Author Archives: Steve Martin

Towards sustainable education

A paper archived in my files by Steve Sterling Education is a slow learner. The increasingly apparent conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and threat across systems, not least exemplified by the ‘triple crunch’ of peak oil, climate change and financial instability – and the urgency of the quest for sustainability – call for a matching andContinue reading “Towards sustainable education”

How to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society.

You may have heard the term ‘VUCA environment’ – one that is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous – mentioned recently. The acronym has its roots in Opens in new windowmilitary discourse but is increasingly relevant to our day-to-day lives. From global climate change and the pandemic to Brexit and war in Europe, we are exposed to aContinue reading “How to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres conceives of the Pact for the Future

The expected outcome of the Summit of the Future – as “a booster shot for the SDGs.” Guterres will brief Member States on his preparations for the Summit of the Future on 13 February, including the upcoming series of policy briefs. By Marianne Beisheim and Silke Weinlich In 2024, the UN will convene the SummitContinue reading “UN Secretary-General António Guterres conceives of the Pact for the Future”

 We  are awash with all kinds of Greenwash- Are university league tables part of this surge and intensity of flawed reporting?

“The truth is, playing down the potential worst effects of global heating and climate breakdown is far worse than raising the alarm and amounts to what I like to call climate appeasement. It does nothing to help spur the urgent action that is required, and by underplaying the climate threat it works -intentionally or notContinue reading ” We  are awash with all kinds of Greenwash- Are university league tables part of this surge and intensity of flawed reporting?”

TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS:A UNIVERSITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD

From the Times Higher Education Book Review. No one paying attention needs reminding that universities are “in crisis”. We are beset by critiques of their complicity with neoliberal and extractive capitalism, dispossession of First Nations, top-heavy administrative regimes, and pedagogical shifts away from critical thinking toward so-called job-ready, marketable skill sets. When we turn aContinue reading “TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS:A UNIVERSITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD”

HISTORY NOW

I encourage anyone reading this on New Year’s day to watch Simon Schama’s BBC TV series called “History Now” Schama is always a compelling presenter but in this series, he is more than a messenger, offering something of a call to arms as he emotionally recounted memories of watching Václav Havel address crowds of CzechContinue reading “HISTORY NOW”

Five options for restoring global biodiversity after the UN agreement

From the Conversation December 20th 2022 To slow and reverse the fastest loss of Earth’s living things since the dinosaurs, almost 200 countries have signed an agreement in Montreal, Canada, promising to live in harmony with nature by 2050. The Kunming-Montreal agreement is not legally binding but it will require signatories to report their progress towards meeting targets suchContinue reading “Five options for restoring global biodiversity after the UN agreement”

12 Renewables days of Christmas

Here’s a renewables Christmas quiz for you: 12 questions.  Getting 4 right or nearly right will be pretty good and show a better understanding of the problems our electricity grid faces than most people.Reposted from Bill Scott’s Blog ……….. 1 – The proportion of our electricity generated by coal in 2011 was 29.5%.  What wasContinue reading “12 Renewables days of Christmas”

NEW ECONOMY based on NEW SYSTEMS

The role of human agency is an essential element of the authors of this new books analyses, evaluations, and prescriptions. If humanity is to live in harmony with itself, with other creatures, and in balance with the planet’s ecological systems, then we must be clear about what we can and cannot do, and what weContinue reading “NEW ECONOMY based on NEW SYSTEMS”