4. Conceptualising and Understanding Education and Cultural Challenges for Sustainability Transformation. Raising Awareness on the Big Picture

Rifkin (2011), Papa Francesco (2015) and Morin (1999).

Giannini (1976).

Giannini (1976) personal translation from the original text: “[L]a cosa è elemento materiale d’interessi di natura immateriale e pubblica (…) como tale è bene culturale, su cui lo Stato-Amministrazione dei beni culturali ha delle potestà che non riguardano l’utilizzabilità patrimoniale della cos, bensì la conservazione alla cultura e la fruibilità nell’universo culturale”, p. 5 et seg.

See further, Reflection Paper towards a Sustainable Europe by 2030, COM (2019) 22 Final, Brussels, 30.1.2019.

A shift on the inertia of public administration education in Europe is unfolded by a niche of law-based literature. See further, Hajnal (2015).

Grimonprez (2014).

See, Case 293/83, Gravier v City of Liège [1985] ECR 73; Case 242/87, Commission of the European Communities v Council of the European Communities [1989] ECR 1425.

See further Garben (2015). Garben, argues, how through the OMC, which is commonly perceived as a ‘soft’ policy instrument, with a focus on cooperation, leaving considerable discretion to the Member States. Member States executives agree on certain objectives, but remain free to implement them in the way they see fit, taking into account their system differences. This however, underestimates the OMC’s tangible effects in opening up sensitive national sectors, and overestimates the way it respects national autonomy. On the Open Method of Coordination see further, de la Porte (2002); on the most concrete relevance of the OMC and the Bologna process and harmonisation process of European Higher Education, see further Garben (2011, 2015).

Current progress reports already refer to the necessity of addressing Education from top-level political and legal intervention to create the right learning environments. Despite the considerable progress on education access and participation over the past years, 262 million children and youth, aged 6 to 17 were still out of school in 2017, and more than a half of children and adolescents are not meeting minimum proficiency standards in reading and mathematics. Marginalised people in vulnerable settings and teacher’s training continue to present the biggest challenge. See further, Goal 4: Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, retrieved from http://​sustainabledevel​opment.​un.​org.

See further, http://​commonstransitio​n.​org/​how-the-commons-can-revitalize-europe/​.

Prieto de Pedro (2007), Becerril Atienza (2015), Bekemans (1990), Craufud (2004) and Polavieja (2015).

On this, see further Bekemans (1990).

See for further reference, Becerril Atienza (2015).

Sacco (2011), and the works of this author in (2008), (2009), help to understand the need for such a disciplinary setting.

Decision (EU) 2017/864 of the EU Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on a European Year of Cultural Heritage.

See for instance how recent documents shed new light on cultural heritage shaping its constant evolution and application: FARO Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage (2005); The Bruges Declaration on Cultural Heritage: A resource for Europe stressing the benefits of interaction (2010); The Namur Declaration (2015) considering the cultural heritage is “a necessary response to the current challenges” (I, Art. 3); The European Cultural Heritage Strategy for the twenty-first century further referred to as Strategy 21 focusing on the three main components of cultural heritage: social, economic and territorial, and knowledge and education.

Also Known as the Florence Convention, promotes the protection, management and planning of European landscapes and organises European Co-operation on landscape issues. The Convention was adopted on 20 October 2000 in Florence (Italy) and came into force on 1 March 2004 (Council of Europe Treaty Series No. 176). It is the first international treaty to be exclusively concerned with all dimensions of European landscape. https://​www.​coe.​int/​en/​web/​landscape.

Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society- CETS-Treaty No. 199. Faro, 27/10/2005. In line with the Faro Convention principles and criteria, civic initiatives enable institutions and communities to develop decision-making capacities and to manage their development processes, ensuring that heritage contributes to the social, cultural and economic dynamics of the communities.

Moreno Molina (2010).

See Becerril Atienza (2015).

