Carla Galán-Guevara, Eduardo García-Frapolli, 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
The pressing crises of climate change and biodiversity require immediate and decisive action to reduce negative environmental impacts effectively. Universities, particularly those with sustainability-related programs, assume a pivotal role in confronting these challenges. These institutions provide students with a comprehensive foundation of theoretical knowledge, methodologies, and tools essential for comprehending and addressing sustainability issues. However, conventional pedagogy frequently emphasizes theoretical instruction, offering students limited opportunities to engage in experiential learning that addresses authentic sustainability challenges at local, regional, and global levels. To address this discrepancy, faculty members and students from the postgraduate program in Sustainability Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico-Morelia participated in the Gigatonne Challenge (GTC) for two consecutive years, undertaking the challenge of reducing one ton of CO2-eq in a span of just 2 weeks. This initiative fostered transdisciplinary, action-oriented learning, equipping students with practical skills such as teamwork, prototyping, problem-solving, and stakeholder engagement. During the challenge, teams worldwide collaborated in real time, exchanging insights and solutions in a collective learning-by-doing environment. This chapter delineates the experience in the GTC, enumerating the encountered challenges, the strategies employed to surmount them, and the salient lessons learned. Finally, we reflect on the importance of integrating experiential, solution-driven approaches into university curricula to enhance students’ capacity to apply their knowledge effectively, foster critical thinking, and contribute to tangible actions that mitigate climate change. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
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; Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores-Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Mexico; Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Mexico; Center for Food Security Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa Univesity, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; The Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
