The Challenge of Sustainability: Linking Politics, Education and Learning

265 Pages·2015·4.112 MB·English

by  Hugh Atkinson, Ros Wade

the CHALLENGE
of SUSTAINABILITY
LINKING POLITICS, EDUCATION AND LEARNING
Edited by Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade
THE CHALLENGE OF
SUSTAINABILITY
Linking politics, education
and learning
Edited by Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by

Policy Press North America office:
University of Bristol Policy Press
1-9 Old Park Hill c/o The University of Chicago Press
Bristol BS2 8BB 1427 East 60th Street
UK Chicago, IL 60637, USA
t: [phone] t: [phone]
[email protected] f: [phone]
www.policypress.co.uk [email protected]
www.press.uchicago.edu
© Policy Press 2015
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 978 1 44730 646 7 hardcover
The right of Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade to be identified as editors of this work has been
asserted by them in accordance with the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act.
All rights reserved: no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise without the prior permission of Policy Press.
The statements and opinions contained within this publication are solely those of the editors
and contributors and not of the University of Bristol or Policy Press. The University of Bristol
and Policy Press disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from
any material published in this publication.
Policy Press works to counter discrimination on grounds of gender, race, disability, age and
sexuality.
Cover design by Policy Press
Front cover image: www.alamy.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd,
Croydon, CR0 4YY
Policy Press uses environmentally responsible print partners
Contents
List of tables and figures v
List of abbreviations and acronyms vi
Notes on terminology viii
Notes on contributors ix
Preface xi
Introduction 1
Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade
Part One: The challenge of sustainability: politics,
education and learning
One Planetary challenges: the agenda laid bare 11
Hugh Atkinson
Two The politics of sustainability: democracy and the limits of 43
policy action
Stuart Wilks-Heeg
Three: Learning, pedagogy and sustainability: the challenges for 63
education policy and practice
Ros Wade
Part Two: What is to be done? Case studies in politics,
education and learning
Four Climate change and environmental policy in the US: 89
lessons in political action
Hugh Atkinson
Five ‘Greening’ the European Union? The Europeanisation of 105
European Union environment policy
John O’Brennan
Six Rethinking globalisation through convergence: active 131
learning for social movements
Jenneth Parker
Part Three: What is to be done? Case studies in learning for
sustainability from across the globe
Seven The challenge of sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa – the 153
implications for education policy and practice
Ros Wade, with Vincent Muhumaza, Chikondi Musange and
Heinrich Rukundo
iii
The challenge of sustainability
Eight Regional centres of expertise as mobilising mechanisms 181
for education for sustainable development
Roger A. Petry, Lyle M. Benko, Takaaki Koganezawa,
Tomonori Ichinose and Mary Otieno, with Ros Wade
Nine Social media and sustainability: the right to the city 205
John Blewitt
Part Four: Emerging themes and future scenarios
Ten Emerging themes and future scenarios 229
Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade
Afterword 239
Hugh Atkinson and Ros Wade
Index 241
iv
List of tables and figures
Tables
1.1 Percentage greenhouse gas emissions per country, 17
2012
5.1 Glossary of European Union institutions and 108
decision-making
Figures
1.1 Sustainable development 13
1.2 Sustainable development: the ecological limit 14
1.3 Atmospheric greenhouse gases, 1900–2012 16
1.4 Average global surface temperatures, 1900–2012 18
6.1 The convergence quadrant 141
v
The challenge of sustainability
List of abbreviations and
acronyms
ACCU Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre for UNESCO
BSM benefit-sharing mechanism
CAP Common Agricultural Policy
CCS carbon capture and storage
DCSF Department for Children, Schools and Families
DCE Domasi College of Education
DE development education
DESD Decade for Education for Sustainable Development
DG Directorate General
EAP environment action programmes
EC European Community
ECJ European Court of Justice
EDDR education for disaster risk reduction and redevelopment
EE environmental education
EFA education for all
EKC environmental Kuznet’s curve
EIA environmental impact assessment
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPI environmental policy integration
ESD education for sustainable development
ETS emissions trading scheme
EU European Union
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services
GDP gross domestic product
GHG greenhouse gases
