Climate adaptation planning in the higher education sector

Abstract

Purpose There is a growing interest in climate change action in the higher education sector. Higher education institutions (HEIs) play an important role as property owners, employers, education and research hubs as well as leaders of societal transformations. The purpose of this paper was therefore to benchmark how universities globally are addressing climate risks. Design/methodology/approach An international survey was conducted to benchmark the sector’s organisational planning for climate change and to better understand how the higher education sector contributes to local-level climate adaptation planning processes. The international survey focused especially on the assessment of climate change impacts and adaptation plans. Findings Based on the responses of 45 HEIs located in six different countries on three continents, the study found that there are still very few tertiary institutions that plan for climate-related risks in a systematic way. Originality/value The paper sheds light on the barriers HEIs face in engaging in climate adaptation planning and action. Some of the actions to overcome such hindering factors include integrating climate adaptation in existing risk management and sustainability planning processes, using the internal academic expertise and curriculum to assist the mapping of climate change impacts and collaborating with external actors to guarantee the necessary resources. The higher education sector can act as a leader in building institutional resilience at the local scale.

Environmental Justice Pedagogies and Self-Efficacy for Climate Action

“…While communities, institutions, and organizations of all scales must ultimately participate in and contribute to these transformations, higher education institutions are well suited to play a leadership role. Higher education institutions have a responsibility as institutions with the capacity to research, develop, and pilot social and technological innovations for climate adaptation and mitigation [2], and to promote societal transformations [3]. Pursuing leadership training on the institutional level is critical to higher education's role within society.…”

Five tensions in climate adaptation research

“…For example, research funding schemes and program/project design could adopt adaptive policies and practices, including investing in longitudinal research on research itself, to better understand adaptive responses and future oriented research that embraces speculative methods, such as scenarios of possible future policy directions (Rickards et al, 2014). Some research organizations and institutions are beginning to adapt, at least in terms of their campuses and physical assets (Kautto et al, 2018). But most remain narrowly focused on disaster response or driving research on adaptation focused on other people, communities and organizations.…”

Higher Education Roles to Support Climate Change Mitigation

“…Interest in climate change issue in higher education sector has been increasing. Higher education institution plays critical role as significant property owner, education, and research hub, and preparing leader and societal transformation (Kautto N, et, al., 2018). The action toward climate change consists of mitigating and adapting.…”