By: Santos Manuel Cavero López | Doctor of law. University lecturer, lawyer and economist
In 2017, Opex Working Paper no. 86/2017 set out a number of reflections and proposals on education for sustainability in Spain. Published by the Alternativas Foundation and the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development, it takes education and training to be key to moving society and the economy towards a model of sustainable development: teaching and learning programmes are needed if we are to produce and consume energy in ways that are ecologically and socially more sustainable, use natural resources rationally, protect biodiversity and ecosystems, reduce the quantity of waste and reuse and recycle it, respect our ecosystem and encourage respect for the people who produce these things — all without holding back the advance and growth of societies and economies.
Among its proposals and recommendations for developing education for sustainability within the Spanish education system, the working paper offered the following.
In pre-university education: first, the need for the education authorities to put the relevant provisions in place so that primary education and the early years of secondary education move from a compartmentalised curriculum — content-driven and unbalanced in the weight given to each discipline — to an open one; second, revising the curricula at these levels so that the civilisational crisis facing the planet, and environmental problems, become their organising axis; third, encouraging project work in primary and the early years of secondary education that spans several subjects, including whole-school projects, adapted to the most visible problems; fourth, changing the way schools are organised (structures, operation, groupings, time and space) and favouring flexible groupings and timetables that allow pupils to work both with their peers and with others, and in a variety of settings; and finally, considering the introduction, in the final years of secondary education, in the bachillerato and in vocational training, of a possible subject called “The culture of sustainability”.
At university level it proposes, first, that every student enrolled on any undergraduate or postgraduate course should receive a basic grounding in sustainability and the SDGs; further, that universities, as research centres, should favour and encourage innovative projects aimed at meeting the SDGs and at managing resources more sustainably; that today’s leaders, politicians and managers should change how they set policy priorities; and lastly, that departments, centres and shared spaces for meeting and working should be created around specific themes and problems, bringing together professionals from very different fields — economics, law, health, engineering, the life sciences and the social sciences.
Education for sustainability is therefore, without question, a fresh challenge to the current academic model of teaching — in the university sphere too, as Fernández Pérez noted in his 2017 article — since it requires universities to make the effort of adapting their research and innovation across different disciplines to answer global challenges. Universities are committed to aligning research and innovation in every discipline to provide solutions to global challenges, so teaching and training responsible professionals and socially engaged citizens who can face the challenges of a globalised world is another priority they must adapt to. University policy, accordingly, has to address sustainability objectives and social responsibilities across the board.
With that said, what are the advantages of educating for sustainability?
- Education about sustainability is a valuable tool in helping to solve major global environmental problems such as climate change. Developing a new generation of leaders, investors, citizens and diplomats is essential to managing our resources more effectively, which will allow the planet to sustain technological and social progress without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
- The aim of education in sustainability is to teach students the principles of sustainability and to apply them in everyday life. Students learn responsible commercial and environmental practice, as well as ecology, energy, environmental science and so on — tools that help them better understand how to protect the environment, promote permaculture, manage resources effectively and become better citizens. Teaching about sustainability plays an important part in raising awareness of the environmental problems we face today: by teaching students about the problem and its potential impact, they are inspired to become part of the solution, which means that future leaders will have a deeper understanding of how actions affect the environment and the people in it.
- Another of the basic aims of education for sustainable development is to foster a culture of responsibility, which helps students understand how their individual and collective actions affect the environment, and helps them develop skills such as taking informed decisions, holding to a long-term view and working together for the good of society. Teaching sustainability includes practices of sustainable development aimed at improving quality of life through community service, the use of renewable energy, education about recycling and the conservation of natural resources — activities that let students learn to identify ways of reducing waste and increasing efficiency, which in turn helps build stronger, healthier local economies that contribute to global prosperity.
- Beyond educating students in the principles of sustainability, education about sustainability can help change behaviour in communities, since it builds skills that help people understand the importance of responsible consumption, the use of renewable energy and the conservation of natural resources.
- A further contribution of education for sustainability is its focus on diversity, since this kind of education is oriented towards understanding the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality, respect for environmental justice, respect for nature and the promotion of international cooperation.
Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO says, is the education sector’s answer to the urgent and critical challenges facing our planet. In its view, humanity’s collective activities have altered the Earth’s ecosystems to the point where existence itself appears threatened by changes that grow harder to reverse with every passing day. Halting global warming before it reaches catastrophic levels calls for comprehensive solutions to environmental, social and economic problems, and here Education for Sustainable Development, part of UNESCO’s Education 2030 Agenda, sets itself the aim of achieving the personal and social transformation needed to change course. To that end it offers a toolbox for education for sustainable development, in line with the ESD for 2030 roadmap published in 2020.
