Geography and Sustainability 2 (2021) 99–106

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Geography and Sustainability

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/geosus

Perspective

Higher Education For Sustainability: A Global Perspective

Inga Žalėnienė a, Paulo Pereira b,∗
a
Mykolas Romeris University, Ateities s. 20, Vilnius, Lithuania
b
Environmental Management Laboratory, Mykolas Romeris University, Ateities s. 20, Vilnius, Lithuania

h i g h l i g h t s g r a p h i c a l a b s t r a c t
• Higher education institutions are key
for the implementation of sustainability
principles
• Sustainability based curricula and cul-
ture change is key to mindset transfor-
mation
• Interdisciplinary studies are the basis of
the transformation towards sustainabil-
ity
• Political environment and stakeholders’
interest affect sustainability implemen-
tation

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Higher education institutions have an essential role in sustainability. They are key agents in the education of
Received 19 March 2021 future leaders that will contribute to the successful United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) imple-
Received in revised form 15 May 2021 mentation. The geography of SDGs this implementation is very heterogeneous, but it is clear that higher education
Accepted 15 May 2021
institutions contribute decisively to creating a mindset that facilitates the dissemination of SDGs principle. This
Available online 21 May 2021
perspective paper analyses the impacts of higher education on sustainability and the challenges and barriers as-
Key words: sociated with this process. Higher education contributes decisively to the SDGs implementation, but especially to
Higher education institutions Goal 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere), Goal 3 (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all
Sustainability ages), Goal 5 (gender equality), Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth), Goal 12 (responsible consumption
Organisational culture
and production), Goal 13 (climate change) and Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). As a transfor-
Communication
mational agent, the higher education sector has a tremendous impact on students’ habit and contribution to a
prosperous society. However, to establish the required change in education, sustainability principles need to be
at the heart of higher institutions strategy (e.g., curricula, modus operandi) and is key to be incorporated in the
organisational culture. Only by leading by example, the external influence in the society will be possible (e.g.,
implementing SDGs key aspects such as gender quality, reduce waste reduction and energy consumption). For
this to be a reality, different communication methods with students are needed (e.g., different student academic
levels). Nevertheless, critical challenges need to be tackled in the institutions inside and outside the institution
environment, such as incorporating sustainability principles, political environment and stakeholders’ interest.

1. Background knowledge and find effective forms to effectively transfer the informa-
tion created to the broader public to be implemented effectively. Several
The global population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 20501 . authors highlighted the importance of environmental-related topics to
To support the current levels of resource consumption, energy use reduce the ecological footprint (e.g., Cordero et al., 2008; Simsar, 2021),
and waste production, around 2.3 planets Earth would be required while others consider it of limited efficiency (Moser and Kleinhückelkot-
(Bell, 2016). To reduce the ecological footprint is vital to produce more ten, 2017). Despite the contradicting results, it is key that education
is critical to achieving sustainability (Leal Filho et al., 2018). The es-
∗
tablishment of education for sustainability is geographically unequal,
Corresponding author:
and more efforts are needed to reduce the differences around the world
E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Pereira).
1 (Samuelsson and Park, 2017; Nagendra et al., 2018).
https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/world-
population-prospects-2019.html

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2021.05.001
2666-6839/© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Beijing Normal University Press (Group) Co., LTD. on behalf of Beijing Normal University. This is
an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
I. Žalėnienė and P. Pereira Geography and Sustainability 2 (2021) 99–106

