Sustainable Development or Sustainability? The role of Higher Education

In different contexts, there is the idea that higher education, through an intricate system of institutions and organisations, pays for society in line with its own well-being. The environmental crisis of our time raises the need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to contribute to the sense of sustainability: sustainable development has gained wide ground in this regard, however, it is limited by different aspects. Sustainability implies a reformulation of the production and consumption models, and a transformation in the current structures, although many times this transformation represents a threat to the practices that have been perpetuated for several decades.In different contexts, there is the idea that higher education, through an intricate system of institutions and organisations, pays for society in line with its own well-being. The environmental crisis of our time raises the need for higher education institutions (HEIs) to contribute to the sense of sustainability: sustainable development has gained wide ground in this regard, however, it is limited by different aspects. Sustainability implies a reformulation of the production and consumption models, and a transformation in the current structures, although many times this transformation represents a threat to the practices that have been perpetuated for several decades

Shared commitments towards social resilience in populations vulnerable to extreme weather conditions

The processes involved in moving from vulnerability to resilience imply shared commitments between community and social actors. This paper documents such a shared experience among groups of high school learners from three cities in Veracruz state, Mexico, which have been periodically affected by extreme weather conditions. Earlier research carried out with high school learners and teachers analysed the resilience that the community demonstrated while coping with, and recovering from, an environmental contingency. In this initial research stage, we obtained information from official sources, and from questionnaires and interviews on the physical and social elements that impact the learners’ vulnerability. In addition, we identified the participants’ interest in being involved in processes to build resilient communities. With all this information, it was then possible to make progress in the development of strategies towards building the relevant capacities in those high school learners interested in becoming change agents in their own communities. The research also contributed to the creation of intra-community contingency support networks in the three municipalities participating in the study. In addition, high school learners and teachers became interested in initiating environmental protection activities and in taking on the commitment to communicate their concerns to decision-makers in their own communities to try and influence public policy. Accordingly, these actions and shared commitments can be seen to foster community and social resilience

Representaciones sociales sobre cambio climático en dos grupos de estudiantes de educación secundaria de España y bachillerato de México

El objetivo de la investigación que se presenta fue analizar y contrastar las representaciones sociales (RS) sobre cambio climático (CC) de estudiantes de secundaria y bachillerato de España y México. La metodología fue de corte cualitativo, utilizando esquemas gráfi cos y entrevistas semiestructuradas, con un enfoque procesual. Los hallazgos revelan la construcción de diversos tipos de RS, predominando, en ambos grupos, la que privilegia información sobre aspectos biofísicos del CC. Esta cualidad común deriva de procesos globalizados de difusión del fenómeno. También, en porcentajes similares, ambos grupos expresan una visión lejana acerca de sus afectaciones. En la mayoría de los casos reconocen la infl uencia antrópica en el CC y las consecuencias en el medio natural. Asimismo, se advierte el infl ujo del discurso mediático sobre el fenómenoTh e objective of the current study was to analyze and contrast the social representations of climate change among secondary students in Spain and high school students in Mexico. Th e methodology was qualitative and used graphic systems and semi-structured interviews, with a procedural approach. Th e fi ndings reveal the construction of diverse types of social representations, and predominant in both groups are representations that favor information on the biophysical aspects of climate change: a result of globalized processes involving the spread of information about the phenomenon. Both groups also express, in similar percentages, a distant view of the aff ects of climate change. Most cases recognize the anthropic infl uence on climate change and the consequences for the environment. In addition, media involvement in the phenomenon is recognizedS

Representaciones sociales sobre cambio climático en dos grupos de estudiantes de educación secundaria de España y bachillerato de México

Abstract: The objective of the current study was to analyze and contrast the social representations of climate change among secondary students in Spain and high school students in Mexico. The methodology was qualitative and used graphic systems and semi-structured interviews, with a procedural approach. The findings reveal the construction of diverse types of social representations, and predominant in both groups are representations that favor information on the biophysical aspects of climate change: a result of globalized processes involving the spread of information about the phenomenon. Both groups also express, in similar percentages, a distant view of the affects of climate change. Most cases recognize the anthropic influence on climate change and the consequences for the environment. In addition, media involvement in the phenomenon is recognized.Resumen: El objetivo de la investigación que se presenta fue analizar y contrastar las representaciones sociales (RS) sobre cambio climático (CC) de estudiantes de secundaria y bachillerato de España y México. La metodología fue de corte cualitativo, utilizando esquemas gráficos y entrevistas semiestructuradas, con un enfoque procesual. Los hallazgos revelan la construcción de diversos tipos de RS, predominando, en ambos grupos, la que privilegia información sobre aspectos biofísicos del CC. Esta cualidad común deriva de procesos globalizados de difusión del fenómeno. También, en porcentajes similares, ambos grupos expresan una visión lejana acerca de sus afectaciones. En la mayoría de los casos reconocen la influencia antrópica en el CC y las consecuencias en el medio natural. Asimismo, se advierte el influjo del discurso mediático sobre el fenómeno