Environmental Protection and Education Initiatives in Accelerating of Climate Change Effort in Higher Education Institutions

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Siok Yee Chan, Theam Foo Ng, Qing Le Keng, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Ulisses M. Azeiteiro, Henri-Count Evans, Inga Grinfelde, José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, Jasenka Gajdoš Kljusurić, João Carlos Correia Leitão, Chunlan Li, Newton R. Matandirotya, Bethwel Mutai, Gustavo J. Nagy, Thierry Razanakoto, Jame Schaefer, Goran Trbic, Roberto Ariel Abeldaño Zuñiga, Sane Pashane Zuka, Charles Galdies, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Francisco Platas, Mittul Vahanvati, Pedi Obani, Safwatun Nida, Lucas Gabriel Zanon, Mayara Régia Sousa de Melo, Alison Glover, Roman Vakulchuk

2026 University Initiatives on Climate Change Education and Research Book chapter Cited by 0

Abstract

The climate change that is manifested by natural disasters and disruptions in ecosystems and biodiversity has adversely affected human populations, including food and water insecurity, as well as the increasing incidence of climate-related diseases. The emission of greenhouse gases from human activities is the main culprit of climate change. Since the severity of greenhouse gas emissions is positively correlated with human society development, sustainability development that seeks the optimal balance between development and environmental protection is the only solution. In achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, higher education institutions, as a small yet well-educated community with a small group of experts, actively promote the concept, implement the agenda, and seek for new and better solutions. This chapter draws a picture of role of higher education institutions in accelerating climate change efforts. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.

Affiliations

The Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal; Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Eswatini, Manzini, Kwaluseni Campus, Matsapha, South Africa; Institute of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia; Center for Sustainable Development (Greens), Universidade do Sul de Santa Catarina (Unisul), Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil; School of Urban and Regional Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Centre, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Kgotso Development Trust, Beitbridge, Zimbabwe; Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay; CERED, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar; Marquette University, Milwaukee, United States; University of Sierra Sur, Oaxaca, Mexico; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Land Economy, University of Malawi, The Polytechnic, Blantyre 3, Malawi; Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, Msida, Malta; Academy for Sustainable Futures, Canterbury Christ Church University, Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom; Casa de Cultura de la UAEMéx en Tlalpan, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico; School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; University of Bradford, Bradford, United Kingdom; Science Education Department of Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia; University of São Paulo, São Carlos, Brazil; State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil; The Open University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo, Norway; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Minden, Malaysia; Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Minden, Malaysia; School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Minden, Malaysia; Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa Univesity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia