The Role of Higher Education in Climate Justice

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Climate change affects all of humanity, but does so in ways that are unfairly distributed. Those populations living with economic vulnerability, in situations of social marginalisation and located in particular geographical areas are, and will increasingly be, most affected by the devastating impacts. Yet these are the populations that commonly contribute least to the root causes of climate change in greenhouse gas emissions. Climate justice, therefore, is one of the central concerns of our time, both in terms of these current inequalities, and the relationship between our generation and future generations (Newell et al. 2021).

Higher education is deeply implicated in all aspects of climate change (Author 2020). The professional development and human formation that it has provided – first to elites and to increasingly large proportions of the population – have contributed to the paradigm of accumulation and exploitation that has caused the crisis. The sector continues to impact negatively through its own emissions, particularly through international student mobility (Shields 2019) and academic research and conference attendance, including for those whose work-related travel is inconsistent with their normative prescriptions for a low-carbon future (Whitmarsh et al. 2020). At the same time, higher education may represent our best chance of addressing the climate crisis. University-based researchers have been at the forefront of the science identifying the causes and impacts of climate change, and in public communication and campaigning. Increasingly, higher education courses are incorporating questions of climate into the curriculum, and challenging students to find solutions. The role played by universities is crucial not only in well-resourced institutions conducting high-profile research, but also in the thousands of institutions around the world with lower visibility, but nevertheless having vital impacts in their local areas.

This panel discussion addresses the critical question of how universities can transform themselves to address climate injustice. Drawing on the work undertaken by an international collaboration of institutions in six continents, it presents new empirical findings, theoretical frames and perspectives on normative debates to illuminate these complex issues. Four presentations will address different aspects and contexts: an exploration of the role of the university in relation to the public good, drawing on a systematic review of literature on universities and climate change; the experience of participatory action research in the Amazon region of Brazil to defend the territorial rights of traditional communities; an analysis of global policies on climate change and their interactions with higher education policies and practices; and finally an exploration of the implications of the climate crisis for teaching and learning in the university.

While having distinct foci, the presentations will engage with three common questions: the possibilities of higher education in addressing injustices, the role of locally generated participatory action and the value of international dialogue and comparison. The first of these is a perennial question for researchers of higher education: to what extent can higher education attenuate or possibly transform the inequalities and injustices in the society outside, or alternatively mirror or even magnify them? A particular challenge in the context of neoliberal policies in higher education is the defence and promotion of the public nature of the institution and its contribution to the public good, given the increasing privatisation of the space and emphasis on private returns. These dynamics are highly damaging for the constructive role of universities in the climate crisis, which depends on public orientation, openness to (non-extractive) community engagement and equitable access for students.

The second question concerns the possibilities of new forms of action to transform relations inside the university, and between universities and communities. What avenues are opened by use of participatory action research, drawing on ideas of Orlando Fals-Borda (1984), Paulo Freire (1970) and popular education traditions in Latin America, indigenous knowledge systems, decolonisation, ecofeminism and other approaches (Assié-Lumumba 2017; Olivera Rodríguez 2017; Sessions 1987)? What obstacles are encountered when utilising these counterhegemonic forms in research and community engagement, and how can they be overcome? The panel also explores the role of knowledge production in supporting or undermining these efforts, and the extent to which these practices are reflected in the literature at the international level.

Finally, the presentations engage with the question of international collaboration, reflecting on the forms of partnership underway within the research project, as well as broader possibilities for climate action. Global coordination and international partnerships are inevitable in addressing a global crisis such as climate change, and yet occur in the context of intense inequalities and asymmetries. How do university partnerships grapple with these complex questions and ensure horizontal collaborations with mutual respect and benefit? What are the possibilities of multilingual work in international research on higher education and climate, within the perspective of an ecology of knowledges? The panel will also explore the challenges and possibilities of comparison between contexts in research and publication.

Following the four presentations (set in context by a brief introduction by the chair), there will be a response from an invited discussant, and then an open discussion with those attending the session, allowing space for questions and answers, sharing of experiences on these issues in different contexts, and deliberation on ways forward in these critical times.

Sub Unit

• Higher Education SIG

Chair

• Tristan Mccowan, University College London

Individual Presentations

• Universities, their Complicities in the Climate Crisis and Implications for the Public Good - Palesa Molebatsi, Wits University

• Creating an Enabling Policy Environment for Higher Education and Climate Change - Lorena Sanchez Tyson, University College London

• The Territorial Governance Collective as a Participatory Action Research Experience in Addressing Climate Change in the Amazon - Salomão ANTÔNIO MUFARREJ Hage, UFPA

• Climate Change and the Transformation of the University Curriculum - Tristan Mccowan, University College London

Discussant

• Iveta Silova, Arizona State University