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© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals requires a fully integrated approach between sectors, disciplines, countries, and actors. On the fourth year of its implementation, the uptake of SDGs from non-state actors is increasing around the world, by developing engaging mechanisms for involvement at horizontal and vertical level. Considering that activation of existing partnerships is important for SDGs, in conjunction with creating new ones, this research has analysed the approach of global network of Regional Centers of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development. An overview of involvement is done based on a survey data, by exploring collaboration in local, national and international scale. Through Hierarchical Classification Analysis, the networks are grouped into clusters with similar characteristics and discussions include challenges and potentialities for intensifying the contribution towards the 2030 Agenda.

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd The potential for energy efficiency and for the deployment of renewable energy at universities is substantial, and they represent promising ways to meet an institution's energy needs on the one hand, without a large climate burden on the other. However, in order to achieve successful investment and results, it is imperative to understand the level of current commitment to energy actions. Therefore, this paper investigates the level of engagement in energy efficiency measures of a sample of 50 higher education institutions from round the world, and identifies which types of renewable energy are being used to date. Results show that in more than half of the universities only a small portion of energy consumption comes from renewable sources (1%–20%) and solar/photovoltaics is the most used source (70%). Investment in energy efficiency is more common in the sample, with 54% of the universities reporting higher levels of engagement, mainly in buildings (78%) and equipment/machineries (56%). Departing from the assumption that sustainable energy use is a pre-condition for campuses to pursue sustainability, the paper identifies current deficiencies and discusses improvements in this key area, with experiences which may be replicable elsewhere.

University of Passo Fundo is located in the South of Brazil and currently has around 20 thousand students, distributed in all of its campuses. In its Social Responsibility Policy, it addresses the environmental issue in several items, committed to establishing guiding principles to sustainable development. This paper aims to present a survey of electricity consumption at the university main campus, between 2004 and 2016, in addition to presenting the actions that have been developed in order to contribute to greater sustainability—and reduction of this consumption. The methodology consists of collecting energy data in the responsible sector of the university, followed by the description of the actions that have been developed, in order to make the campus greener. Finally, based on research about practices applied in universities around the world which have excellence regarding energy efficiency actions, a discussion about their possible application at University of Passo Fundo is presented. The results show that electricity consumption per campus unit area has been constant in recent years, whereas the costs have increased considerably. It is also observed that there is still much to learn from external experiences in order to contribute to the University’s environmental and energy eco-efficiency programs.

Soil contamination by toxic metals is a major environmental issue, mainly due to inadequate methods of waste disposal and accidental spills. Studies on fate and transport of contaminants he...

The increased demand for energy in cities and the higher frequency of energy crisis justify the existence of more research discussing the issue. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the situation of the energy matrix and the electricity consumption in the South of Brazil, in order to identify challenges and opportunities to improve the energy sustainability. The study shows the results of the Energy work package of the project Prerequisites for the sustainability of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul (PRESUST-RS) and include the diagnosis, the search for best practices and the selection of the most suitable practices for the municipalities. Initially a group of indicators for the diagnosis of the energy sector was selected and the data collection was taken from secondary sources. After that, best practices were searched, seeking case studies in the literature. The selection of those that could be implemented in the cities was made through meetings with groups of stakeholders in each city, characterizing a study of lifelong learning, in which the community could vote for their preferred practices after discussing the importance and challenges of each one. The results indicate that the electricity consumption has been increasing in cities, but Rio Grande do Sul has a high percentage of supply of this energy from renewable sources. Moreover, the practices chosen by the community mainly address the use of technology and renewable energy.

The climate change has been focused of attention of the scientific community, mainly because of the increase of Earth’s average temperature and its consequences as droughts, floods, storms, intense heat, among others. In many areas, climate change is likely to increase water demand while shrinking water supplies. This shifting balance would challenge water managers to simultaneously meet the needs of communities and ecosystems. This paper discusses the impact of the increase of Earth’s average temperature in hydrological series of Passo Fundo River and Varzea River Watersheds, located in the north of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Together, they cover 85 municipalities, 496,427 inhabitants and drain an area of 14,109.7 km2. The aim of this paper is to identify potential impacts of climate change on patterns of maximum monthly precipitation. Conclusions gathered in this paper are useful to know the changes in precipitation, alerting for the need of future operational planning and supporting data to the management of water resources, in order to meet the surrounding communities’ needs.

