Education in the Anthropocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Gough
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Nuclear Age ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Opportunities For Learning ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Human World ◽  
Starting Date

The term “Anthropocene” was coined in 2000 by Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer to denote the present time interval as a new epoch of geological time dominated by human impact on the Earth. The starting date for the epoch is contentious—around the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (ca. 1800 ce), at the start of the nuclear age, or some other time, both earlier and later than these dates. The term itself is also contentious because of its humanist and human supremacy focus, and the way it hides troublesome differences between humans (including gender and cultural differences) and the intimate relationships among technology, humans, and other animals. Endeavors such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to achieve gender equality by empowering women to participate in society. However, within this goal is the assumption that women and “other marginalized Others” can be assimilated within the dominant social paradigm rather than questioning the assumptions that maintain the subordination of these social groups. The goals also overlook the divergent impacts on women around the globe. Education in an Anthropocene context necessitates a different pedagogy that provides opportunities for learning to live in and engage with the world and acknowledges that we live in a more-than-human world. It also requires learners to critique the Anthropocene as a concept and its associated themes to counter the humanist perspective, which fails to consider how the nonhuman and material worlds coshape our mutual worlds. In particular, education in the Anthropocene will need to be interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or cross-disciplinary; intersectional; ecofeminist or posthumanist; indigenous; and participatory.

scholarly journals Taiwan’s ecological footprint and overshoot day

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Jaan Lee ◽  
Lei Chai ◽  
Po-Shu Wu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carbon Footprint ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Climate Change Policy ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
Conversion Rates ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Global Population

AbstractThis study examines Taiwan’s ecological footprint (EF) and its Overshoot Day from 2000 to 2018. The latest EF calculation method is used to determine the conversion rates and equivalent factors of bioproductive lands in each year to establish a database of Taiwan’s EF in that period. The results reveal that Taiwan’s EF was 7.69 gha/person in 2000, dropping steadily to 6.46 gha/person in 2018. Taiwan’s carbon footprint accounted for about 61% of Taiwan’s total EF, slightly higher than the world average (60%). The carbon footprint as a proportion of the total EF has been increasing annually. This study adopts social communication tools, such as the overshoot day and the earth clock, to promote sustainable development goals and climate change policy initiatives. Global Footprint Network (GFN) updates the overshoot day of each country in its database yearly, based on each country’s EF and biocapacity. Since Taiwan is not included in GFN, this study adopts the same method and finds out that Taiwan's Overshoot Day in 2018 was March 14th, meaning that on March 14th, 2018, Taiwan exhausted all of the biological resources that its bioproductive lands can regenerate in the year. If the global population lived like Taiwanese, four Earths would be required to provide the resources used. This result not only reflects the consumption of natural resources in Taiwan, but also indicates that Taiwan should focus on sustainable development and reduce that consumption.

scholarly journals PARADISGM SHIFT AGENDA IN “THE WORLD IN 2050”

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santhana Krishnan ◽  
Mohd Fadhil Md. Din ◽  
Yu-You Li ◽  
Yu Qin
Keyword(s):  
Systems Analysis ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
International Institute ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Numerous Data

“The World in 2050” (TWI-2050) aims not only to contribute to this understanding of sustainable development goals (SDGs) but also develop science-based transformational and equitable pathways to achieve it. TWI-2050 article which was published by The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), covers members from National Member Organizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. This publication is a tool or guideline- for policy-makers, experts, scientist and engineers, and revolutionist in SDGs implementers [Nakicenovic, 2019]. TWI-2050 represents the integrated pathways which harness the synergies and multiple benefits across SDGs, and approaches to governing this sustainability transformation [UNSDN, 2019]. The Roadmap 2050 anchored six pillars and reported the most influential component in SDGs. It is translated with variety of hopes, intentions, action plan and more holistic approach with the vital transformational agenda [Horan, 2019]. The endeavour of transformation is about courage to utilize the Industrial Revolution 4.0 [Lafortune and Schmidt Traub, 2019] with the numerous data and autonomous technical system should be the advantage in improving the global issues. The limitation to the poorest country or region must be shaped through the sustainable empowerment, create more benefits rather than competing, and exploitation of opportunities. Finally, transformation on connectivity is the most tremendous effort in the future

scholarly journals Socioscientific Issues-based Textbook on the Topic of Sustainable Development Goals to Develop Prospective Teachers’ 21st Century Thinking Skills

