Project Objectives
The project has the following central objectives:
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To support local action on climate change in Brazil, Fiji, Kenya, India, Indonesia and Tanzania through the creation of participatory action research groups in universities
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To assess existing coverage of climate change in the curricula, research and community engagement activities of universities in the four countries
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To contribute to theory and understanding of the impact of higher education on climate change and sustainable development
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To build and strengthen national, regional and global university networks and knowledge exchange on climate change
Our planned impact
This project aims to bring benefit to communities in four low and middle-income countries through enhancing the contributions of universities to addressing climate change.
The four countries participating in the study contain populations that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In Fiji, rising sea levels are the primary risk. Kenya and Mozambique are subject to extreme weather patterns and threats to agriculture and food security, while many Brazilians live in precarious housing vulnerable to flooding. All four countries contain substantial proportions of their populations living in poverty, and without access to the support that could help them adapt to these changes.
Positive responses to climate change can exist in the form of mitigation or adaptation, the former consisting of measures to prevent or limit the changes to the climate (mainly through emission of greenhouse gases) through advocacy for policy change or creation of alternatives, and the latter to managing the effects that are already evident.
Strengthening higher education institutions and systems
Strengthening higher education institutions and systems, through enabling the 12 participant universities to enhance their teaching and research quality, reform curricula and pedagogy, and build links with local communities and civil society.
These positive influences on institutions will be expanded to national and international levels through an extensive programme of dissemination, knowledge exchange and network building. Within Brazil, Fiji, Kenya and Mozambique, this process will be led by the country advisers, in dialogue with national higher education agencies. At the international level, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, along with other agencies and NGOs such as the Association of Portuguese Language Universities and United Nations University, will coordinate international events to engage policymakers and university leaders in transforming their institutions and systems, so as to better address the challenges of climate change.
Engaging communities through participatory action research (PAR)
The project involves the creation of PAR groups in each of the 12 participating universities. Each group will design and implement an intervention: these will vary depending on the local context, involving either a community engagement project, a taught course for students, an institutional sustainability plan or a public awareness programme. The beneficiaries will include students (acquiring knowledge, skills and values directly through taught courses in the university, and through the broader learning experiences in the campus and beyond); local communities (through their participation in university projects); professional groups participating in targeted training; and the general public (through public awareness programmes and contribution to public debate).
Engaging communities through participatory action research (PAR)
The project involves the creation of PAR groups in each of the 15 participating universities. Each group will design and implement an intervention: these will vary depending on the local context, involving either a community engagement project, a taught course for students, an institutional sustainability plan or a public awareness programme. The beneficiaries will include students (acquiring knowledge, skills and values directly through taught courses in the university, and through the broader learning experiences in the campus and beyond); local communities (through their participation in university projects); professional groups participating in targeted training; and the general public (through public awareness programmes and contribution to public debate).