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- Climate change policies and agendas: facing implementation challenges and guiding responsesPublication . Alves, Fátima; Leal Filho, Walter; Casaleiro, Paula; Nagy, Gustavo J.; Diaz, Harry; Al-Amin, Abul Quasem; Farooq, Harith; Guerra, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade; Margot, Hurlbert; Klavins, Maris; Saroar, Mustafa; Lorencova, Eliska Krkoska; Suresh, Jain; Soares, Amadeu; Morgado, Fernando; O’Hare, Paul; Wolf, Franziska; Azeiteiro, UlissesClimate policies are essential to mitigate climate change and to develop successful adaptation processes. However, there is a paucity of international studies that analyse the status of climate change policies. This paper reports on research undertaken in a sample of 13 highly diverse countries, in regards to their geography, socioeconomic development, vulnerability elements, adaptation, and climate-risks. The results draw attention to the global spread and standardisation of climate change policies, namely through the adoption of comprehensive National Adaptation Plans/Strategies (NAPs/NASs) that include mitigation measures and evaluation mechanisms. Although NAPs tend to take into account different non-governmental stakeholders, they are still mainly state-centred (i.e. their steering and implementation are the responsibility of each country´s Ministry of the Environment) in most of the 13 countries in which this study was carried out. The results show that NAPs’ objectives mainly reflect more a global agenda and pay less attention to national/regional vulnerabilities and contexts. In fact, despite different socioeconomic levels of development, diverse climate-risks, and dissimilar vulnerability and readiness status among countries, the examined NAPs tend to focus on the same critical sectors and objectives. Notwithstanding their similarities, our results highlight two different logics of adaptation reflected on the NAPs: one focused on economic risks and opportunities, characteristic of developed countries; and others focused on natural resources and conservation, characteristic of developing countries.
- Implementing climate change research at universities: barriers, potential and actionsPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Morgan, Edward A.; Godoy, Eric S.; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Nicolau, Paula Bacelar; Veiga Ávila, Lucas; Mac-Lean, Claudia; Hugék, JeanMany universities around the world have been active centres of climate change research. However, there are a number of barriers to climate change research, stemming both from the nature of there search and the structure of institutions.This paper offers an overview of the barriers which hinder the handling of matters related to climate change at institutions of higher education (IHEs), and reports on an empirical study to investigate these barriers using a global survey of higher education institutions. It concludes by proposing some steps which could be followed with a view to making climate change more present and effective in university research and teaching. These include changing approaches to research, outreach and teaching to better support action on climate change.
- The INDICARE-model: measuring and caring about participation in higher education's sustainability assessmentPublication . Disterheft, Antje; Caeiro, Sandra; Leal Filho, Walter; Azeiteiro, UlissesThe implementation of sustainability in higher education has been advanced over at least the last twodecades and brought sustainability assessment on the research agenda of Education for Sustainable Devel-opment (ESD) and sustainability science. Participatory approaches have gained increasing attention inthese endeavours, but remain often vague and less addressed in sustainability assessment procedures.To fill in this gap, an indicator-based model, INDICARE, was developed that can assist in assessing par-ticipatory processes within higher education’s sustainability initiatives. The objective of this paper is tointroduce and discuss the model’s theoretical background, its structure, applicability, and how it canbroaden the perspectives on participation and sustainability assessment in the university context.Embedded in a cross-sectional qualitative research design, the model was developed in iterative stagesand was presented and adjusted along six feedback loops, having been presented to 98 persons duringconferences, workshops and university meetings. Inspired by biophilic ideas, transformative learning the-ories and participatory evaluation, INDICARE follows an ecocentric and integrative perspective that placesthe earth and its community at the centre of attention. A preliminary set of thirty indicators and prac-tices, grouped in three categories of context, process, and transformation, is proposed. The assessmentprocess itself is considered as a thought-provoking exercise rather than as a control tool and empha-sizes the interplay of personal reflection and action-oriented outreach. INDICARE intends to invigoratethe sustainability debate in higher education, in particular by proposing a more holistic approach toassessment that underlines experiencing the interconnectedness of human–nature relationships, com-bined with reflective exercises that can respond better to the call for transformation on individual andinstitutional level.
- Sustainability science and education for sustainable development in universities : a way for transitionPublication . Disterheft, Antje; Caeiro, Sandra; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Leal Filho, WalterThe debate about sustainable development (SD) in higher education institutions has expanded over the past decades. It has been recognized that universities play a pivotal role in promoting sustainability principles, contributing to the paradigm shift toward a more sustainable present and future. Campus sustainability—commonly understood in a broad sense that includes the physical, educational (teaching, curricula, research), and institutional dimensions—is an evolving study field, as indicated by the growing number of articles in academic journals, conferences, awards, and books (like the present one) dedicated to the subject. From the academic point of view, the emergent fields of sustainability science and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) have advanced the efforts of mainstreaming sustainability and implementing concrete practices in universities. But despite some progress and good examples, only a few institutions follow a SD implementation process holistically. A one-sided trend of ‘‘going green,’’ driven by market requirements, marketing advantages, and economic benefits, increases the risks of greenwashing. Reductionist models and misconceptions may cause sustainability initiatives to be wrongly reduced to single aspects of SD like environmental initiatives, losing meaning and credibility. This chapter addresses the question of what role the emerging fields of sustainability science and ESD can play within the transition to more sustainable universities. It aims to contribute to a more holistic perception of SD and examines some of the trends being observed in the higher education sector. Universities are challenged to reflect about educational objectives and strategic goals in their sustainability implementation processes, if they aim to educate the academic community beyond eco-efficiency and recycling. ESD and sustainability science are normative academic fields, action-oriented and close to society. Along with universities as democratic institutions, these fields constitute essential vehicles to investigate, test, and develop conditions for truly transformative change.