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-265
Author(s):  
Desti Herawati* ◽  
Rita Istiana
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Prospective Teachers ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Socioscientific Issues ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Expert Assessment ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Development Goals

The emergence of the 4.0 industrial revolution requires university graduates to have 21st-century thinking skills that can support them to compete globally. However, the low 21st-century thinking skills of prospective teachers in the group of ways of thinking (critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision making) make the learning process should be able to train and develop these thinking skills. One way to train prospective teachers' 21st-century thinking skills is through the textbooks used in lectures. This study aims to develop textbooks based on socioscientific issues on the topic of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study used the RD research method with ADDIE design which is composed of 5 stages: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. textbooks were applied at the implementation stage by involving second-semester prospective teachers who contract Environmental Knowledge courses. The instruments used in this study included textbook validation sheets and essay tests. The validation results were analyzed using descriptive analysis, while the essay test results were analyzed using SPSS. The results of the study showed that the socioscientific issues-based textbooks on the SDGs topic received a very good expert assessment and had met the standards of the appropriateness of the content, language, graphics, presentation, and socioscientific issues. Prospective teachers' 21st-century thinking skills in the group of the way of thinking  also improved significantly after using socioscientific issues-based textbooks. These indicated that the textbooks which have been developed were effective in practicing the 21st-century thinking skills of prospective teachers.

scholarly journals THE SIGNIFICANT ROLE OF THE TOURISM IN ACHIEVING THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1259-1264
Author(s):  
Aneta Stojanovska-Stefanova ◽  
Nikola V. Dimitrov ◽  
Marija Magdinceva-Sopova
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Earth Summit ◽  
The Earth ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
High Level

As the United Nations General Assembly affirmed when announcing the adoption of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, tourism can contribute to all the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – and each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Not only does the sector spearhead growth, it also improves the quality of people’s lives. It can bolster environmental protection, champion diverse cultural heritage, and strengthen peace in the world. In this spirit, World Tourism Day 2017 presents a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism for development among public and private sector decision-makers and the international community, while mobilizing all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change. Accounting for 7% of worldwide exports, one in eleven jobs and 10% of the world’s GDP, the tourism sector if well managed can foster inclusive economic growth, social inclusiveness and the protection of cultural and natural assets. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is plan of action for the people, planet and prosperity. In accordance with paragraph 84 of the 2030 Agenda, Member States have decided that the High Level Political Forum shall carry out regular voluntary reviews of the 2030 Agenda which will include developed and developing countries as well as relevant UN entities and other stakeholders. The reviews were state-led, involving ministerial and other relevant high-level participants, and provide a platform for partnerships, including through the participation of major groups and other relevant stakeholders. Since the first United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 - known as the Earth Summit, it was recognized that achieving sustainable development would require the active participation of all sectors of society and all types of people. Agenda 21, adopted at the Earth Summit, drew upon this sentiment and formalized nine sectors of society as the main channels through which broad participation would be facilitated in UN activities related to sustainable development. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom, in the same time recognising that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. All countries and all stakeholders, has committed that acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan.

scholarly journals Implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on sustainable development

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrija Popović
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Development Goals

We are at the cusp of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and its implications on the society are far-reaching. The purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive overview of the implications that Industry 4.0 has on the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN Agenda 2030, based on the review and the analysis of the available literature. The paper is structured to give an insight into the basic concepts of Industry 4.0 and Sustainable Development, then moves through the implications of new technologies on the Sustainable Development Goals, and finally, points out the areas that need to be addressed by policymakers. This paper just tapped into the potentials and issues that the Fourth Industrial Revolution brings while leaving the room for in-depth research of any of the analyzed areas.

