Papers by Carmen Elena Radu
Today, we consider the incorporation of sustainability into the higher educational system as bein... more Today, we consider the incorporation of sustainability into the higher educational system as being of great significance within Universities. The decade of UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development emphasises this significance. Our paper analyzes certain obstacles to sustainable development: the complexity of environmental issues, the limits of technological, legal and economic solutions, and the lack of a proper education of the consumer, the absence or the limitation of the information or better said the lack of the processing and understanding capacity of the concept of sustainability. We analyze the contributions of some universities meant to overcome these obstacles, especially by involving them into certain programs for responsibility, by improving the curricula, by changing the consumer's behaviour, and also by restructuring his learning experiences. By comparison to basic education, the academic education is supposed to play a more important role in the promotion of Education for Sustainable Development, because the in-depth problems of this decade are to be coped with by university research and education. Our conclusion: higher education is an important resource for sustainability.
Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining... more Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasizes that human population, consumption, and technology are the primary driving forces of environmental change. Agenda 21 also states that education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of all people to address environment and development issues. Recognizing the shortage of specialists in environmental management and related fields, as well as the lack of comprehension by professionals in all fields of their effect on the environment and public health, the role of the university has been defined in the following way: "Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society's institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to increase the awareness, knowledge, technologies, and tools to create an environmentally sustainable future". This paper refers to the evolution of concerns for education for sustainable development education (EDS) in higher education. We believe that the first concerns of many universities are based on the Talloires Declaration which contains the commitment of Leader University Association for a sustainable future (ULSF) 1 .
Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining... more Critical dimensions of sustainability in education are presented. Critical conditions determining the success of sustainability initiatives are then discussed. Agenda 21, adopted by the 1992 Earth Summit, emphasizes that human population, consumption, and technology are the primary driving forces of environmental change. Agenda 21 also states that education is critical for promoting sustainable development and improving the capacity of all people to address environment and development issues. Recognizing the shortage of specialists in environmental management and related fields, as well as the lack of comprehension by professionals in all fields of their effect on the environment and public health, the role of the university has been defined in the following way: "Universities educate most of the people who develop and manage society's institutions. For this reason, universities bear profound responsibilities to increase the awareness, knowledge, technologies, and tools to ...
This study refers to the fundamental right of the human being to have a healthy, ecologically bal... more This study refers to the fundamental right of the human being to have a healthy, ecologically balanced environment as well as to the necessity of recognizing and guaranteeing this right. We analyze the major components of the human being environment protection, the right to water, the right to fresh air, the right to the environment of the human settlements, the
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Today, we consider the incorporation of sustainability into the higher educational system as bein... more Today, we consider the incorporation of sustainability into the higher educational system as being of great significance within Universities. The decade of UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development emphasises this significance. Our paper analyzes certain obstacles to sustainable development: the complexity of environmental issues, the limits of technological, legal and economic solutions, and the lack of a proper education of the consumer, the absence or the limitation of the information or better said the lack of the processing and understanding capacity of the concept of sustainability. We analyze the contributions of some universities meant to overcome these obstacles, especially by involving them into certain programs for responsibility, by improving the curricula, by changing the consumer's behaviour, and also by restructuring his learning experiences. By comparison to basic education, the academic education is supposed to play a more important role in the promotion of Education for Sustainable Development, because the in-depth problems of this decade are to be coped with by university research and education. Our conclusion: higher education is an important resource for sustainability.
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Papers by Carmen Elena Radu