The European Cultural Convention was adopted on 19 December 1954 in Paris (France) and came into force on 5 May 1955 (Council of Europe Treaty Series No. 018). The purpose of this Convention is to develop mutual understanding among the peoples of Europe and reciprocal appreciation of their cultural diversity, to safeguard European culture, to promote national contributions to Europe’s common cultural heritage respecting the same fundamental values and to encourage in particular the study of the languages, history and civilisation of the Parties to the Convention. It can be retrieved from http://​coe.​int.

Art. 1, para. 2, of Decision 2017/864/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on a EYCH (2018).

See further on this argument, Concilio and Rausell (2019).

Explains this well. He argues that managing cultural diversity is recognised as a horizontal task that involves a variety of players and contexts and includes both legal standards (human rights law) and policy measures. Indeed, the relevance of this dimension is that the cultural elements that shape collective identities determine the ownership and enjoyment of human rights in democratic societies. In this regard, what happens is that a nation-state has been a powerful factor in cultural and identity homogenisation based on those democratic traits, without considering that, here, democracy is understood solely as a rule of majorities not resolving issues related to respecting the identity of minorities. See further, how Amartya Sen (1999), in Chapter 6, when he speaks about the importance of ‘Democracy’ explains this principle in a brilliant manner and applied to a much global context. He explains, taking the example of the honey collectors of the Sundarbans that risk their lives every day in the land of the Bengal tiger to collect some honey, how those people might not be concerned about their civil or political rights at all. On balancing the problems of economic needs and political freedoms, we might find the key to understand minority rights.

See further on this Palermo and Woelk (2008), p. 16.

On this topic concerning the European cultural challenge associated to cultural diversity and multiculturalism, Costa-Lascoux (1995), makes an interesting point on the ambivalent role of legal instruments in relation to this issues. For her, the law is a reflection of the political philosophy of integration and underlines its coherence, but also reveals its limitations and contradictions, because through definitions and criteria defined by law and institutional intervention there should be discriminatory actions towards category of persons concerned. On her discussion, the role of education and associations is essential in defence of those who feel trapped by bureaucratic machinery whose purpose and working cannot reach every person, nor every concern.

This approach is associated to the theories that have prevailed throughout the history of Europe, particularly in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries: Universalism and relativism. A certain concept of culture corresponds to each theory. Attached to universalism is a notion that claims to transcend cultural particularities. On the other hand, relativism is linked to a notion that respects cultural differences and rejects all federative or totalitarian points of view. Reference taken from “Otherness and cultural differences” by Oriol and Affergan (1995).

The case of the Romani people, colloquially known as gypsies, is paradigmatic of this affirmation.

See further, UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity of 3 March 2001, Article 4.

Article 2 para 2 (j) of Decision 2017/864/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 on EYCH (2018).

On this, see further Parker (2014).

Anderson et al. (2016), citing an extensive literature on the same conceptual assumption, see further, Duncombe (2002), Kapoor (2008) and McKenzie (2009).

Sacco, Ferilli, and Pedrini (2008) and Sacco (2009).

Ibid. Sacco (2011) argue that this reflects in the difficulty to bring cultural policy issues at the top ranks of the broader policy agenda, and consequently explains why the share of structural funds devoted to culture badly fails to match the share of cultural and creative sectors in the total EU value added.

Sacco argues that the direct consequence of this lack of conceptualising the importance of culture in the economic activity that is extended to the neglected role of culture boosting sustainability and sustainable places, has also contributed to funding cuts during phases of economic crisis (Sacco, 2011).

Education has a primary role in the Europe 2020 Strategy, emphasising its pre-eminence for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth as a way to overcome the structural weaknesses in Europe’s economy, improve its competitiveness and productivity and underpin a sustainable social market economy.

It is outside the scope of this study to address anthropological disputes concerned with the meaning of culture. The bibliography is broad.

I add emphasis on this point.

Here its liminal (definition) nature provoking concerns at legal and judicial level would not be a problem anymore.

This book presents a modest contribution to the conceptual axis needed for starting to build a research agenda to face educational challenges, and trigger future research and policy engagement in the field.

Leading to the privatisation of education.

Morin (1999), Papa Francesco (2015) and Naranjo (2016).

See Pope Francis (2015, paragraph 211).

See further, Jickling and Sterling (2017).