scholarly journals The Role of Fire in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 65
Author(s):  
Artemi Cerdà
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Earth System ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations do not mention Fire as a key factor in achieving an environmentally-friendly human society. This paper reviews the key aspects of the impact of fire that make it necessary to update the SDGs. Upon reviewing the scientific literature, it was found that fire has been part of the Earth System for the last 400 million years, and that it is part of biogeochemical cycles. From a geological perspective, fire shaped the current Earth System. Humans have used fire in the last million years as hunter-gatherers, and the last Pleistocene period evolved with the presence of fire. Since the Neolithic revolution, humankind spread the use of fire, without which agriculture would not have progressed as it did. Fire is still used today as a tool to clear forests, scrublands and meadows in order to establish agriculture fields. To achieve the SDGs, we cannot ignore the role of fire. Fire should be present, as it is part of the geological cycle of the planet; it is part of rural culture and plays a key role in hydrological, erosional and biological cycles. We discuss the following issues related to fire in connection with the SDGs: (i) biota; (ii) soil properties; (iii) carbon cycle; (iv) sediment and water yield; (v) air and water pollution; and (vi) risk assessment. We conclude that: (i) fire is key to flora and fauna diversity; (ii) soil properties are temporally changed after exposure to fire; (iii) the carbon cycle is disturbed by fire, but the long-term impact can be a reduction in the CO2 content in the atmosphere; (iv) sediment and water yield are enhanced by forest fires, but only during the period of disturbance; (v) air and water pollution are ephemeral; and (vi) the risk associated with fire necessitates careful planning. Prescribed fires may be part of the solution, but there is a need to educate citizens on the role that fire plays. More research is necessary due to the diversity of the biomass and the complex history of fire on the planet. Fire is part of the Earth System and the SDGs should include it as a key element in their agenda.

scholarly journals 25 Years of Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management: How Intergovernmental C&I Processes Have Made a Difference

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Linser ◽  
Bernhard Wolfslehner ◽  
Simon Bridge ◽  
David Gritten ◽  
Steven Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Forest Degradation ◽  
Criteria And Indicators ◽  
The Earth ◽  
History Of ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Growing concern about forest degradation and loss, combined with the political impetus supplied by the Earth Summit in 1992, led to the establishment of eleven intergovernmental, regional, and international forest-related processes focused on the use of criteria and indicators (C&I) for sustainable forest management (SFM). Up to 171 countries have participated in these processes to apply C&I frameworks as a tool for data collection, monitoring, assessment, and reporting on SFM and on achieving various forest-related UN Sustainable Development Goals. Based on an expert survey and literature analysis we identify six interlinked impact domains of C&I efforts: (1) enhanced discourse and understanding of SFM; (2) shaped and focused engagement of science in SFM; (3) improved monitoring and reporting on SFM to facilitate transparency and evidence-based decision-making; (4) strengthened forest management practices; (5) facilitated assessment of progress towards SFM goals; and (6) improved forest-related dialog and communication. We conclude that the 25-year history of C&I work in forestry has had significant positive impacts, though challenges do remain for the implementation of C&I and progress towards SFM. The work should be continued and carried over to other sectors to advance sustainability goals more broadly.

scholarly journals Artificial Intelligence in the Industry 4.0, and Its Impact on Poverty, Innovation, Infrastructure Development, and the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from Emerging Economies?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 5788
Author(s):  
David Mhlanga
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Innovation Infrastructure ◽  
Development Goals

Artificial intelligence in the fourth industrial revolution is beginning to live up to its promises of delivering real value necessitated by the availability of relevant data, computational ability, and algorithms. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the influence of artificial intelligence on the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals with a direct focus on poverty reduction, goal one, industry, innovation, and infrastructure development goal 9, in emerging economies. Using content analysis, the result pointed to the fact that artificial intelligence has a strong influence on the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals particularly on poverty reduction, improvement of the certainty and reliability of infrastructure like transport making economic growth and development possible in emerging economies. The results revealed that Artificial intelligence is making poverty reduction possible through improving the collection of poverty-related data through poverty maps, revolutionizing agriculture education and the finance sector through financial inclusion. The study also discovered that AI is also assisting a lot in education, and the financial sector allowing the previously excluded individuals to be able to participate in the mainstream economy. Therefore, it is important that governments in emerging economies need to invest more in the use of AI and increase the research related to it so that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to innovation, infrastructure development, poverty reduction are attained.

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