Search results for ""Author Walter Leal Filho""

Sustainability is widely defined as «the ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs». However, the goal of managing today’s resources so that they may be available to future generations is not easy to reach. Indeed, in order to achieve this ambitious goal, it is important that universities – similar to other sectors of society – become engaged in the sustainability debate, not superficially as it has largely been the case until now, but in a manner not seen before. This book provides a concrete contribution towards the goal of fostering sustainability at universities, by especially focusing on opportunities, challenges and trends. It contains a wide range of papers written by university lecturers, professors, students and practitioners, as well as practical projects, which illustrate some of the latest trends and future perspectives related to sustainability in higher education. It was prepared as part of the project JELARE (Joint European-Latin American Universities Renewable Energy Project), funded by ALFA III, an EU programme of co-operation between the European Union and Latin America, in the framework of higher education and training. This book is meant to inform, inspire and engage all members of the University community in the wide debate on how the principles of sustainable development may be implemented into practice. Produced mid-way in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO, it serves the purpose of documenting and disseminating current initiatives all round the world, also paving the way for new ones.

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It is widely acknowledged that sustainable development is a long-term goal, which both individuals and institutions (and countries!) need to pursue. This important theme is characterized by an intrinsic complexity, since it encompasses ecological or environmental considerations on the one hand, and economic matters, social influences and political frameworks on the other. This makes provisions in respect of education for sustainable development a particularly challenging task, but one which is feasible and achievable, provided the right elements are put into place. This book is an attempt to foster the cause of education for sustainable development, by documenting and disseminating experiences from different parts of the world, where learning for, about and through the principles of sustainability is taking place, in various sets and contexts, in both industrialized and developing nations. A special feature of this book is that it not only presents a wide range of philosophies, approaches, methods and analyses with respect to education for sustainable development across the world, but also documents and disseminates concrete case studies, which show how education for sustainable development may be realized in practice.

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Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. For the sake of human civilization and life on earth we must do all we can to keep global warming at the lowest possible level. Addressing climate change is everyone’s duty and that includes teachers of English. In order to support students and non-native English speakers, this important work provides an introduction to climate change via simple chapters addressing different and important dimensions of climate change and helps students acquire basic language skills which will allow them to study similar or more difficult texts. Each chapter offers an introduction on the topic discussed and its relation to climate change, outlines climate change or other related environmental science terms and 6-8 exercises on grammar, syntax and consolidation of terminology. Topics covered include climate change and tourism, gender, worker safety, mental and physical health, food production, deforestation, art, and much more. Offering an interdisciplinary introduction to climate change and its intersection with numerous industries and facets of life, The Academic Language of Climate Change, provides a necessary and welcome introduction for undergraduate and graduate students, and any non-native English speakers seeking to engage with climate change research.

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The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume addresses SDG 13, "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts", and contains the description of a range of terms, which allows a better understanding and fosters knowledge. Climate change is a threat to development with unprecedented impacts. Urgent action to combat climate change and development of integrated strategies on climate change mitigation and adaptation and sustainable development are critical for a sustainable future.Concretely, the defined targets are: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities. Editorial BoardAnabela Marisa AzulDragan NonicFederica DoniJeff BirchallLuis R. VieiraSilvia Serrao NeumannUlisses Azeiteiro

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This book presents essential learning approaches. It introduces educational and training activities, as well as various innovative methods aiming at the development of practical skills, in order to strengthen the continuous process of environmental education, and in particular the education for sustainable development (ESD). In doing so, it focuses on three dimensions (social, economic and environmental) as a means of achieving an effective change of behaviour and «tries to bridge the gap between science and environmental education by describing a set of projects, initiatives and field activities». A special emphasis is put on teacher training programmes, conception, and implementation, highlighting the problems and barriers, which prevent development as far as integration of sustainability issues in higher education is concerned.