(From the French décroissance), one of the current theoretical authorities of such movement is the French economist, Serge Latouche. However, the concept of “degrowth” appeared during the 1970, proposed by André Gorz (1972) and other intellectuals such as Georgescu-Roegen, E.F. Schumacher, and Ivan Illich. It is a political, economic and social movement based on ecological economics, anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas. It is also considered an essential economic strategy responding to the limits-to-growth dilemma. See further, D’Alisa et al. (2015).

Asara et al. (2015).

See further, Kaufmann, Sanders, and Wortmann (2019).

Illich (1971).

Pope Francis (2015) devotes Chapter 6 to “Education and Ecological Spirituality”.

Asara et al. (2015).

See further, Kaufmann et al. (2019).

Other important declarations adopted by the UN containing provisions concerning education are the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959); the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples (1965); The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (1967); the Declaration on Social Progress and Development (1969); the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons (1971); the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975); the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992); The Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace (1999); and the Millennium Declaration (2000).

Thus, education was placed under the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights.

See the most recent data available accessible here: https://​ec.​europa.​eu/​eurostat/​statistics-explained/​index.​php/​Government_​expenditure_​on_​education.

Paris, 14 December 1960 The General Conference of the UNESCO, meeting in Paris from 14 November to 15 December, at its eleventh session adopted the Convention against Discrimination in Education; available at http://​portal.​unesco.​org/​en/​ev.​php-URL_​ID=​12949&​URL_​DO=​DO_​TOPIC&​URL_​SECTION=​201.​html; see also, http://​www.​unesco.​org/​new/​en/​social-and-human-sciences/​themes/​fight-against-discrimination/​role-of-education/​.

Retrieved from UNESCO’s official website: http://​www.​unesco.​org/​new/​en/​social-and-human-sciences/​themes/​fight-against-discrimination/​role-of-education/​.

International Education Agreements - International Agreements in General, The Years between the Wars (1918–1939): International Education Agreements - International Agreements in General, The Years between the Wars (1918–1939) - Rights, Nations, United, and Adopted - StateUniversity.​com http://​education.​stateuniversity.​com/​pages/​2121/​International-Education-Agreements.​html#ixzz5LzpJu3TD.

It was composed of eminent personalities in the sciences and humanities from different countries and charged with advising the council on measures that governments could take with a view to stimulating international cooperation among scientists, artist, philosophers, writers, and other groups of intellectuals to enhance the League’s objectives. For further reference, see previous note.

It was created to carry out operational activities in the areas of concern of the Commission on ‘Intellectual Co-operation’. Such Commission and International Institute, of course, indirectly had an educational dimension. The Institute became active in promoting exchanges between researchers in different countries, in both the sciences and humanities and in promoting international cooperation between universities in what regards teacher and student exchanges and the mutual recognition of degrees and diplomas.

It was established in Geneva in 1926 as an offshoot of the University of Geneva’s School of Education (Institute Jean-Jacques Rousseau). In 1929, the International Bureau for Education open its membership to other countries and became the first intergovernmental organisation in the field of education.

COM (COM) 12 Nov 1997: Towards a Europe of knowledge has been followed by COM (2018) 306 final, Brussels, 15.5.2018, a renewed European Agenda for Research and Innovation. Europe’s chance to shape its future.

Gornitzka (2018).

Only Austria, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Greece, Spain, Sweden and Romania within the Europe have kept the joint functions of cultural and education in their education ministries, the rest of European countries have evolved separating the functionalities and devoting different ministerial functions to education, research, training and youth (and sometimes even sport) as part of the same umbrella, and in a different instance, culture.

See further, Stiglitz (2002).

See further some of the most recent economist’s approaches on the matter, Latouche (2009) and Rifkin (2011).

On this topic, see Garben (2011).

See further, Hajnal (2015).

See further on this, Latouche (2009) and Kothari et al. (2014).

Kothari et al. (2014).

See further, Kothari et al. (2014).

Göpel and Maja (2016), pp. 131–132.

