Access to energy sources in the face of climate change: Challenges faced by women in rural communities

Access to energy is a challenge to rural communities, especially among women who are the prime household energy users. This article is based on research carried out in the Tswapong villages in Botswana where energy sources particularly wood, are slowly getting depleted while electricity connection costs remain unaffordable for the poor. The article provides constructivist analysis of experiences in real-life situations among women. Data were generated through observations, documents analysis, interviews and focus group discussions. It has emerged from the research that majority of the respondents use firewood as energy source. Firewood and gas are mainly used for cooking while electricity is mainly used for lighting. The demand for firewood has led to firewood commercialisation, the depletion of preferred firewood tree species and increase in the impact of climate change. The article recommends economic diversification and subsidies to empower the majority of the rural poor to connect to the national electric grid and reduce on firewood dependence. These could be complemented by harnessing of solar energy and low-cost, energy-saving technologies. Subsidies to enable women access to energy services would contribute immensely to the decade of Sustainable Energy for All and to the attainment of the post 2015 sustainable development goal on energy

Traditions and new niches: An overview of environmental education curriculum and learning research

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Sustainable development in higher education

Public discussion on the role and responsibility of higher education institutions in shaping society of the future began in 2001 [1] The answer to the question of how sustainable development should be understood and what it brings for universities came from the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987 which described sustainable development as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The future role of the university should be widely discussed. Education provided outside of higher education institutions should also be considered as important for society. The system of higher education needs reshaping to become more transdisciplinary, open to eliminate barriers and ready for new partnerships