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This essay explains that periodic examination of the goals of education is essential for educational institutions to ensure they are adequately preparing students to address the challenges of the present and build a better future. It argues that education is an ethical enterprise, and that clear and shared goals provide education institutions with direction and coherence. Rapid societal changes challenge educational institutions to revisit whether their goals are supporting teaching students so they can develop the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions to address them. The article discusses three accelerating existential challenges––challenges to human rights, democratic decline, and climate change––and argues that they require schools, universities, and systems to educate students to understand and be able and committed to address them. These three challenges also influence educational institutions, and the development of institutional strategies can help create synergies among functions and processes in schools and universities to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that can help understand and mitigate climate change and declines in human rights and democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy keeps the global economy alive, while also being extensively exposed to various climate change impacts. In this context, severe business competition (e.g., the building sector) and the unwise use of natural resources and ecosystem services (e.g., fossil fuel energy sources) seem to sharpen the relevant effects of climate change. Indicatively, contemporary issues at the interface of building energy performance and environmental quality levels include consequences from global warming, the increasing release of carbon dioxide to peak electrical loads, power grids, and building planning, and energy demand and supply issues. In light of such concerns, the present review paper attempts to disclose the multifaceted and multidisciplinary character of building energy use at the interface of the economy, the environment, and society against climate change. This review highlights energy efficiency concepts, production, distribution, consumption patterns, and relevant technological improvements. Interestingly, the reviewed contributions in the relevant literature reveal the need and necessity to alter the energy mix and relevant energy use issues. These include developments in climate-proof and effective systems regarding climate change impacts and shocks. Practical implications indicate that the sustainable development goals for clean energy and climate action should be followed if we wish to bring a sustainable future closer and faster to our reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The escalating planetary crises of human‐induced climate change, the depletion of natural resources, and declining biodiversity call for urgent actions to be taken at all levels of society and by the global community. The current political strategy for a sustainable future that emphasizes economic and technological progress is insufficient to bring about the change required; an educational approach based on identities, values, ethics, and new worldviews is also needed. In this article Arto O. Salonen and his coauthors consider the kind of pedagogy that could support a transformation of the human conception of reality into a form that both recognizes the connections and interactions between people, society, and the planet, and imparts an ethical orientation to action that strengthens the health and integrity of all entities. A theory of planetary social pedagogy (PSP) is based on traditional social pedagogy, which provides a theoretical framework for formal, nonformal, and informal education. PSP aims at building a deep holistic understanding of the relationship between the individual, society, and Earth by integrating the fragmented human conception and experience of reality by uniting the three dimensions of a social‐ecological worldview: spatial, temporal, and ethical. Moreover, PSP is a cyclical learning process that alternates between cognitive, metacognitive, and epistemic levels of learning. The ultimate goal of using PSP is to lay the foundation for a fundamental transformation of the ideals, values, and culture that shape human behavior in ways necessary for securing a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has significantly influenced the spread of waterborne diseases (WBDs), which affect environmental quality and human life. The impact of climate change is greatest in developing countries, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Vibrio cholerae, a waterborne pathogen, is most susceptible to and most prevalent during severe climatic changes. The Philippines is regularly exposed to tropical cyclones, such as Bopha in 2012 and Haiyan in 2013, because of its geographical location, while Cyclone Nargis in 2008 caused over 95% of the damage and casualties seen in the preceding two decades in Myanmar. Therefore, implementing policies to adjust to these climate changes and to safeguard their citizens from the effects of WBDs is imperative for ASEAN countries. This study aimed to (1) investigate the effects of climate change on health and to understand the policy requirements to prevent or minimize its negative impact and (2) explore the link between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the effects of climate change on WBDs to determine perspectives for global sustainability. The framework of the SDGs should be adapted to ASEAN countries to improve legislation, laws, and regulations on climate-related health issues. Efficient collaboration among scientists, researchers, health professionals, and policymakers will assist in addressing the problems associated with the impact of climate change on WBDs in ASEAN countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy keeps the global economy alive, while also being extensively exposed to various climate change impacts. In this context, severe business competition (e.g., the building sector) and the unwise use of natural resources and ecosystem services (e.g., fossil fuel energy sources) seem to sharpen the relevant effects of climate change. Indicatively, contemporary issues at the interface of building energy performance and environmental quality levels include consequences from global warming, the increasing release of carbon dioxide to peak electrical loads, power grids, and building planning, and energy demand and supply issues. In light of such concerns, the present review paper attempts to disclose the multifaceted and multidisciplinary character of building energy use at the interface of the economy, the environment, and society against climate change. This review highlights energy efficiency concepts, production, distribution, consumption patterns, and relevant technological improvements. Interestingly, the reviewed contributions in the relevant literature reveal the need and necessity to alter the energy mix and relevant energy use issues. These include developments in climate-proof and effective systems regarding climate change impacts and shocks. Practical implications indicate that the sustainable development goals for clean energy and climate action should be followed if we wish to bring a sustainable future closer and faster to our reality.