This assertion is based on the assumption that it is only possible to understand a system and actor motivations if you ask people about their experienced reality (Stiglitz et al., 2009). Göpel (2016) brings to this argument an astonishing example supporting such assumption: The OECD’s 2013 Report on Health at a Glance in which a question about whether respondents felt healthy was answered positively by 89.5% of Americans but only 30% of Japanese. According to the objective data, Japan has the second highest life expectancy figures in the world and very high scores in terms of the number of hospital beds, health equipment in hospitals etc., the length of stay in hospital and the number of times people go to the doctor. In the United States life expectancy is four years shorter and rising much more slowly than in other OECD countries. Its obesity rate is twice that of others and 15% of the population live without health coverage, despite of the world’s highest per capita expenditure on health care (OECD, 2013; as quoted from Göpel, 2016), what Göpel, and anyone can conclude from this example, is that, without talking to people directly, much insight about experienced well-being and need satisfaction may be missed.

The development aim of GNH was already set out in 1972 by Bhutan’s fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. He presented happiness as the logical outcome of the legal code which sealed the unification of Bhutan in 1729, and stated that, “if the government cannot create happiness (‘dedidk’) for its people, there is no purpose for the government to exist” (see further, Ura & Zangmo, 2012, p. 6). Bhutan has made of this ‘obligation’ a societal endeavour, as opposed to the individualised attempt leading to high economic growth (note that US Constitution of 1776 declares “life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness” to be the basic rights of each individual and their protection the duty of the state).

See further Göpel (2016), pp. 131–135, and Bertelsmann Stiftung (2013), p. 70.

See further, Ura and Zangmo (2012).

See further Manish (2008).

See further the report that was prepared by the German Federation for Arts Education and Cultural Learning (BKJ) and the international foundation Creativity Culture and Education (CCE) and was supported by the German Foundation Stiftung Mercator. It explores how the reach and impact of creative and cultural education in Europe can be improved, how creative and cultural education can strengthen our understanding of the value of Europe and how we can improve capacity in Europe for working collaborative Collard and Witte (2015) On line access at: https://​www.​creativitycultur​eeducation.​org/​/​wp-content/​uploads/​2018/​10/​NAE-Final-Report.​pdf.

See further the research data provided on this aspect by Tozzi (2012) on the second part of his contribution, where he makes a comparative study of public policies and school models and then, refers to some research data to see if multicultural education catches on effectively. See also, Faas, Hajisoteriou, and Angelides (2014).

See Corbett (2005).

In the sense referred by Edgar Morin (1999), in Chapter IV, he digs into the concept of Earth identity that humans should acquire to “understand the human condition in the world, and the condition of the human world, which in the course of modern history has become the condition of the planetary era” (The Italics are Morin’s).

The Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, generally referred to as the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission after the surnames of its leaders, is a commission of inquiry created by the French Government in 2008. The inquiry examined how the wealth and social progress of a nation could be measured, without relying on the uni-dimensional gross domestic product (GDP) measure. See further; http://​www.​communityindicat​ors.​net/​system/​publication_​pdfs/​9/​orginal/​Stiglitz_​Sen_​Fitoussi_​2009.​pdf?​132396102.

See further on this, Taylor (2013).

See further Weiss (2010).

See, Göpel (2016).

Sen (1999) “Development as Capacity Expansion” 41–58.

The central message of this Human Development report is that while growth in national production (GDP) is absolutely necessary to meet all essential human objectives, what is important is to study how this growth translates-or fails to translate-into human development in various societies (UNDP, 1990, p. iii). Among the consultants for this report, there was Amartya Sen, guided by Mahbub ul Haq.

Sen (1995), UNDP (1990) and Nussbaum (2002).

It continues by adding considerations on technical development, “technical considerations of the means to achieve human development-and the use of statistical aggregates to measure national income and its growth-have at times obscured the fact that the primary objective of development is to benefit people”. Further on in the report, there already emerge critics on the ‘measuring’ mechanism, by arguing that “excessive preoccupation with GNP growth and national income accounts has obscured that powerful perspective, supplanting a focus on ends by an obsession with merely the means” (UNDP, 1990, p. 10).