GMR Global Monitoring Report
GW gigawatt
HE higher education
HEIs higher education institutions
ICT information and communication technology
IEA International Energy Authority
IK indigenous knowledge
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
LGR local government representatives
MDG Millennium Development Goals
MESA Mainstreaming Environment and Sustainability across
African Universities
vi
List of abbreviations and acronyms
MFF Multi-annual Financial Framework
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NCADAC National Climate Assessment and Development
Advisory Committee
NCAR National Centre for Atmospheric Research
NEMA National Environmental Management Agency
NGO non-governmental organisation
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NRDC National Resources Defence Council
NSIDC National Snow and Ice Data Centre
NYBE nine-year basic education
ppm parts per million
OMC open method of coordination
QMV qualified majority voting
RCE regional centre for expertise
RCEGN Regional Centre for Expertise Greater Nairobi
RE renewable energy
RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
SDG Sustainable Development Goals
SDS Sustainable Development Strategy
SEA Single European Act
SSA sub-Saharan Africa
STEM science, technology, engineering and maths
TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
UDP Uranium Development Partnership
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change
UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social
Development
UNU United Nations University
WEO World Energy Outlook
WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development
WWF World Wide Fund for Nature
vii
The challenge of sustainability
Notes on terminology
While we recognise that a great deal of terminology is open to question
and critical examination, terms that may be included in this book
include:
• ‘majority world’ to refer to the majority global population in
countries that benefit least from the global economy. Other terms
used include ‘Southern’ (most countries in this position are in the
southern hemisphere) and ‘developing’ countries;
• ‘minority world’ to refer to the wealthy, industrialised countries.
Other terms include ‘Northern’ countries (most countries in this
position are in the northern hemisphere) and ‘developed’ countries.
All these terms are problematic and contain a mixture of political and
cultural implications and are therefore used with caution. While we
acknowledge that there are no terms that can fully describe the current
complex global political and economic terrain, nonetheless, they can
be a useful shorthand. However, we note that they are generalisations
that do not fully represent, for example, the emerging economies of
the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India and China), nor the emerging
economies of post-communist states.
viii
Notes on contributors
Hugh Atkinson is senior lecturer in politics at London South Bank
University. He is the author of Local democracy, civic engagement and
community: from New Labour to the big society (Manchester University
Press, 2012). He is a founder member of the Political Studies Association
specialist group on environmental politics.
Lyle M. Benko has 40 years’ professional experience in formal and
non-formal education. He is president of LAMB Environmental and
Educational Consulting. In March 2011, he was the recipient of the
Saskatchewan Eco-Network Provincial Environment Activist Award.
John Blewitt is director of the MSc in social responsibility and
sustainability at Aston University. He is the author of Understanding
sustainable development (Routledge-Earthscan, 2014).
Tomonori Ichinose is a professor at the Miyagi University of
Education whose research interests include diversity education and
education for sustainable development.
Takaaki Koganezawa is professor of education at the University
of Miyagi, Japan, visiting professor at the United Nations University
Institute of Advanced Studies and secretary of the Regional Centre
for Expertise Greater Sendai.
John O’Brennan lectures in European politics and society at the
National University of Ireland, Maynooth. He is the author of The
European Union and the western Balkans: from stabilisation to normalisation
and EU membership (Routledge, 2014).
Mary Otieno is a lecturer in the School of Education at Kenyatta
University, Nairobi, Kenya. Mary is a member of the steering committee
of the Regional Centre for Expertise Greater Nairobi. She has wide
experience in training, research and publication in education for
sustainable development.
Jenneth Parker is research director at the Schumacher Institute for
Sustainable Solutions, Bristol, with 20 years’ experience in learning for
sustainability. Her most recent publication is ‘Critiquing sustainability,
changing philosophy’. She has provided policy advice for the United
ix