In December 2002, it was declared in the period from 2005-2014, edge and ideas. Since 1970, universities have considered sustainability
the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development to as part of their responsibilities. However, after the Talloires Declaration
emphasise the importance of education to increase world sustainability in 1990, there was an increase in universities that adopted a sustain-
(Wals et al., 2014). The overall objective was "to integrate the principles, ability strategy. This declaration was followed by several others, such
values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education as the Halifax Declaration (Canada) the Copernicus Declaration of As-
and learning."2 and create "a more sustainable future in terms of environ- sociation of European Rectors, and the Kyoto Declaration of the Inter-
mental integrity, economic viability and just society for present and future national Association of Universities (Corcoran et al., 2004). However,
generations“1 . This initiative was key to promote global education for the implementation of sustainability these principles are not equal in all
sustainability at all levels. Several vital advances were achieved under the world, and some regions are more advanced (e.g., Europe) than oth-
this strategy, such as the convergence between education and sustain- ers (Bizerril et al., 2018). Irrespective of the differences, many higher
ability agendas, the inclusion of sustainability issues in education sys- education institutions promoted sustainability and are deeply engaged
tems, the engagement of a large number of stakeholders, the increasing in preparing students who are ready to understand the global chal-
of legal commitments, the inclusion of sustainability issues in the entire lenges and be active actors and examples in implementing sustainability
learning environment, the promotion of critical thinking, participatory principles. This can be achieved by reducing the institution’s environ-
and problem-based learning, and the integration of education for sus- mental footprint, engaging strongly with the communities, and having
tainability in formal education. Overall, after the UN Decade of Educa- good governance (UNESCO, 2020). In recent years, a growing body of
tion for Sustainable Development, there was an increase of the research knowledge has been developed towards higher education to implement
focused on education for sustainability and high recognition in the in- a sustainability curriculum in higher education, campus practices and
ternational arena that education is key to sustainability and that many outreach activities (Weiss and Barth, 2019; Menon and Suresh, 2020).
countries are committed to establishing a solid education for sustainable Other works were developed focused on the pedagogical barriers asso-
development (Figueiró and Raufflet, 2015; UNESCO, 2020). ciated with this implementation (Blanco-Portela et al., 2017), the ped-
In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted seventeen Sustainable agogical approach towards teaching sustainability in higher education
Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. The aim of these sev- (Seatter and Ceulemans, 2017), the impact of high education institutions
enteen goals is “to secure a sustainable, peaceful, prosperous and equitable in sustainability (Hallinger and Chatpinyakoop, 2019) and the manage-
life on earth for everyone now and in the future” (United Nations, 2015). ment of education (Figueiró and Raufflet, 2015). All these aspects are
The report of the Open Working Group Proposal for Sustainable Devel- key to achieve national, regional (e.g., European Green Deal) and global
opment Goals highlights four “critical shifts” that made the fifteen-year (SDGs) targets. The incorporation of sustainability principles is a key as-
period of the Millenial Development Goals different from the current pect to improve the university image, reputation and studies quality. The
period of the SDGs: “(i) a drastically higher human impact on the phys- Universities with the best rankings are the ones that have a sustainable
ical Earth; (ii) rapid technological change; (iii) increasing inequality; vision towards the development of their students and establish a culture
and (iv) a growing diffusion and complexity of governance” (United Na- of sustainability (Salvioni et al., 2017). Nevertheless, the high ranked
tions, 2015). Aiming to face and tackle these issues, UNESCO states that universities are geographically concentrated in western countries3 , and
education is the “key instrument” in achieving the SDGs, by increasing it is imperative that this sustainability vision be adopted globally. This
the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, critical thinking, competencies, perspective paper aims to overview the impact of higher education on
systemic thinking, responsibility and empower the future generations to sustainability, especially on a) the role of high education institutions in
have the capacity to make the necessary transformational change in our a sustainable world; b) their relevance to achieving SDGs; and c) the
world (United Nations, 2015; UNESCO, 2018). challenges and barriers associated.
The Incheon Declaration describes education as a “fundamental hu-
man right and the basis for guaranteeing the realisation of other rights". Qual-
2. The role of higher education institutions in a sustainable world
ity education (Goal 4) is key to achieve all the SDGs. UNESCO highlights
it as the most effective way to meet all SDGs to act towards sustainable
2.1. The importance of higher education for sustainability
development. Education is at the frontline of any development from pri-
mary school to tertiary education and lifelong learning. UNESCO defines
Education is the driving force of establishing sustainability since it is
Education for Sustainable Development as a source of empowerment for
one of the main communication vehicles and the basis for the “sustain-
the learners "to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environ-
ability mindset”. This concept includes “a systemic approach to under-
mental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future
standing, one which goes beyond technical knowledge and even understand-
generations, while respecting cultural diversity” (UNESCO, 2018). Accord-
ing the basics of a healthy ecosystem and a thriving society". By emphasising
ing to Bell (2016), this is because in its essence, sustainability could
management ethics, entrepreneurship, environmental studies, systems
be perceived as a challenge for humankind, a challenge to learn to live
thinking and self-awareness, the sustainability mindset encourages us to
more sustainably. To become an effective solution to those mentioned
break away from traditional management disciplinary silos (Kassel et al.,
above environmental, social, and economic problems, there is a need to
2016). For instance, systems thinking is often mentioned as one of the
make significant changes in the general public and academic communi-
skills necessary to better understand the meaning of sustainability. This
ties’ attitudes towards global issues covered by SDGs (UNESCO, 2017a).
is because sustainability integrates three equally dimensions: environ-
There is a need for “Including SDGs in the education of globally responsi-
mental, social and economic. According to UNESCAP (2015), "People and
ble leaders”. The “Mindset for Sustainability” (Filho et al., 2019). This
the nature of the society in which they live are shaped by and, in turn, shape
must be formed both amongst the students and the education staff. How-
the economies that support their livelihoods and enhance their overall quality
ever, for this to be a reality, everyone - "governments, the private sector,
of life. Environments provide life-giving and economically important services
civil society and every human being across the world” - must do their part
to economies and to people”. In this case, systems thinking is the key to
(UNESCO, 2017a).
promote a holistic approach to problem analysis (UNESCAP, 2015).
Education institutions can take on the role of a liaison between differ-
In last years a considerable number of works assessed the im-
ent stakeholder groups. Higher education institutions have a particular
pacts of higher education in sustainability (e.g., Littledyke et al., 2013;
responsibility to form future professionals and implement the knowl-
Fehlner, 2019; Leal Filho et al., 2018; Findler et al., 2019a) and, usually,

