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This Topic Guide is part of an extensive series of publications commissioned by the UK Department for International Development. They are intended to support the professional development of DFID advisors by sharing solid evidence from research and practice. This guide sets out the existing knowledge around the links between education, climate and environment. In particular, it highlights the two-way relationship between these key areas, including: (i) the risks and opportunities posed by environmental and climatic factors on educational supply and demand at all levels (primary, secondary, tertiary) and modes (formal and informal); (ii) the role education and educational infrastructure can play in building the resilience of communities (particularly poor and vulnerable population groups) to climate and environmental change, and the potential opportunities provided by low carbon technology and environmentally-sensitive construction and design in that process. The document has six sections. Section 1 highlights the links between DFID’s Resilience Framework and education responses to climate and environmental change. Section 2 provides an overview of existing research on the impacts of climate and environmental change on education, in terms of both infrastructure (e.g. loss of or damage to school buildings or transportation networks) as well as learning and access (e.g. disruptions due to extreme weather events). Section 3 explores the existing research on the potential role of education in fostering sustainable development in the face of environmental and climate change. The Topic Guide then outlines the key areas which an educational response to climate and environmental change should take into account (Section 4) and how these can be integrated into short, medium and long-term education responses (Section 5). It concludes with a discussion of the key challenges and opportunities for education responses to climate and environmental change (Section 6). Case studies have been integrated throughout the text to show how key ideas and approaches are already being put into practice in education systems around the world.

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is a feature of academic and policy debates within initial teacher education around the world. A theme within these debates is the extent to which ESD is more than just a body of knowledge, and if it suggests different pedagogical approaches which may be prevalent in most countries. Another feature of these debates is whether ESD can be seen as suggesting a transformative approach as opposed to a transmissive approach. As a qualitative study, using examples from research and evidence gathered in England and Turkey through document analysis, this article identifies both the opportunities and challenges for teacher education courses using ESD as a means for promoting a distinctive pedagogical approach and whether they can be seen as posing transformative learning.

The method behind the UK Display Energy Certificate (DEC) improves the comparability of benchmarking by accounting for variations in weather and occupancy. To improve the comparability further, the incorporation of other features that are intrinsic to buildings (e.g. built form and building services) deserve exploration. This study investigates the impact of these features and explores ways to improve further comparability in benchmarking the energy performance of schools. Statistical analyses of approximately 7700 schools were performed, followed by analyses of causal factors in 465 schools in greater detail using artificial neural networks (ANNs), each designed to understand and identify the factors that have significant impact on the pattern of energy use of schools. Changes in the pattern of energy use of schools have occurred over the past four years. This fact highlights issues associated with static benchmarks. A significant difference in energy performance between primary and secondary schools mea...

(1981). The Development of Educational Research Policy in New Zealand. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 191-198.

This article aims to help conceptualise the capabilities that educators in higher education (HE) have to incorporate concerns about environmental breakdown in their day-to-day teaching. A common view amongst those in the academic literature is that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are failing to rise to the challenge presented by the unfolding environmental crisis. While agreeing that those in HE must do more, this article critically examines the assumption that such action can be easily enacted by HE educators. Our analysis employs the capabilities approach (CA) to illuminate the challenges surrounding HE educators’ agency to teach the crisis in their day-to-day practice, and to consider what would be needed to provide them with genuine opportunities to do so. We argue that access to the growing number of teaching resources about the environmental crisis is a necessary but insufficient condition for supporting HE educators’ capabilities to teach the crisis. For a fuller understanding of what is required to support the agency of HE educators, attention must be paid to the diverse combination of factors that shape HE educators’ opportunities to develop and enact critical and transformative environmental pedagogies in their disciplinary and institutional contexts. Drawing on the extant academic literature and with reference to a fictionalised case study we examine how HE educators’ agency is mediated by a range of personal, material and social factors. Our analysis focuses especially on the role played by social factors, including the influence of: dominant epistemological, methodological and disciplinary norms; prevailing institutional policies and practices, and; administrative and management cultures within and across HE. After discussing the importance that deliberation has in supporting educators’ agency and the development of novel forms of critical and transformative environmental pedagogy, we conclude by suggesting that in many cases enacting such pedagogies will involve confronting dominant forms of power, culture, policy and practice, within the academy and beyond.

