Higher Education and the Climate Emergency: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum of the Campus

Cotton, Debby, Bailey, John and Tosdevin, Matthew (2020) Higher Education and the Climate Emergency: Exploring the Hidden Curriculum of the Campus. In: The Hidden Curriculum of Higher Education. Advance HE, pp. 29-41. ISBN 978-1-9163593-1-4

Text Higher Education and the Climate Emergency Exploring the Hidden Curriculum of the Campus.pdf - Accepted Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (317kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Climate change and ecological destruction are key issues for current and future generations and some of the most forthright advocates for a stronger policy response are young people. Through the climate strikes initiated by Greta Thunberg and increasingly vocal protests worldwide, young people have been motivated to take action on the climate emergency. In March 2019, more than 1.6 million people took part in the youth climate strike on all seven continents (Fisher, 2019). The #FridaysForFuture campaign is a growing youth movement, emerging from the climate strikes, and reflecting the frustration felt by many young people at being too young to vote for change yet seeing their futures gambled away by those in power. There has also been increasing recognition of the importance of education in addressing the climate emergency. Education is a cornerstone of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which replaced the Millennium Development Goals in 2015, with SDG 4 focused on ‘quality education’ and ‘lifelong learning opportunities for all’ (UN, 2015). As the expectation on educational institutions to show leadership increases, a UK-wide Climate Commission for Higher and Further Education (HE and FE) was launched in November 2019 to drive change throughout universities and colleges. A partnership of the Association of Colleges, EAUC, GuildHE and Universities UK, the Climate Commission aims to increase and amplify sustainability activities in the tertiary sector.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This publication is available to download for free for Advanced HE members.
Depositing User:	Ms Raisa Burton
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2020 10:03
Last Modified:	05 Feb 2021 12:24
URI:	https://marjon.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/17613

Actions (login required)

Edit Item