2 3
https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/what- https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-
is-esd/un-decade-of-esd rankings/2021

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I. Žalėnienė and P. Pereira Geography and Sustainability 2 (2021) 99–106

higher education institutions are viewed as “changing agents” and “cata- staff, local and broader communities; 4) high education institutions are
lysts” in the development of sustainability-related issues (Shields, 2019). responsible for the formation of next-generation professionals, which
Overall, a sustainability-based education affects education contents and will have a decisive impact on their different professional contexts and
the associated process and outcomes (Gatti et al., 2019). To illustrate social engagements; and 5) by implementing sustainable campus prac-
the importance of higher education, we assessed at a global level how tices (e.g., reducing greenhouse emissions, promote biodiversity, effi-
some higher education key indicators, based on country data. In total cient use of energy and reduce the ecological footprint). Higher educa-
120 countries were considered in this analysis. The variables consid- tion institutions can lead by example and influence university members
ered were School enrolment, tertiary (% gross)-SET; Expenditure on (Littledyke et al., 2013). The investment in higher education is a crucial
tertiary education (% of government expenditure on education)-ETE; aspect in the development of a culture of sustainability since the organ-
Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)-GEE; Gender isations where there is the greatest effort in higher education have high
parity index-GPI; Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking academic knowledge and research interest and willingness to adopt and
(% of population)-ACF; Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added research advancements, including the ones related to SDGs (Rosati and
(% of GDP)-AVA; Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions (kt)-CO2 ; Exports of Faria, 2019). The development of a sustainability culture through the
goods and services (% of GDP)- EGS; Gross Domestic Product-GDP; In- different activities carried out on the campus such as institutional frame-
dustry (Including Construction), Value Added (% of GDP)-IVA; Inter- work and assessment, research, education, experiences and operations
nally displaced persons, total displaced by conflict and violence (num- and outreach, have a substantial impact on the outside world, namely
ber of people)-IDP; Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births)-MR5; on the environment, economy, society and the stakeholder’s awareness
Particulate matter (PM2.5 ) air pollution, population exposed to levels of sustainability aspects (Findler et al., 2019b).
exceeding WHO guideline value (% of total)-PM2.5 ; Renewable energy A considerable number of works and revisions were developed on
consumption (% of total final energy consumption)- REC; Vulnerable the impacts and presence of sustainability principles in degrees, course
employment, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)- contents (e.g., Fuertes-Camacho et al., 2019; Sanchez-Carracedo et al.,
VET and Forest Area (%)-FOA. The above mention variables were se- 2021; Sidiropoulos, 2014), and learning methodologies (e.g., Gatti et al.,
lected carefully to identify the different countries environmental (CO2 , 2019) in higher education institutions have been published. There is
PM2.5 , REC, TMP and FOA), social (GEE, GPI, IDP, MR5) and economic an increase in the incorporation and acceptance of sustainability issues
(VET, AVA, IVA, EGS) performance and how this was linked with high in higher education (e.g., Sammalisto and Lindhqvist, 2008). Neverthe-
education (SET and ETE) and vice-versa. This identification is essential less, in several cases, they are not uniformly developed and unbalanced
to understand the factors that affect and can be affected by high edu- between degrees as observed by Sanchez-Carracedo et al. (2021) in
cation enrolment. The description of all indicators and the associated Spain or fail to be fully integrated into the programs as identified by
sources are shown in Table S1, in the supplementary material. Stough et al. (2018) in Belgium. Although several courses include in
A Principal Component Analyses (PCA) was applied to identify the their contents the learning outcomes that promote sustainability or
association between the variables. The factors extracted are presented adopt sustainable practices (Mintz and Tal, 2014). A systematic re-
in Table S2, in the supplementary material. SET was highly associated view carried out by Figueiró and Raufflet (2015) pointed out that
