sustainable future.

This volume contains a unique compilation of research and reflections representing multiple vantage points stemming from different parts of the world that can help science educators and teacher educators in finding ways to meaningfully and purposefully embed sustainability into teaching and learning. It is a rich resource for exploring and contextualizing sustainability-oriented science education. At this time we find ourselves in a situation in which the earth’s ecological system is under significant strain as a result of human activity. In the developed world people are asking “How can we maintain our current standard of living?” while those in the developing world are asking “How can we increase the quality of our lives?” all while trying to do what is necessary to mitigate the environmental problems. This volume responds to these questions with a focus on educating for sustainability, including historical and philosophical analyses, and pedagogical and practical applications in the context of science teacher preparation. Included are many examples of ways to educate science teachers for sustainability from authors across the globe. This text argues that issues of sustainability are increasingly important to our natural world, built world, national and international economics and of course the political world. The ideas presented in the book provide examples for original, effective and necessary changes for envisioning educating science teachers for sustainability that will inform policy makers.

Globally, there is a need to promote and empower practical action towards better environmental conservation and greater sustainability; education aspires to achieve and motivate this – one mind at a time. This book advances a future-oriented vision of the development of environmental sustainability education in settings outside the high-school. It provides practical guidance for teacher practitioners and policy makers in community-oriented environmental sustainability education. It promotes a modern holistic approach to sustainability learning in and by the community through participative engagement with sustainability issues. Its special foci include working with volunteers and citizen scientists, through museums or through re-purposing Higher Education. Its approach emphasises the implementation of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and cooperation with environmental management professionals. This book’s cosponsors include the International Association for Headwater Control and FAO – European Forestry Commission’s Working Party on the Management of Mountain Watersheds, as well as the International Environmental Education Conferences, Eger, Hungary and the Hungarian Academy of Science’s Subcommittee on Future Studies. Community education has long been a goal for environmental management, whose practitioners realise that interventions, such as biodiversity conservation, are only truly sustainable when supported by the local land-user and stakeholder communities; this depends upon these stakeholders’ understanding why intervention is necessary.

Now with new Introduction and additional new chapter. At a time when polls suggest that a majority of young British people believe that the future will offer a worse quality of life than the present, it is becoming imperative that children are introduced to principles of sustainability through the educational system from an early age, and that these principles are regularly reinforced and built upon. The government's own Panel on Sustainable Development has called for a 'comprehensive strategy for environmental and training', and NGOs frequently point to education as a key policy instrument in the transition to sustainable development. This is the first book published in Britain to provide an overview of the theory and practice of these issues. It brings together contributions from environmental educators working in the formal and informal sectors and in continuing education, and provides perspectives on the philosophy, politics and pedagogy of education for sustainability, as well as case studies and pointers towards good practice. Part I establishes some initial perspectives on sustainability, education and the role of NGOs; the potential for education for sustainability in the formal and informal sectors is assessed in Parts II and III; Part IV discusses its development as part of the greening of business and local government; and Part V looks at the way forward.