Teaching science through English as a medium of instruction (EMI) is a growing phenomenon around the world. In Hong Kong, this was realised on a large scale in 2010, with the implementation of a “fine-tuning” compulsory language policy. This allowed Chinese-medium schools to adopt EMI fully. Yet, despite such rapid and widespread adoption, an adequate understanding of key stakeholders’ experiences in relation to their perceptions of what constitutes effective EMI science education remains scarce. Thus, we question the sustainability of EMI programs that are driven by top-down policy. In this case study, we explore the perspectives and experiences of six EMI science teachers and thirteen of their students as their secondary school transitions from partial to full EMI. From in-depth interviews (complemented by classroom observations), findings reveal that the transition to full EMI has presented challenges that appear to hinder students’ development of scientific knowledge and the language of science in English. This directly counters the primary goal of the fine-tuning policy. Nevertheless, findings also illuminate a number of coping strategies teachers and students use to deal with their changing curricula. Overall, we offer insights into this under-researched context of transitioning EMI programs and provide recommendations for future research and practice.

La justicia climática y la educación para la salud pueden abordar los impactos desproporcionados del cambio climático en la salud de las comunidades minorizadas al proporcionar marcos para crear conciencia e instigar la acción sobre las desigualdades en salud relacionadas con el clima. La Guía para educadores sobre equidad ambiental para la justicia climática y de salud de Envisioning Environmental Equity Educator 's Guide to Climate and Health Justice proporciona un marco para que educadores, activistas y profesionales de la salud lideren lecciones sobre salud y justicia climática que centren las experiencias de las personas y áreas más afectadas (MAPA) por el cambio climático. Colaboradores en Brasil, Filipinas y Uganda participaron en reuniones de partes interesadas para evaluar las prioridades y necesidades sobre el clima y la salud con responsables políticos, médicos, activistas y estudiantes. Estas reuniones informaron el producto: Una guía para educadores sobre justicia climática y de salud que explora sus dinámicas desde un enfoque antirracista y anticolonial. La guía sirve como un marco de lecciones recomendado que encaja con conceptos, ejemplos y actividades para educadores que enseñan en entornos de aprendizaje primario y secundario. Es un recurso educativo innovador sobre el clima y la justicia sanitaria que se basa en los principios del anticolonialismo, el pensamiento y la conciencia críticos y la pedagogía comprometida. Ofrece una estrategia para la comunicación de la justicia climática que se dirige a audiencias diversas en contextos climáticos, de salud y sociales mediante la promoción de enfoques educativos que centran las experiencias del MAPA, adecuados para audiencias diversas. La justice climatique et l'éducation à la santé peuvent s'attaquer aux impacts disproportionnés du changement climatique sur la santé des communautés minoritaires en fournissant des cadres pour sensibiliser et inciter à l'action sur les inégalités de santé liées au climat. Le Envisioning Environmental Equity Educator' s Guide to Climate and Health Justice fournit un cadre pour que les éducateurs, les activistes et les professionnels de la santé puissent donner des leçons sur la santé et la justice climatique qui centrent les expériences des personnes et des zones les plus touchées (MAPA) par le changement climatique. Des collaborateurs au Brésil, aux Philippines et en Ouganda se sont engagés dans des réunions avec les parties prenantes pour évaluer les priorités et les besoins en matière de climat et de santé avec les décideurs, les médecins, les militants et les étudiants. Ces réunions ont éclairé le produit : Un guide de l'éducateur sur la justice climatique et sanitaire qui explore leur dynamique à partir d'une approche antiraciste et anticoloniale. Le guide sert de cadre de leçon recommandé adapté aux concepts, aux exemples et aux activités des éducateurs enseignant dans les contextes d'apprentissage primaire et secondaire. Il s'agit d'une ressource éducative innovante sur le climat et