UNDP 1994 http://​hdr.​undp.​org/​en/​content/​human-development-report-1994; UNDP 2009 http://​hdr.​undp.​org/​en/​content/​human-development-report-2009; UNDP 2007 http://​hdr.​undp.​org/​en/​content/​human-development-report-2007; UNDP 2004 http://​hdr.​undp.​org/​en/​content/​human-development-report-2004.

See further on this Jones (1983).

During this second period of education reforms is quite well known the case of the Finnish system of Education that hailed a complete reform based on a major State investment on the teaching body.

Under these second wave of reforms the proposals of educational progressivism, described once by J. Dewey (1916) were gone. Those would have fitted the first momentum of educational reforms, when the whole school system was on the making.

Some of the most debated issues in school education, i.e., increased wage claims made through the union corporations without counterproposals in terms of ‘educational’ content improvement or change; the role of (the Catholic) religion in public schools; the right to be taught in minority languages; demands for more focus on one subject or another, according to which corporate sector is demanding (science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and English language, to name a few, taken from the education policy studies literature), would need some drastic changes introduced by central administration with the courage of investing financial resources and boost forward-looking programs of change at every education level. Otherwise the inequality gap will keep growing and private schooling would always go ahead of times and central administration school policy changes.

Target 7, of the SDG 4 on ‘quality education’ establishes that “by 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”; this can be reached through the means provided by the indicators (4.7.1): Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development, including gender equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in: (a) national education policies, (b) curricula, (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment.

See further on this, Rifkin (2011); on the topic of creating an intimate relationship with the biosphere that should not be considered utopic any longer, see the works of the biologist, Wilson (1993).

Indebted to Morin (1999) for this reference.

The Earth Charter was finalised and then launched at The Hague (29 June 2000) as a people’s charter by the Earth Charter Commission in a ceremony at the Peace Palace, in The Hague. The Earth Charter commission was an independent international entity.

The drafting of the Earth Charter involved the most inclusive and participatory process ever associated with the creation of an international declaration. This process is the primary source of its legitimacy as a guiding ethical framework. The legitimacy of the document has been further enhanced by its endorsement by over 6000 organisations, including many governments and international organisations. In light of this legitimacy, an increasing number of international lawyers recognise that the Earth Charter is acquiring the status of a soft law document. Soft law documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are considered to be morally, but not legally, binding on state governments that agree to endorse and adopt them, and they often form the basis for the development of hard law (earthcharter.​org).

See further, http://​earthcharter.​org.

He is one of the legal scholars providing the most complete insights and account of the Earth Charter in a global perspective.

(1995).

The Earth Charter is in fact also mentioned by Papa Francesco as a crucial instrument to build a universal consciousness and awareness.

https://​earthcharter.​org/​.

República de Colombia, Corte Constitucional, Sala Sexta, T-622 de 2016. Text retrieved from: http://​cr00.​epimg.​net/​descargables/​2017/​05/​02/​14037e7b5712106c​d88b687525dfeb4b​.​pdf.

https://​intercontinental​cry.​org/​colombia-constitutional-court-finds-atrato-river-possesses-rights-protection-conservation-maintenance-restoration/​.

For a more detailed list of international policy instruments setting the framework for culture as a part of sustainable development see further, Dessein, Soini, Fairclough, and Horlings (2015), p. 15.

Recommendations on maximising the role of culture to achieve sustainable development and effective ways of integrating culture in the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

See further, Dessein et al. (2015).

Paris, 2 November 2001. This UNESCO Declaration was adopted unanimously in a most unusual context. It came in the wake of the events of 11 September 2001, (After the terroristic attack to the twin towers hosting the World Trade Centre at the heart of Manhattan) and the UNESCO General Conference, which was meeting for its 31st session, was the first ministerial-level meeting to be held after those terrible events. It was an opportunity for States to reaffirm their conviction that intercultural dialogue is the best guarantee of peace and to reject outright the theory of the inevitable clash of cultures and civilisations.

This definition is in line with the conclusions of the World Conference on Cultural Politics (MONDIACULT, México City 1982), of the World Commission on Culture and Development (Our Creative Diversity, 1995) and of the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development (Stockholm, 1998).