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This book comprehensively describes essential research and projects on climate change and biodiversity. Moreover, it includes contributions on how to promote the climate agenda and biodiversity conservation at the local level. Climate change as a whole and global warming in particular are known to have a negative impact on biodiversity in three main ways. Firstly, increases in temperatures are detrimental to a number of organisms, especially those in sensitive habitats such as coral reefs and rainforests. Secondly, the pressures posed by a changing climate may lead to sets of responses in areas as varied as phenology, range and physiology of living organisms, often leading to changes in their lifecycles (especially but not only in reproduction), losses in productivity or even death. In some cases, the very survival of very sensitive species may be endangered. Thirdly, the impacts of climate change on biodiversity will be felt in the short term with regard to some species and ecosystems, but also in the medium and long term in many biomes. Indeed, if left unchecked, some of these impacts may be irreversible. Many individual governments, financial institutes and international donors are currently spending billions of dollars on projects addressing climate change and biodiversity, but with little coordination. Quite often, the emphasis is on adaptation efforts, with little emphasis on the connections between physio-ecological changes and the lifecycles and metabolisms of fauna and flora, or the influence of poor governance on biodiversity. As such, there is a recognized need to not only better understand the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, but to also identify, test and implement measures aimed at managing the many risks that climate change poses to fauna, flora and micro-organisms. In particular, the question of how to restore and protect ecosystems from the impact of climate change also has to be urgently addressed. This book was written to address this need. The respective papers explore matters related to the use of an ecosystem-based approach to increase local adaptation capacity, consider the significance of a protected areas network in preserving biodiversity in a changing northern European climate, and assess the impacts of climate change on specific species, including wild terrestrial animals. The book also presents a variety of case studies such as the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, the effects of climate change on the biodiversity of Aleppo pine forest in Senalba (Algeria), climate change and biodiversity response in the Niger Delta region, and the effects of forest fires on the biodiversity and the soil characteristics of tropical peatlands in Indonesia. This is a truly interdisciplinary publication, and will benefit all scholars, social movements, practitioners and members of governmental agencies engaged in research and/or executing projects on climate change and biodiversity around the world.

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This book describes initiatives and concrete examples on sustainable food production worldwide. In the current world scenario, where nations all over the world are struggling to accomplish the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and to ensure sustainable patterns for all, this book provides a contribution towards a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the cross-cutting issues related to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security. This interdisciplinary book supports the efforts to engage a commitment from all fields of science, to work together to provide knowledge that could help to address SDG2 (No hunger) and lead to the promotion of quality of life, by means of a more sustainable food production, and improved food security. This book is expected to fill the gap of publications in this field. It gives a special emphasis to a state-of-the-art descriptions of approaches, methods, initiatives and projects from universities, stakeholders, organizations and civil society across the world, regarding cross-cutting issues in sustainable food production. It includes examples of policies and practices case studies, examples of projects, institutional policies, innovative methods and tools and research outputs, which highlight the interdependence between sustainable agriculture and food security issues. It is expected that the “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security” will make the many benefits of sustainable food production clearer and, inter alia, lead to an increase in the emphasis provided to this central theme.

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Exploring the important role of education in both pursuing and implementing sustainable development, this timely Handbook highlights how teaching methods at schools and universities can impact the future. It looks at ways not only to inform students about matters related to sustainable development, but also to empower them to adopt behaviours and actions that lead to more sustainable lifestyles.Chapters from an international team of contributors present and analyse experiences of different learning processes and methods, showcasing the impact of curriculum-related issues and teacher training. Using different pedagogical approaches, case studies and interdisciplinary initiatives, the Handbook explores a broad range of technological approaches and tools to foster better teaching and learning for sustainable development. It provides key insights into the implementation of teaching initiatives in helping to promote sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.This Handbook will be crucial reading for those investigating curriculum policies and issues, and looking to enhance students’ understanding of sustainability in schools and universities.

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Exploring the important role of education in both pursuing and implementing sustainable development, this timely Handbook highlights how teaching methods at schools and universities can impact the future. It looks at ways not only to inform students about matters related to sustainable development, but also to empower them to adopt behaviours and actions that lead to more sustainable lifestyles.Chapters from an international team of contributors present and analyse experiences of different learning processes and methods, showcasing the impact of curriculum-related issues and teacher training. Using different pedagogical approaches, case studies and interdisciplinary initiatives, the Handbook explores a broad range of technological approaches and tools to foster better teaching and learning for sustainable development. It provides key insights into the implementation of teaching initiatives in helping to promote sustainable development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.This Handbook will be crucial reading for those investigating curriculum policies and issues, and looking to enhance students’ understanding of sustainability in schools and universities.

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This volume describes the thinking on sustainable development and a variety of initiatives across Europe, illustrating regional efforts to foster sustainable communities and ecological and social innovation. It contains various contributions which showcase examples of thinking, economic and social structures and in consumption and production patterns needed, to implement the SDGs.This book is part of the "100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals initiative".

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This book discusses the use of e-learning in the progresses towards Sustainable Development (SD) or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Almost three decades after the concept of sustainable development appeared, 2014 is the year where historical goals should be reached, since it is the last year of the United Nations Decade on ESD. Within this decade, research, projects and educational initiatives were developed and deliverables were achieved. Using e-learning is becoming widely accepted in formal and non-formal education proving to have the potential to be effective in expanding Education for Sustainability (EfS). Lifelong learning, adults’ education and the huge increase in the use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) lead to e-learning’s significant role within the learning and education processes.

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