In Search of the Unity of Knowledge by E. O. Wilson I have recently returned to reading the biologist and polymath’s 1998 book in search of some answers to why there is an absence of political leadership capable of addressing our current ecological and environmental crises. I have adapted and summarised some of the earlyContinue reading “Consilience”
Category Archives: Sustainability
Applying Systems Thinking to the Implementation of the SDGs
All SDGs need attention, as the 17 Goals are indivisible and integrated, but in each context, some Goals matter more than others to boost progress. In setting priorities for accelerating the SDGs, Member States should consider the systemic role each Goal plays. The scientific community now has an important role to play to support “systemsContinue reading “Applying Systems Thinking to the Implementation of the SDGs”
We Need a Revolution in Universities to Help Humanity Solve Global Problems
Guest Blog by Dr Nicholas Maxwell, Science and Technology Studies, UCL The world is in a state of crisis. Global problems that threaten our future include: the climate crisis; the destruction of natural habitats, catastrophic loss of wildlife, and mass extinction of species; lethal modern war; the spread of modern armaments; the menace of nuclearContinue reading “We Need a Revolution in Universities to Help Humanity Solve Global Problems”
New Ways of Seeing the World: Big History and Great Transition
Opening essay for a GTI Forum David Christian May 2023 As the first astronauts peered down on Earth from space, they saw the planet anew. They all had the same epiphany, as the sight of one small, fragile world, embedded in a huge universe briefly replaced the multiple, ever-changing impressions of everyday life. To buildContinue reading “New Ways of Seeing the World: Big History and Great Transition”
REGENERATIVE CULTURES:LEARNING AND UNLEARNING
In an earlier blog I suggested that we are beginning to see evidence of avoiding using the word “sustainability.” “Sustainability is steadily falling into disrepute, mainly because of its reformist piecemeal applications, which exclude wholesale systems change.” In its place terms such as “regenerative paradigms” have come into play. In its broadest sense this encompassesContinue reading “REGENERATIVE CULTURES:LEARNING AND UNLEARNING”
HOSPICING OUR UNIVERSITIES IN DECLINE
In this the third of my most recent blogs on the theme of a University for the Common Good – I reflect on the decline of our current model of the University and how the concept of “hospicing a habit of being” coined by Stein et al(2020) might enable those of us who have arguedContinue reading “HOSPICING OUR UNIVERSITIES IN DECLINE”
UNIVERSITIES FOR THE COMMON GOOD
It is difficult to imagine a future that is humane, decent, and sustainable without marked changes in the substance and process of education at all levels, beginning with university. David Orr(2018) In my next series of blogs, I want to bring out some of the compelling arguments for transformative change in the education provided byContinue reading “UNIVERSITIES FOR THE COMMON GOOD”
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”