UNESCO, UNESCO and the issue of Cultural Diversity: Review and Strategy, 1946–2004, Paris: UNESCO, revised version 2004, p. 16. See also Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, World Commission on Culture and Development, Our Creative Diversity, 2nd ed., Paris: UNESCO, 1996; UNESCO World Culture Report 1998: Culture, Creativity and Markets, Paris: UNESCO, 1998; UNESCO, World Culture Report 2000: Cultural Diversity, Conflict and Pluralism, Paris: UNESCO, 2000.

On this topic see, Acheson and Maule (2004).

See further, UNESCO 32 C/Resolution 34, Desirability of Drawing up an International Standard Setting instrument on Cultural Diversity, 17 October 2003.

See further, 2015 UNESCO edition of the Basic Texts of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, retrieved from: http://​en.​unesco.​org.

Foreword to the 2015 UNESCO edition of the Basic Texts of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, retrieved from: http://​en.​unesco.​org.

Article 4 (1) defines ‘cultural diversity’ as referring to the manifold ways in which the cultures of groups and societies find expression. These expressions are passed on within and among groups and societies’.

See Article 6 (2) (a)-(h) of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity 2003.

Culture Creative Industries revenues worldwide exceed those of telecom services (US$1570b globally), and surpass India’s GDP (US$1900b). Within the total, the top three earners are television (US$477b), visual arts (US$391b), and newspapers and magazines (US$354b). With 29.5 million jobs, CCI employ 1% of the world’s active population. The top three employers are visual arts (6.73m), books (3.67m) and music (3.98m). See further, the first global map of cultural and creative industries (2015), retrieved from: https://​en.​unesco.​org/​creativity/​sites/​creativity/​files/​cultural_​times.​_​the_​first_​global_​map_​of_​cultural_​and_​creative_​industries.​pdf.

UNESCO (2015).

Operational guidelines approved by the Conference of Parties at its second session (Paris, 15–16 June 2009), third session (Paris, 14–15 June 2011), fourth session (Paris, 11–13 June 2013) and fifth session (Paris, 10–12 June 2015).

See Resolution Adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015-Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development UN Doc GA/RES/70/1 (2015) (hereafter 2030 Agenda).

UNGA Resolution A/RES/70/1 (21 October 2015).

On this, see further Manish et al. (2008) retrieved from: www.​swaraj.​org/​shikshantar.

2018 SDG Index and Dashboards. Available at: http://​www.​sdgindex.​org/​assets/​files/​2018/​01%20​SDGS%20​GLOBAL%20​EDITION%20​WEB%20​V9%20​180718.​pdf. It is also useful to read the last GEM Report. According the Report, “children cannot read after several years of school in sub-Saharan Africa (Africa Progress Panel, 2012); examination pressure is having an impact on gender gaps in China (Yangcheng Evening News, 2016); the excess focus in education on employability is being questioned in Germany (SWR, 2017); decentralization is posing challenges for underfunded rural schools in Pakistan (Dawn, 2011); refugee children have severely constrained education chances, especially those fleeing was in the Syrian Arab Republic (Reliefweb, 2016)” (Highlights of the GEM Report, UNESCO 2018/2019).

See further, Youth and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations for Youth, as part of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

See further, the report ‘Getting started with SDGs in Universities’ (2018).

See further, Global Education Monitoring Report, UNESCO (2016).

According to the formal requirements of SDG 4.7, and its indicator 4.7.1.

See Molthan-Hill et al. (2019).

See further, Filho (2010) and Leal-Filho et al. (2018).

See further Molthan-Hill et al. (2019). When conceptualising climate change education, note that that Climate Change education has been an under-research topic, and they include their conceptual existence into the field of education for sustainable development (ESD). Within this context, CCE bears the risk that institutions and academics prefer to focus on other less complex issues of ESD framework than the teaching task of climate change, which might be considered a “super wicked problem”.