Climate change has significantly influenced the spread of waterborne diseases (WBDs), which affect environmental quality and human life. The impact of climate change is greatest in developing countries, especially in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Vibrio cholerae, a waterborne pathogen, is most susceptible to and most prevalent during severe climatic changes. The Philippines is regularly exposed to tropical cyclones, such as Bopha in 2012 and Haiyan in 2013, because of its geographical location, while Cyclone Nargis in 2008 caused over 95% of the damage and casualties seen in the preceding two decades in Myanmar. Therefore, implementing policies to adjust to these climate changes and to safeguard their citizens from the effects of WBDs is imperative for ASEAN countries. This study aimed to (1) investigate the effects of climate change on health and to understand the policy requirements to prevent or minimize its negative impact and (2) explore the link between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the effects of climate change on WBDs to determine perspectives for global sustainability. The framework of the SDGs should be adapted to ASEAN countries to improve legislation, laws, and regulations on climate-related health issues. Efficient collaboration among scientists, researchers, health professionals, and policymakers will assist in addressing the problems associated with the impact of climate change on WBDs in ASEAN countries.

Summary: The discharge of the toxic phenol‐polluted petro‐industrial effluents (PPPIE) has severe environmental negative impacts, thus it is mandatory to be treated before its discharge. The objective of this review was to discuss the sustainable application of microalgae in phenols degradation, with a special emphasis on the enzymes involved in this bioprocess and the factors affecting the success of PPPIE phycoremediation. Moreover, it confers the microalgae bioenergetic strategies to degrade different forms of phenols in PPPIE. It also points out the advantages of the latest application of bacteria, fungi and microalgae as microbial consortia in phenols biodegradation. Briefly, phycoremediation of PPPIE consumes carbon dioxide emitted from petro‐industries for; valorization of the polluted water to be reused and production of algal biomass which can act as a source of energy for such integrated bioprocess. Besides, the harvested algal biomass can feasibly produce; third‐generation biofuels, biorefineries, bioplastics, fish and animal feed, food supplements, natural dyes, antioxidants and many other valuable products. Consequently, this review precisely confirms that the phycoremediation of PPPIE is a win‐win process for a green environment and a sustainable future. Thus, to achieve the three pillars of sustainability; social, environmental and economic; it is recommendable to integrate PPPIE treatment with algal cultivation. This integrated process would overcome the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, global warming and climate change, solve the problem of water‐scarce, and protect the environment from the harmful negative impacts of PPPIE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As far as sustainability is concerned, the role of technology has always been contested. With regard to environmental degradation, technology is either perceived to be part of the problem or part of the solution. To combat the complex issues of the present time, technological solutions are expected to play a key role towards mitigating and adapting to the negative impacts of climate change. The paper also discusses the role of the 2009 Copenhagen Conference towards addressing climate change. Although the Copenhagen Accord is not a legally binding agreement, it is seen as a necessary first step towards a protocol that will effectively address the issue of climate change.

The most difficult challenge facing humanity is not devising solutions to the energy crisis or climate crisis or population crisis; rather, it is bringing stories or narratives of the human journey into our collective awareness that empower us to look beyond a future of great adversity and to see a future of great opportunity. What visions of humanity’s journey are sufficiently compelling to transcend age-old differences and bring us together in a common venture of inhabiting the Earth in ways that are sustainable? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As far as sustainability is concerned, the role of technology has always been contested. With regard to environmental degradation, technology is either perceived to be part of the problem or part of the solution. To combat the complex issues of the present time, technological solutions are expected to play a key role towards mitigating and adapting to the negative impacts of climate change. The paper also discusses the role of the 2009 Copenhagen Conference towards addressing climate change. Although the Copenhagen Accord is not a legally binding agreement, it is seen as a necessary first step towards a protocol that will effectively address the issue of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world needs to develop a coherent and practical approach to climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has recently confirmed that the evidence for global warming is unequivocal; meanwhile, an effort is under way to develop a successor to the Kyoto Protocol and provide a roadmap towards the lower carbon world of the future. On the other hand, biomass energy refers to the use of plant and other organic materials to provide desired forms of energy and energy services, such as heat, light, and motive power. Since the discovery of fire, it has been a major source of energy worldwide. Even in today's fossil fuel era, biomass provides about 11% of the world's total primary energy supply. Biomass is the major source of energy in rural regions of the developing countries. Biomass is used to meet a variety of energy needs, including generating electricity, heating homes, fueling vehicles, and providing process heat for industrial facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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: “Religion and Science: What Is at Stake” looks at the latest information available on global warming from the International Panel on Climate Change and puts it in the context of the current culture war between progressives and conservatives. We worry that the science will become captive to ideological concerns that are theological, economic, and therefore political. The ideological domination of science may make a sustainable response to global warming even more difficult. It is vitally important that Christian theologians learn enough about the science to be articulate and support the scientists in their endeavors to promote our care of the creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]