with ACF, GPI and EGS and inversely related to REC, PM2.5 , AVA, VET the effectiveness of teaching sustainability issues is high if sustainabil-
and MR5. This shows that in the countries where the population en- ity is considered in the core courses (mandatory disciplines), not in
rolment in higher education is the highest, there are several important marginal ones. In this context, it is key to ensure that university pro-
social, economic and environmental benefits. For instance, the vulnera- grams consider sustainability-oriented projects at their core. Several
bility to employment, mortality rate under 5 (socio-economic) and pol- methodological frameworks have been proposed for sustainability top-
lution are low in the countries where the enrolment in higher education ics knowledge transfer. A constructivist approach has been suggested by
is high. Also, access to clean energy, women participation in higher ed- Hedden et al. (2017) to teach sustainability. Tejedor et al. (2019) iden-
ucation, and external commerce reach the highest levels. As expected, tified five different learning strategies for sustainability education
GDP has a strong influence on CO2 emission and link with investment in in higher education institutions: project-oriented learning, simulation
education (GEE), which is highly dependent on industrial activity (IVA) games, problem-based learning, service learning and case studies. Ac-
(Fig. 1a). As expected, African countries were the ones with the lowest cording to Mintz and Tal (2013), the learning outcomes are higher
development (e.g, low MR5 and VET), while European (e.g., Finland) when a participatory learning method is applied compared to lecture-
and Asian (e.g., Singapore) had the highest. On the other hand, while based courses. Regardless of the methods applied, the important is
China and the USA have the highest industrialisation and CO2 emission that the students perceive sustainability as a critical aspect of their
levels, remote territories such as Bermuda and Tuvalu had the lowest education (Boarin et al., 2020). The inclusion of sustainability princi-
(Fig. 1b). Overall, it is clear that the geography of high education en- ples in higher education institutions and academic curricula increase
rolment and their social, economic and environmental benefits is het- their knowledge, views, awareness and attitudes towards sustainability
erogeneous. Fehlner (2019) highlighted a positive relationship between (Sidiropoulos, 2014).
higher education and sustainable development. Higher education con-
tributes substantially to the graduates having a well-paid job ad build 2.2. The importance of the correct and effective communication of
stable and prosperous societies. In addition, higher education promotes sustainability issues
the creation of new ideas, technologies that are the basis of sustainabil-
ity. Despite this, higher education institutions’ contribution to society is To establish a sustainability mindset effectively, sustainability
likely underestimated (Fehlner, 2019). principles need to be effectively communicated. Communication is
Higher education institutions have a decisive impact on shaping a pivotal aspect of the successful implementation of various sus-
mentalities. According to Bowen (2018), the impact of higher educa- tainability initiatives (Djordjevic and Cotton, 2011). For instance,
tion in adult life has an average of fifty to sixty years after graduation. Lertpratchya et al. (2017) provide three reasons why higher education
In society, this effect can continue for centuries. Higher education in- institutions are essential channels to communicate sustainability effec-
stitutions have a key role in the implementation of education for sus- tively: 1) Despite the different inequalities, many people attend universi-
tainability: 1) teaching and research centres can improve sustainability ties and colleges. In 2016, approximately 216 million students were en-
by project development and incorporation of sustainability principles rolled in higher education institutions in the entire world (ICEF, 2018).
across the disciplines; 2) the practice carried out by different educators For instance, in the UK more than 2,383,970 students were enrolled in
can influence broader opinions through outreach activities; 3) an insti- higher education institutions in 2018/19 academic year (HESA, 2020),
tutional culture of sustainability increases the awareness of university and this is expected to increase in 2030 (380 million) (ICEF, 2018);

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I. Žalėnienė and P. Pereira Geography and Sustainability 2 (2021) 99–106

Fig. 1. Relation between PCA factor 1 and 2.

