Education for Sustainable Futures
Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter
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- Description
- Contents
- Reviews
- About
The Earth Charter declaration is recognized by UNESCO as an instrument to enhance sustainable development, specifically the UNSDGs, as the current global action framework. Education for Sustainable Futures highlights the immense potential that the recognition and application of the Earth Charter could have for global education efforts. The chapters amplify voices often marginalised in educational discourse, contributing to a more equitable and values-based approach to education.
This book explores the role of education in shaping sustainable futures through the lens of the Earth Charter. This collection includes practical examples, research findings, and theoretical debates that illustrate how the Earth Charter informs educational practices and policy initiatives in several different global contexts including Latin America, East and South Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Engaging with the aims of the UNSDGs, Education for Sustainable Futures bridges the gap between policy and practice, offering a comprehensive exploration of the Charter's potential impact on education.
Chapter 1. Introduction; Douglas Bourn, Mirian Vilela, and Namrata Sharma
- Part I. Theoretical Debates
- Chapter 2. Preparing the Ground, Weaving a Tapestry, Writing a New Story: Three Metaphors Describing the Essential Role of the Earth Charter in Twenty-First Century Education; Sam Crowell and Mirian Vilela
- Chapter 3. Democracy, Non-Violence, and Peace: The Earth Charter Cultivating its Seeds, a Perspective from Brazil; Daniela Carvalho Piaggio and Rose Marie Inojosa
- Chapter 4. The Earth Charter and the Development of a Planetary Consciousness in Brazilian Higher Education Institutions; Silvia Elizabeth Moraes, Josefina Moraes Arraut, Eduardo Moraes Arraut, and Pedro Rogério
- Part II. Intersectionality
- Chapter 5. Being Present: Intersectionality, Critical Global Citizenship Theorising and the Earth Charter; Mostafa Gamal
- Chapter 6. Bridging the Gaps with the Earth Charter: GCED and ESD Policies and Implementation; Alicia Jimenez and Laura Engel
- Chapter 7. Integrating ESD and GCED in Higher Education Curriculum: Perspectives from Kenyatta University, Kenya; Mukirae Njihia, Damaris Kariuki, and Wilson Mutuma
- Chapter 8. Traditional Chinese and Earth Charter Values: Building an Ecological Civilization through Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship; MA Shuang
- Part III. Value-Creating Education
- Chapter 9. Pedagogical Implications of Framing Sustainability and Global Citizenship through the Earth Charter and Value-Creating Education; Namrata Sharma
- Chapter 10. The Contributions of the Soka Amazon Institute to the Earth Charter in the Brazilian Amazon; Tamy Kobashikawa
- Chapter 11. The Earth Charter and Value-Creating Education: From the Perspective of Global Citizenship Education; Hiroko Tomioka
- Chapter 12. Teacher Competency Development from Value-Creating Education; Ana B. García-Varela and Alejandro Iborra Cuéllar
- Chapter 13. Education for Environmental Justice and Actions for the Era of Climate Emergency: Through the Earth Charter and Value-Creating Education; Michiyo Kakegawa
- Part IV. Evidence from Research
- Chapter 14. The Role of Empathy-Based GCE Pedagogy in Earth Charter; Natalya Hanley
- Chapter 15. The Earth Charter and the Practice of Education for Sustainable Development; Qudsia Kalsoom
- Chapter 16. Climate Change and Just Transition through Earth Charter Lenses; Akpezi Ogbuigwe, Adesuwa Vanessa Agbedahin, and Joe Gachanja Macharia
- Chapter 17. Peace Education: Praxis through the Arts; Alexis Stones
- Part V. From Policy to Practice
- Chapter 18. The Dance of the Rhizomes: Learning Processes Inspired by the Earth Charter; Waverli Maia Matarazzo-Neuberger and María de los Ángeles Vilches-Norat
- Chapter 19. The Earth Charter, Ethics and Educating for Climate Change; Kartikeya V Sarabhai, Prithi Nambiar, and Meena A.S.
- Chapter 20. Education for Sustainability and Global Citizenship with the Earth Charter, a Propeller towards Transformative Action in Educational Systems and Institutions: A Perspective from Argentina; Carla Sabbatini
- Chapter 21. Global Social Justice and Transformative Education for Social Change; Douglas Bourn
- Chapter 22. Conclusion; Douglas Bourn, Mirian Vilela, and Namrata Sharma
Our planet and its inhabitants urgently need education and educationalists with inspiration to act responsibly as the book editors Douglas Bourn, Namrata Sharma, and Mirian Vilela write, and I fully agree. They have invited authors to share their rich knowledge, essays and debates for inspiring us readers to collaborate in transforming education guided by the Earth Charter. The chapters offer diverse perspectives on the ways education is and can be transformed with a common value basis of shared humanity, social justice, planetary wellbeing, interdisciplinarity and creative engaging pedagogies. Be inspired and join the collective action.
Education for Sustainable Futures: Global Citizenship and the Earth Charter is a timely and unique contribution to the ongoing discourse on the role of education for just and equitable futures. Driven by a united sense of urgency, this edited volume brings together a wealth of perspectives from scholars and practitioners worldwide, demonstrating how the Earth Charter continues to inspire transformative approaches to education. Through insightful analyses and practical case studies, this book highlights the vital role of shared values underlying education for sustainability that fosters ethical leadership and compassionate global citizenship. The authors urge action, reminding the reader that the interconnected challenges of today require holistic, transformative, yet values-driven responses. As someone deeply engaged in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), I highly recommend this book to educators, policymakers, and all those dedicated to advancing sustainability through learning and collaborative action.
Education for Sustainable Futures expands the field’s understanding of transformative education by grounding ESD and GCE in a values-based, holistic education. The book is a clarion call for galvanising moral courage, empathetic global citizenship, and transformative action for the well-being of people and planet.
Douglas Bourn is Professor of Development Education and Director of Development Education Research Centre at University College London, UK. He is chair of the Academic Network on Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) and Global Learning London.
Namrata Sharma is on the faculty at the State University of New York, USA, and an expert with the United Nations’ Harmony with Nature Knowledge Network.
Mirian Vilela is the Executive Director of the Earth Charter International Secretariat and the Center for Education for Sustainable Development at UPEACE. Mirian has been working with the Earth Charter Initiative since early 1996.