Do Global Attitudes and Behaviors Support Sustainable Development?

Author(s):  
Anthony A. Leiserowitz ◽  
Robert Kates ◽  
Thomas M. Parris
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 2947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Martínez-Borreguero ◽  
Jesús Maestre-Jiménez ◽  
Milagros Mateos-Núñez ◽  
Francisco Luis Naranjo-Correa

Education for Sustainable Development requires improving the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of students at all levels of education. However, this should start from the earliest stages of education, promoting an effective teaching/learning process of key concepts for sustainable development. Accordingly, the general objective of this research was to analyze the concepts of water, energy and waste in the primary education curriculum (6–12 years) in Spain. A qualitative research approach was followed, with an exploratory and descriptive design. A system of categories was established for each of the concepts under study, with the aim of classifying the references found, analyzing their integration into the different subjects, academic courses, curricular elements and levels of cognitive demand required of the students. The results of the lexicographical analysis of the content reveal that the regulations governing primary education in Spain mainly focus on the concept of energy and, to a lesser extent, on the concepts of water and waste. In addition, cognitive levels of knowledge and comprehension predominate based on the taxonomy used. The results suggest the need to develop initiatives for the educational framework that promote not only learning, but also attitudes and behaviors that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (22) ◽  
pp. 1396
Author(s):  
Somchai Jitsuchon

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is both a continuation to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and an improvement on the addition of ‘means of implementation’ to achieve the goals. The SDGs recognize that countries should have their own ways to achieve development goals. In this regard, Thailand, through its ‘sufficiency economy philosophy’ (SEP) invented by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, has created a unique path to attain sustainable development. The SEP path involves (a) shaping personal attitudes and behaviors towards sufficiency and (b) setting procedures or protocols for development projects and programmes. In this paper, we developed a system of indicators that capture the first component—personal attitudes and behaviors—of the sufficiency economy philosophy practiced by Thai people, as well as a set of ultimate development outcome indicators, using data from nation-wide household and community surveys. We then analyze how practicing the sufficiency economy philosophy is associated with development outcomes, where we find positive correlation between the two groups of indicators.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-97
Author(s):  
Bulan Prabawani ◽  
Sudharto P. Hadi ◽  
Irina Safitri Zen ◽  
Teuku Afrizal ◽  
Dinalestari Purbawati

AbstractEducation for sustainable development (ESD) is essential to study in order to understand environmental changes from the perspective of student character building. This concept is the main foundation that refers to individual personality as a medium to build excellent capacity from an early age. At adolescent age, children experience a period with high emotional growth that encourages changes in attitudes and behavior patterns towards the surrounding environment. This exploratory study aimed at describing the relationship between environmental knowledge and studentsí attitudes and behaviors, along with challenging factors as the moderating variable, involving 320 participants from two junior high schools in two cities in Central Java, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using partial least square Smartpls v3.0. This study found that junior high school students had low environmental and social knowledge, but there was a good attitude and behavior tendency concerning the environment. The studentsí knowledge significantly influenced environmentally-friendly attitudes and behaviors, especially the social environment that the obstacles also became a significant moderating variable. Thus, schools and related parties should develop programs to increase the studentsí study orientation towards the environment and to have a collective awareness of the environment, specifically the ability to analyze and synthesize the surroundings.


2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (9) ◽  
pp. 22-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony A. Leiserowitz ◽  
Robert W. Kates ◽  
Thomas M. Parris

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 566-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Khalfan Al-Naqbi ◽  
Qasim Alshannag