A) variables and B) cases (countries).

2) the largest number of students enrolled in higher education are in process "so that they [students] can live the experience as well as learn about
late adolescence (18 to 21), a critical age for identity development. A it” (Stewart, 2010). First, it is essential to implement the campus green-
consistent increase in identity attainment has been found throughout ing and then change the curriculum (Stewart, 2010) - the hardest part
the college’s four years (Marcia, 1980). According to Zelezny (1999), because it requires a very united community (Argento, 2020).
young participants are easily influenced by the ideas discussed in the
classroom than the older participants. Also, according to Climate Out-
3. High education as a key aspect to achieving UN sustainable
reach (2018), “moving from home to university is often an important part of
development goals
becoming involved in climate change campaigns”; and 3) most often the col-
lege/university education is the last stage of education level before en-
The capacity of high education institutions to influence the trans-
tering in the labour world, where they play an influential role as profes-
formation to a more sustainable society is tremendous. By consider-
sionals (Lertpratchya et al., 2017). Overall, effectively communicating
ing sustainability principles in studies and research programs, univer-
sustainability initiatives is key to shaping future professional’s mindsets
sity staff and the students are actively working towards a sustainable
and implementing the knowledge acquired in real life.
world (UNESCO, 2020). Nevertheless, several challenges are essential
Effectively communicating sustainability initiatives is key to ad-
to consider in high education future. For instance, to implement and
justing the message to different types of students/audiences when
adopt SDGs correctly, interdisciplinary studies are needed in the differ-
targeting different groups of students (Lertpratchya et al., 2017).
ent fields of knowledge. The integration of diverse disciplines improves
Lertpratchya et al. (2017) highlighted that the student’s age is an influ-
students’ problem-solving capacities, broadening their minds to create
ential factor in effective, sustainable communication effectiveness. Usu-
solutions for the different challenges (Annan-Diab and Molinari, 2017).
ally, new incoming (first-year students) students are less aware of sus-
For instance, several disciplines, such as geography, consider natural,
tainability aspects. Often, entering higher education is a drastic change
social, economic, and political dimensions and can help understand the
in students’ lives, making them sensitive to the established norms. There-
complexity of sustainability and the solutions needed for their correct
fore, the students would be more likely to comply with the communi-
implementation (Meadows, 2020). Among the ten different targets con-
cated messages and engage in the established behaviours. In this con-
sidered in SDG 4 (Quality Education), described in Table 1, there is one
text, the communication campaigns targeted to first-year students are
specific target to higher education (Target 4.3). However, higher edu-
more effective. On the other hand, older students’ perception of com-
cation has also an important impact on Target 4.4, 4.7, 4.b, and 4.c.
munity norms may be more specific. Very likely, they may have already
Since the 1970s, globally, there has been an increase in the number of
made strong friendships or joined social groups, and they adjust their
girls that accessed higher education, and since the 1980′s the number of
behaviours and attitudes to fit those groups. For this reason, investing
girls in higher education is larger than the boys (O’Connor et al., 2015).
in promote sustainability in older students may not be as effective com-
In OECD countries, this was observed after the 1990′s, which occurred
pared to new students (Lertpratchya et al., 2017). Effective communica-
irrespective of the education and age type. Nevertheless, at the doctoral
tion with incoming students, however, is only the first step. In order to
level, males are in high number. Despite this, the trend is that higher ed-
ensure long term compliance with these sustainability norms, the con-
ucation will become more feminised, and, in the future, girls will likely
cept of sustainability must be continually brought up in the learning
have a better education than boys (OECD, 2008). According to Stoet and

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I. Žalėnienė and P. Pereira Geography and Sustainability 2 (2021) 99–106

Table 1
SDG 4 (Quality Education) description. The most relevant targets to high-educationare highlighted in bold. Source: https://sdg4education2030.org/the-goal

Target Description

Target 4.1 “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning
outcomes.”
Target 4.2 “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for
primary education.”
Target 4.3 “By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including
university.”
Target 4.4 “By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for
employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.”
Target 4.5 “By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the
vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.”
Target 4.6 “By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.”
Target 4.7 “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others,
through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and
nonviolence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”
Target 4.a “Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective
learning environments for all.”
Target 4.b “By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries,
small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and
communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries.”
Target 4.c “By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing
countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States.”

