Sustainability and Social Justice

Integrative Education for Climate Change Resilience x Sustainable Development Transformations

Document Type

Article

Abstract

To meet society's need to better understand and respond to complex, interwoven problems of climate and sustainability, we herein introduce an integrative framework being applied in a US university setting for conceptualising, designing and deploying educational programs that interconnect climate change resilience (CCR) with sustainable development (SD). The framework weaves together five main strands of integration: 1) socio-political stakeholder interests and influences; 2) development sectors; 3) knowledge types; 4) socio-technical capacities, including education; 5) the smart networking of project sites across varying geographical scales. We pose and answer: what kinds of integrative educational programs, curricula and project practicums can enable transformations in CCRxSD practice? A philosophical foundation undergirds the knowledge and skills base of the suggested programming. Two collaborative case studies illustrate integrative practicums: 1) Fisherville Mill Site, Grafton, Massachusetts, USA - a showcase in urban sustainability; 2) Fijian Islands - a prospective case study in integrative CCRxSD program design.

Publication Title

International Journal of Global Warming

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Volume

12

Issue

3-4

First Page

468

Last Page

482

ISSN

1758-2083

DOI

10.1504/IJGW.2017.084792

Keywords

climate change resilience, integrative approach, social learning, sustainability

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