- Theory and practice of climate adaptationPublication . Alves, Fátima; Leal Filho, Walter; Azeiteiro, UlissesAbout the book: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. As such, both the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the 25th Conference of the Parties (COP 25) recommendations call for action not only from government, but also from various stakeholders. Apart from the knowledge offered by modeling and forecasts, which allows the readers to understand the problem and how it is likely to develop in the future, the book highlights approaches, methods and tools that can help readers cope with the social, economic and political problems posed by climate change. In other words, the book’s goal is to accelerate developments in the field of climate change adaptation. This book gathers papers presented at the “2nd World Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation”, a joint initiative by the University of Coimbra (Portugal), the Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management” at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (Germany), and the International Climate Change Information Programme (ICCIP). The book is truly interdisciplinary, covering various key areas in the field of climate change adaptation. Its focus is on “integrative approaches to implementing climate change adaptation”, and is expected to contribute to the further development of this fast-growing field. (33 chapters)
- Crossing borders and linking plural knowledge : biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and human well-beingPublication . Alves, Fátima; Leal Filho, Walter; Araújo, Maria José; Azeiteiro, UlissesThe challenges we face today in terms of local, regional and global environmental changes and pressures on biodiversity can only be addressed with a close coupling of approaches from natural and social sciences together with local knowledge. The authors emphasise that biodiversity research and intervention should integrate this new comprehensive perspective, bringing together biological sciences, social sciences and local knowledge. This approach should demystify the traditional dichotomies that still impose epistemological and moral reductionist borders between nature and culture,systematically hiding the heuristic value of the social and cultural dimension of biodiversity loss. In this context, biodiversity is a field dominated by multiple tensions between plural knowledge within science itself and local knowledge (less visible), which brings to the discussion conflicts that are inherent to science, technology, economics, sociology, politics and culture. This is a fundamental dimension to understand and respond to the challenges we are facing on biodiversity loss.
- E-learning and education for sustainabilityPublication . Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Leal Filho, Walter; Caeiro, SandraThis 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.
- Introducing "the new food choice and consumer paradigms"Publication . Moura, Ana Pinto de; Cunha, Luís Miguel; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Leal Filho, WalterIn this special issue, the main results from an International Seminar entitled: New Food Paradigms, held in Portugal in October 2008 are presented. The event was organized on behalf of the Associated Laboratory, REQUIMTE, University of Porto, Portugal. A total of seven rigorously peer-reviewed papers stemming from the Seminar are presented.
- Assessing the connections between COVID-19 and waste management in BrazilPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Salvia, Amanda Lange; Paço, Arminda; Ferreira, Célia; Neiva, Samara; Rampasso, Izabela Simon; Anholon, Rosley; Vasconcelos, Claudio Ruy Portela de; Eustachio, João Henrique Paulino Pires; Jabbour, Charbel Jose ChiappettaIn addition to the health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, several countries— particularly in developing regions—faced serious additional challenges in the economic, social and environmental areas. In Brazil, one of these challenges refers to the changes in consumption caused by the lockdowns, and the environmental impacts caused by new patterns of waste generation. Against this background, this paper investigates the changes in consumption and waste generation in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. It provides a technical contribution to the topic by comparing the perception of survey respondents on the amount of household waste produced before and during the pandemic, and cross-checking these with information on current aspects of policymaking, the findings suggest that the amount of some specific types of household waste has noticeably increased, challenging even more the local waste management systems. The data instrument was validated by a pre-test, prior to deployment. According to the respondents, packaging (both plastic and paper/cardboard) was the type of waste that reported the highest increase in generation during the lockdowns, which is in line with the results of increased consumption of food delivery within this period. The results also suggest that current waste management policies make Brazil ill-equipped to deal with one of the non-intended effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted Latin America’s largest country.
- Identifying and overcoming obstacles to the implementation of sustainable development at universitiesPublication . Leal Filho, Walter; Wu, Yenchun Jim; Brandli, Luciana; Avila, Lucas Veiga; Azeiteiro, Ulisses; Caeiro, Sandra; Madruga, Lucia Rejane da Rosa GamaAlthough there have been proven and successful developments in the field of Higher Education for Sustainable Development over the past 15 years or so, there are still numerous challenges to be overcome. Among these challenges is the need for Higher Education Institutions to improve the integration of sustainability in the curriculum and in research, and most importantly, to integrate it holistically in their systems. This paper presents an analysis of the fundamental obstacles to the incorporation of sustainable development in universities. It reports on an empirical study performed with universities across the world, where some of the main barriers are identified. It is recommended that these barriers are viewed as obstacles and entrepreneurial opportunities, and addressed accordingly.