Geary (2020), the reduced boy’s engagement in post-secondary educa- man capital formation (Chankseliani and McCowan, 2020). According
tion in OECD countries is mainly related to reading skills. Although fe- to Owens (2017), two aspects are key for the impact of higher educa-
males in higher education are increasingly high, they still have limited tion in SDG’s: 1) regional higher education partnerships and 2) access
access to higher education senior positions (O’Connor et al., 2015). The to public research funding. Higher education institutions are responsi-
situation observed in OECD countries is not identified in other devel- ble for the next generation of sustainability leaders, responsible for key
oping countries (e.g., Bolivia, Tunisia, Ghana, Irak), where the num- initiatives at local, regional and global level, and essential to achieve
ber of males in higher education is substantially higher than females SDGs ambitions (Franco et al., 2019). According to the latest Interna-
(Evans et al., 2020). Both in OECD and developing countries, it is key to tional Association of Universities (IAU) report (IAU, 2016), the majority
increase the gender balance in higher education (OECD, 2008), which is of the university staff has a medium (43%) or very high (36%) knowl-
the ultimate objective of Target 4.3. High education is key to empower, edge about SDG’s. Most staff link sustainable development to environ-
develop skills and competencies for future global leaders. Therefore it mental questions. Higher education institutions work mainly in qual-
is of utmost relevance to provide equal access to males and females and ity education, while the most adopted SDGs are quality education and
the same opportunities to achieve the same targets. Overall, high edu- gender equality. Franco et al. (2019) identified different gaps in higher
cation has an essential role in achieving SDG 4 by creating an inclusive, education for sustainable development policy, curriculum, and practice
quality and equitable education for all (Owens, 2017; UNESCO, 2017b). across the different continents. For example, in the Americas, the biggest
Access to higher education increases students’ skills and open their gaps were observed in SDGs 1, 5 and 14, while in Europe they were
horizons regarding the different opportunities, which is key to find identified in SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10. In Asia and the Pacific, the
decent jobs (target 4.4). Several works (e.g., Mason et al., 2009; most significant gaps were found in SDG 2, 3, 9, 10 and 16. Finally,
OECD, 2012; Hasanefendic et al., 2016; Picatoste et al., 2018; Pardo- in Africa, except for SDGs 4, 5, 7, 11, 12 and 15, gaps were identified in
Garcia and Barac, 2020) observed that higher education increases stu- all the other SDG’s. Although higher education is key to the realisation
dents’ skills, entrepreneurship and capacity to have decent jobs. This of all SDGs, according to UNESCO2 , they may be connected with specific
is especially observed in mobile students during their studies (Wiers- goals such as end poverty in all its forms everywhere (Goal 1); ensure
Jenssen, 2009). Therefore, higher education will serve as strong sup- healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages (Goal 3); gender
port to achieve Target 4.4. Higher education is a vehicle for a society equality (Goal 5); decent work and economic growth (Goal 8); respon-
more aware of sustainability problems, as mentioned previously. In the sible consumption and production (Goal 12); climate change (Goal 13)
countries where higher education is consistently established, there is and peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16)4 . Although UNESCO
a more sustainable lifestyle (Tapia-Fonllem et al., 2017), respect for highlights these SDGs as the ones where higher education institutions
human rights (Kingston, 2018), gender equality (Lizotte et al., 2020), can have the most significant impact, they unequivocally contribute to
peace culture (Shehi et al., 2018) and global citizenship (Karlberg, 2010; the other goals. High education institutions can contribute significantly
Tyran, 2017; Lee et al., 2017). Higher education can strongly support in 1) Research: by creating research capacities, innovation and knowl-
the achievement of Target 4.a by creating an inclusive space and a safe edge, transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research, SDGs topic inves-
learning environment for different types of sensitive groups, such as in- tigation; 2) Education: by mobilising students for action, education for
digenous people (Brown, 2019) and disabled people (Leake and Stod- sustainable development, SDGs related jobs support and capacity build-
den, 2014). Finally, higher education institutions and governments are ing; 3) Management and Governance: include SDGs in university prac-
key to create more scholarships tailored to developing countries and tices and management and governance aligned with SDGs principles;
invest critical mass essential to fulfil Target 4.a and 4.b. For instance, and 4) Leadership: promote dialogue between sectors, show higher ed-
in Australia, from 1950-1970 until today, there was an increase in the ucation institutions compromise with SDGs and commitment with the
number of scholarships targeted to Asia (Kent, 2018). public (SDSN Australia/Pacific, 2017). This will be translated into mul-
Directly or indirectly, higher education is related to all the SDG’s.
Higher education institutions have a great responsibility for the achieve-
ment of all SDG’s, through innovation, knowledge production and hu- 4
https://en.unesco.org/themes/higher-education/sdgs