Purpose This study aims to investigate United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward education for sustainable development (ESD) and the environment. Several independent variables (i.e. students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and grade point average [GPA]) were also considered. Design/methodology/approach This study was descriptive in nature, and the data were obtained using a cross-sectional survey. A total of 823 participants responded to an e-education for sustainable development survey. Several data analysis procedures were used, including descriptive analyses, analyses of variance and t-tests. Findings The study revealed that the UAEU students showed a high level of understanding, very strong positive attitudes and moderate positive behavior toward ESD and the environment. Findings associated with students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and GPA were also reported and discussed. Research limitations/implications First, the participating students came from one public university. Although this university is a major university in the nation, further studies should include samples from other public and private institutions. Second, this study did not examine the correlation among the three main components: knowledge, attitude and behavior. Thus, similar to other previous studies, the correlations among these three components should be investigated. Third, this study used previous research findings in the areas of ESD, SD and environmental education (EE) because they all relate to each other and ESD is currently the active trend in the field. Originality value No previous ESD studies have been conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), although the country is working hard to support ESD and SD. Therefore, this study explored the current education levels with regard to SD and sustainability knowledge, attitudes and behavior of tertiary students in the UAE. In addition, previous studies have clearly recommended investigating the status of EE and ESD in younger generations, especially those with higher education levels, because they are the agents of change, and they will be affected by the environmental problems that are being created by present human activities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadeem Iqbal ◽  
Naveed Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Sheeraz ◽  
Noman Ahmad Bashir

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown rapidly during last decade. Trend is showing that there is a significant increase of society’s overall concern about sustainable development with the aid of corporate social responsibility. The concept of sustainable development is gaining importance not only in scientific literature but also in board of governors room (BOG) of firms.   Past researches have  investigated the impact of CSR on employees but have been mostly focused on the analysis of the ‘external’ impact of CSR, considering the likely influence of CSR on prospective (rather than actual) employees, via mechanisms such as corporate image or corporate reputation (Blackhaus Stone and Heiner, 2002; Turban & Greening, 1997). The results of this study show that CSR has a significant effect on employees work attitudes and behaviors. CSR may possibly improve employees' attitudes and behaviors, contribute to corporations' achievement, and achieve a win-win state of affairs. Therefore, corporations should attach importance to CSR practice so as to benefit employees.   Keywords: Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, Employees, Job Attitude, Job Performance 


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex C. Michalos ◽  
Heather Creech ◽  
Christina McDonald ◽  
P. Maurine Hatch Kahlke

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-291
Author(s):  
Elie Mekhael ◽  
Jinan Karameh

In Lebanon, since 1990, successive Governments have stressed the priority of education and the development of its potentials to enable it to contribute to sustainable human development. However, these approaches were never evaluated by standardized measures that might monitor evidence of changes in the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among students concerning sustainable development. This study has two main objectives: (a) to establish a baseline on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of Lebanese tenth grade students towards sustainable development,   b) to assess the impact of   type of school, gender, presence of environmental club in school, and being a member in the environmental club in school on the levels of Knowledge, attitudes and Skills of Sustainable Development. The study was conducted in 20 schools in administrative Beirut region (12 private and 8 public). The sample consisted of 437 students who completed a developed questionnaire that included items involving all sustainable development pillars: social, environmental and economic. Results showed that students’ SD knowledge, attitudes, and skills were relatively high where the average mean of students’ answers on items concerning social pillar was greater than that of the environmental pillar which in turn was greater than that of the economic pillar. Environmental club membership manifestly promoted SD knowledge, skills and attitudes. Gender influence was conspicuous in the results of SD attitudes and skills where female students exceled over male students. The Lebanese government should affirm its commitment by: adopting policies and strategies on SD to put more focus on the role of Education for sustainable development, Ensuring efficient integration of SD into curriculum, establishing SD clubs and encouraging students’ enrollment into it.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
SHARIFAH BINTI SHAFIE ◽  
Arasinah Kamis ◽  
Muhamad Firdaus Ramli

This paper will look into the agenda of the United Nations (UN) for the planned global, social and environmental progression in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially goals on the quality of education and responsible consumption and production. The combination of these two goals touched on quality education in the field of fashion and also fostered a responsible attitude among producers and consumers. Hence, educators, designers and manufacturers need to ensure the process and production of eco-friendly products do not harm consumers and nature while reducing the amount of waste. Responsibilities of the manufacturers are in terms of producing and adopting sustainable methods in production of textile and clothing products. Furthermore, consumer attitudes and behaviors are also very influential in utilizing of textile products considering the environmental sustainability aspects. In this study, critical review of relevant literature will be conducted. In the context of education for fashion conservation, it is important to raise awareness on the responsibilities of educators, students, consumers and producers on the importance of conserving the environment for future generations. All parties need to play their role in realizing the aspirations of the SDGs agenda. This aspiration can be achieved in an integrated manner through a combination of sustainable practices, positive attitudes and behaviors.


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