Although before the Paris agreement, there were already active an extensive variety of climate change education research and training activities, not only at Higher education level, but also at other education levels. See further Molthan-Hill et al. (2019) and Filho (2010).

Molthan-Hill et al. (2019) argue that recent research indicates that if at all, CCE is addressed within ESD; and there has been no research on implementation strategies specifically for CEE. They indicate in their study, an excellent example identified to show how to implement successfully climate change topics in teaching and learning practices. The example comes from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Their curriculum aims to allow every university student to obtain at least a basic understanding of climate change studies and sustainable development. Because of this work, the University of Dar es Salaam has become a reference centre for climate change studies.

See further Kotzé and French (2018).

Kotzé and French have argued the importance and relevance of the Global Pact in the Anthropocene. They have analysed it within the theoretical construction of the Earth System approach, and their assessment aims at addressing if the Global Pact was to provide normative provisions to strengthen those public and private global governance efforts that aim to halt the deterioration of Earth system integrity, as well as to maintain and even improve integrity, to be able to offer a firm foundation of the type of Anthropocene Law, termed in their study as the Lex Anthropocenae, required to confront head-on the deep socio-ecological crisis of the Anthropocene (Kotzé & French, 2018).

A network of over 100 lawyers representing almost 40 nationalities and chaired by Laurent Fabius, the president of Climate Change COP21, the current President of the French Constitutional Council, and recently appointed United Nations (UN) Environment Patron on Environmental Governance.

See further, Parejo Navajas (2018).

See Kotzé and French (2018).

However, this is of course, open to further interpretation.

The Treaty was signed on 17 March 1948 by Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, the members of the Western Union, as an expansion to the Treaty of Dunkirk, signed between Britain and France the previous year to guard against possible German or Soviet aggression after the end of the Second World War.

When the EU gained its own mutual defence clause upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009, the members of the WEU, who were also EU Member States regarded the WEU as redundant. Consequently, the modified Treaty of Brussels was terminated on 31 March 2010, followed by the closure of WEU bodies on 30 June 2011.

Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, Rome, 25 March 1957; Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, Rome 25 March 1957.

Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris 14 December 1960.

UNDSD, Johannesburg Summit, 4 September 2002.

The results in Higher Education are more evident than at other learning stages, see for instance, Molthan-Hill et al. (2015); and the work of the Pedagogical Research in the Responsible and Sustainable Research Lab, available at: https://​www.​ntu.​ac.​uk/​research/​groups-and-centres/​groups/​responsible-and-sustainable-business-lab-rsb-lab-research-group.

See further, UNDSD Johannesburg Summit, 2002.

See further, Landorf et al. (2008).

See further on this topic, Caniglia et al. (2017), Molthan-Hill et al. (2015) and Gough et al. (2017).

See further, UNESCO (2014a) Shaping the Future we want; UNESCO (2014b) Roadmap for Implementing the Global Action Programme on ESD; UNESCO (2014c) The Muscat Agreement.

See UNESCO (2015) Rethinking Education.

See further, Medel-Añonuevo, Oshako, and Mauch (2001).

Considering the introduction of school curricula activities based on the well-being of the child and the detrimental influence of digital devices at an early age. See further, Spitzer (2013).

The Report provides data concerning the amount of children, 30 million, who are deprived of their right to a basic education because of the violence patterns. The consequence of this deprivation is the generation of uneducated adults who are often ignored in development policies (UNESCO, 2015, pp. 16–17).

See further EYCH (2018).

UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

See further on this topic, Oppong (2018).

See further, Reyes (2018), Gunasekara (2004), Jain (2010) and Jain and Jain (2008).

Also associated to the global movement of the “Economic of happiness”, rooting its theoretical foundations on Sérge Latouche works on degrowth.

See further info accessing to their website: https://​www.​navdanyainternat​ional.​it/​en/​about-us-navdanya-international.

See further info accessing to their website: http://​www.​swarajuniversity​.​org.

Lambert and Popelard (2013) Ibid supra note; give account of the public speech of British Prime Minister Anthony Blair (October 1997) in which he states: “Ask me what the three priorities of my government will be and I will answer you: education, education, education”.

See further, Mathar (2015).