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Fig. 2. Contribution of higher education in-

stitutions to SDGs. Based on SDSN Aus-
tralia/Pacific (2017).

tiple benefits for SDGs implementation and achievement, summarised The concept of sustainability is inherently complex since it requires
in Fig. 2. integrating people, planet and profit - three high-level considerations.
For higher education institutions to fulfil their role as sustainability
models, a strong organisational culture needs to be established. For this
4. Challenges and barriers to implementing sustainability in
to happen, substantial changes towards developing a new set of values
higher education
and behaviours are critical (Adams et al., 2018). Howlett et al. (2015) ar-
gue that the higher education institutions’ role in educating about sus-
Numerous challenges and barriers at different levels affect the suc-
tainability stems from their responsibility for the current environmental
cessful contribution of higher education to creating a sustainable future.
crisis. The "current education systems are essentially equipping individuals
Overall, without depth and fundamental change in the academic world,
to become more effective vandals of the Earth". Therefore, modern educa-
there is a threat that Universities will lose their essential role in research
tion systems need to challenge core assumptions that revolve in society
and knowledge. SDGs are forcing higher education institutions to change
(Howlett et al., 2015). Although the benefits are clear, the adoption of
to respond to a world in crises. There is a need for a transformation in the
sustainability as an educational concept in higher education institutions
attitude and ethical practices to solve our time’s most critical challenges.
curriculum and strategies are only considered in academic institutions
Essential topics such as integration problem solving, anticipation skills
to some extent, and there are important differences between educational
and system thinking should be considered in all university curricula.
fields (Singer-Brodowski et al., 2019).
An interdisciplinary approach should be the engine to develop sustain-
Nevertheless, imposing behaviours is a complex task and difficult
ability practices all this (Gual, 2019). Richardson (2019) summarised
to achieve without a few key preconditions. Firstly, the effective im-
the problems associated with SDG’s implementation. Among them, it
plementation of sustainability policies is highly dependent on the will-
is essential to highlight the 1) under-educated audience, the irrational
ingness and commitment of the management to engage in innovative
and ineffective learning methods, the lack of curricula relevance and
activities (Avila et al., 2017). Freedom to express such critical ideas
motivational crises; 2) uninformed target audience that has very little
is highlighted amongst the very few critical preconditions for the ter-
awareness about global crises such as climate change; 3) consumption
tiary sector to benefit individuals and society, along with the auton-
patterns, affected by different cultures and beliefs towards the environ-
omy in choosing research areas and rewarding employment opportuni-
ment); 4) social identity theory (each person has his own perspective);
ties (Fehlner, 2019). The unwillingness and society lack of commitment
5) elitism and lack of diversity (education and job opportunities are not
could be explained because the investments required for implementing
equal for all), and 6) cognitive dissonance theory (the behaviour is not
sustainable policies are often perceived as a barrier, while the benefits
aligned with the beliefs).

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are overlooked (Avila et al., 2017). Nonetheless, even in leaders with Avila, L.V., Filho, W.L., Brandli, L., Macgregor, C.J., Molthan-Hill, P., Ozuyar, P.G., Mor-
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