la justice en matière de santé qui s'appuie sur les principes de l'anticolonialisme, de la pensée et de la conscience critiques et de la pédagogie engagée. Il propose une stratégie de communication pour la justice climatique qui cible divers publics dans des contextes climatiques, sanitaires et sociaux en promouvant des approches éducatives centrées sur les expériences MAPA, adaptées à divers publics. Climate justice and health education can address the disproportionate health impacts of climate change on minoritized communities by providing frameworks to build awareness and instigate action on climate-related health inequities. The Envisioning Environmental Equity Educator's Guide to Climate and Health Justice provides a framework for educators, activists and health professionals to lead lessons on health and climate justice that center the experiences of those Most Affected People and Areas (MAPA) by climate change. Collaborators in Brazil, the Philippines, and Uganda engaged in stakeholder meetings to assess priorities and needs about climate and health with policymakers, doctors, activists, and students. These meetings informed the product: An educator's guide to climate and health justice that explores their dynamics from an anti-racist, anti-colonial approach. The guide serves as a recommended lesson framework fit with concepts, examples, and activities for educators teaching in primary and secondary learning settings. It is an innovative climate and health justice educational resource that draws on principles of anti-colonialism, critical thinking and consciousness, and engaged pedagogy. It offers a strategy for climate justice communication that targets diverse audiences across climate, health and social contexts by promoting educational approaches that center MAPA experiences, fit for diverse audiences. يمكن للعدالة المناخية والتثقيف الصحي معالجة الآثار الصحية غير المتناسبة لتغير المناخ على المجتمعات الأقلية من خلال توفير أطر لبناء الوعي والتحريض على العمل بشأن أوجه عدم المساواة الصحية المتعلقة بالمناخ. يوفر دليل تصور العدالة البيئية للمعلمين حول العدالة المناخية والصحية إطارًا للمعلمين والناشطين والمهنيين الصحيين لقيادة دروس حول الصحة والعدالة المناخية التي تركز على تجارب الأشخاص والمناطق الأكثر تضررًا (MAPA) بسبب تغير المناخ. شارك المتعاونون في البرازيل والفلبين وأوغندا في اجتماعات أصحاب المصلحة لتقييم الأولويات والاحتياجات المتعلقة بالمناخ والصحة مع صانعي السياسات والأطباء والناشطين والطلاب. وقد وفرت هذه الاجتماعات معلومات للمنتج: دليل المعلم للعدالة المناخية والصحية الذي يستكشف دينامياتها من نهج مناهض للعنصرية والاستعمار. يعمل الدليل كإطار درس موصى به يتناسب مع المفاهيم والأمثلة والأنشطة للمعلمين الذين يدرسون في بيئات التعلم الابتدائية والثانوية. وهو مورد تعليمي مبتكر للمناخ والعدالة الصحية يعتمد على مبادئ مناهضة الاستعمار والتفكير النقدي والوعي والتربية المنخرطة. وهو يقدم استراتيجية للتواصل بشأن العدالة المناخية تستهدف جماهير متنوعة عبر المناخ والصحة والسياقات الاجتماعية من خلال تعزيز النهج التعليمية التي تركز على تجارب MAPA، وتناسب جماهير متنوعة.

(1) Background: Generally, firms are reluctant to report outsourcing failures, no matter what industry they operate within. To eliminate poor performance of outsourced service providers, it is necessary to establish a specific outsourcing relationship model for facilities management (FM). The purpose of this paper is to study the concept of outsourcing relationships in relation to FM and to investigate the design of the critical success factors on sustainable outsourcing strategies through a discussion of four dimensions (ownership of FM assets, control of FM assets, competitive position and long-term plan). (2) Methods: Based on two questionnaire surveys, data were collected from 38 clients and 34 service providers. The study evaluated the FM outsourcing strategies from critical success factors in educational facilities in Hong Kong. (3) Results: This study explains the impact of FM outsourcing strategies on Hong Kong’s four commonly outsourced FM contracts including building maintenance, security, cleaning and catering from the clients’ and service providers’ point of view. (4) Conclusions: This is the outsourcing way forward in order to create a better working environment conducive for all the parties that would result in better sustainability of FM’s future and thus impact the economic objectives of sustainable development, in parallel with adding social and environmental value.