The Leading Role of Gulf Higher Education in Achieving Sustainability and Addressing Climate Change
Globally, higher education (HE)
systems are being called on to support worldwide efforts to achieve
sustainability and combat climate change. These global trends are also
affecting Gulf universities, who are now embracing this new mandate. However,
Gulf universities face particular challenges: they are located in countries
that are the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world (Hertog &
Luciani, 2009). This workshop intends to ...
Abstract
Globally, higher education (HE)
systems are being called on to support worldwide efforts to achieve
sustainability and combat climate change. These global trends are also
affecting Gulf universities, who are now embracing this new mandate. However,
Gulf universities face particular challenges: they are located in countries
that are the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world (Hertog &
Luciani, 2009). This workshop intends to provide a better understanding of how
HE systems and universities in the Gulf region are responding to the global
movement of achieving sustainability and overcoming issues of climate change
with a focus on how they are adapting to the particularities of their local
contexts. It will also contribute to the literature on HE and sustainability,
education for sustainable development, universities and Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs), and HE’s role in climate change. The workshop thus seeks to make
both theoretical and empirical contributions to HE in the Gulf and
sustainability literature. The workshop will answer the following
questions: What are
universities in the Gulf doing in terms of education for sustainable
development? How can universities in the Gulf help governments to achieve SDGs?
How can universities in the Gulf lead in climate action within their societies
and/or on the international stage?
Description and Rationale
Higher
education (HE) systems in the Gulf region have played a fundamental role in the
advancement and development of their people. HE systems in the Gulf region have
been characterized by their responsiveness to the needs of their peoples and
governments, supporting the growth and development of their countries. These
systems have also been responsive to the rapid global changes. In 2015, the
emergence of the Global Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, with its 17
specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) resulted in the call for
governments around the world to work to achieve sustainable development and
combat climate change. Moreover,
climate change, which threatens both human beings and the planet, has also been
under the microscope with great focus from international organizations and
governments.
In terms of education generally
and HE specifically, there has recently been a greater focus on concepts
related to issues of climate change and sustainability in the form of
sustainability education, environmental education, education for sustainable
development, and climate change education. Accordingly, HE systems in
the Gulf region are now orienting themselves to contribute to the SDG agenda.
It is expected that HE systems in the Gulf region will work side-by-side with
other systems in activating their role in achieving sustainability and
combatting climate change.
However, this is no easy task.
Gulf countries’ rapid economic development has been largely due to
carbon-intensive resource extraction (Al-Badi & AlMubarak, 2019;
Salahuddin, Gow & Ozturk, 2015). Studies have found that the per capita oil
and gas consumption, and carbon emissions in the Gulf region is “uniquely high”
among countries in the region (Hertog and Luciani, 2009). Although governments
in the region have all now committed to carbon neutrality and shifting to
sustainable sources of energy production, leaders have also doubled down on oil
production in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Additionally, the concept of
sustainability remains abstract, complex, and multidimensional (Ceulemans et
al., 2015; Waas et al., 2011). As an emergent global model, meanings and
practices associated with advancing sustainable development vary significantly
(Williams & Millington, 2004). Sustainability has become a buzzword that is
used by policymakers, scholars, scientists, journalists, and the public alike,
due to its impact and significance. Scholars have worried that this will
increasingly result in “greenwashing” – meaning commitments to sustainability
that are not substantiated by action. These concepts have received significant
attention from HE researchers globally but less so in the Gulf region.
With this in mind, this workshop
will ask: how are HE systems in the Gulf region at national, regional, and
global levels addressing these issues and having an impact on the movement
towards sustainability and climate change action? At an institutional level, what
roles are universities in the Gulf acting to support their nations and
governments in this movement? There is no doubt that HE systems in the region
have been entrusted to play a transformative role in sustainability and climate
change. This workshop comes as an initiative to map the current efforts and
trigger future work, calling for more future-oriented planning for HE systems
in the Gulf region and their institutions.
Gulf Research Meeting