There has been a long-lasting debate about the sustainability of cities at the national and international levels, which goes back 30 years or so ago. By virtue of the undeniable growth of the world population and its consequences, the growth of cities has been a matter of great research interest and relevance across the world. Thus, the complexity of current environmental, social and economic demands induces the three levels of government, civil society and the private sector to take a new stance. This paper presents the preliminary results of the research project “Prerequisites for the sustainability of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil”. In particular, this article highlights the role of the universities involved in a process of partnership and cooperation network linking the University of Passo Fundo, the Federal University of Santa Maria, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and also the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, in Germany. A discussion was held on the current status of cities in Rio Grande do Sul, based on sustainable development indicators, in addition to the identification and dissemination of measures and best practices on sustainable techniques applicable to the three municipalities as regards solid waste, transport and mobility, energy, urban planning and education for sustainability. As a result, the present research highlights the commitment of universities to developing skills for implementation of sustainability and improvement of the quality of life in the project regions.

Scepticism about climate change is still a popular trend, despite the existence of scientific evidence that this phenomenon is taking place, and that it is influencing the lives of millions of people around the world. The aim of this paper is to assess the extent to which existing scepticism at the university level is found. The methodology consists of a survey undertaken on a sample of universities around the world, in the context of which attitudes and perceptions about climate change are identified. A total of 237 questionnaires were received from 51 countries around the world. The analysis consists basically of descriptive statistics and an investigation regarding trends on scepticism and the geographical location of the universities. The study concludes by outlining some of the presently seen scepticisms and suggests some ways to address them via curricular innovation and initiatives engaging students, peer-reviewed

It is widely acknowledged that research and publications in peer reviewed journals offer important metrics in describing the academic outputs of higher education institutions on one hand, and their societal impacts on the other. Peer review is a well-tested method for quality control and has been successfully deployed over many decades in academic journals worldwide. But despite the fact that publications on matters related to sustainable development offer solid evidence of academic activity and excellence, there is a dearth of literature in this field. In order to address this need, the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP) have undertaken the World Survey on Sustainability Publishing and Research in Higher Education (WSSSP-HEI). The paper has two main aims. The first is to document and showcase trends in scientific publishing on matters related to sustainable development. The second aim is to contribute to a greater understanding of this rapidly growing field, by describing the latest developments and the role played by some of the journals active in this area. Consistent with these aims, this paper focuses on publications on sustainability in higher education, describes the methods used in the study and some of its results. It can be seen that despite the intrinsic value of research on sustainable development in higher education as a whole, and of publications in this field in particular, such practices are not as widely developed as one could expect. This paper discusses the possible reasons and also outlines some measures via which higher education institutions may be able to take more advantage of the many opportunities that publishing on sustainability offers to them.

Rivers are important ecosystems, vital to the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of humans and other species. Despite their environmental, social, and economic importance, current use of rivers is unsustainable, due to a combination of solid waste and high levels of pollutants. Plastic materials are among the most predominant of such pollutants. Based on the need for additional research in this area, this study examines pressures put to rivers and explores trends related to riverine plastic pollution, with a focus on Asia. Apart from the bibliometric analysis, and relying on the collected information, examples describing the drivers of riverine plastic pollution in a sample of Asian countries are described, outlining the specific problem and its scope. Among some of the results obtained from it, mention can be made to the fact that much of the literature focuses on plastic pollution as a whole and less on one of its most significant ramifications, namely microplastics. Additionally, there is a need related to data availability on riverine plastic data and improving the understanding of transport mechanisms in relation to riverine plastic emission into the ocean. The results from this study illustrate the significance of the problems posed by plastic waste to Asian rivers and point out the fact that there are still significant gaps in respect of regulations and standards, which prevent improvements that are highlighted in this study. Based on the results of this bibliometric assessment, specific measures via which levels of riverine plastic pollution may be reduced are presented, bringing relevant new insights on this topic beyond the existing reviews.

International audience; This is a pre-publication copy. The published article is copyrighted by the publisher. Contribution of Fair Trade in Sustainable Development Definition "Fair trade is a model for alleviating global poverty. Many companies and markets are investing, impacting developing communities. From building sustainable businesses to providing education, the movement is life-changing for those living in poor communities around the world".-Brandi Gomez Fair Trade (FT) is a societal movement that aims to support poor and vulnerable producers in developing nations to attain improved trading conditions with direct link to consumers and excluding mediators in the trading chain (Young and Utting 2005). Therefore FT allows poor producers to be part of a trading organization that make sure a fair and steady price for their products. It also provides them and their systems different level of backing facilities and stimulates sustainable environment.

International audience; As clearly defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), children's rights entails a conceptual method and guide towards recognising the children as the rightful holders of universally accepted rights just like other human beings (UNCRC, 1989). It is generally established that children are entitled to fundamental universally-accepted human rights that include the right to a decent life, equality, and human dignity. Furthermore, children are also entitled to certain "child-specific rights" which comprise of the right to proper development, livelihood and attention, and right to education. The children's rights form a division of human rights that gives special attention to exceptional care and protection rights, mainly to children or minors. In essence, human rights are those moral values or norms that define specific and basic standards of human and social behaviours, which are regular protection within domestic and universal laws (Campbell 1992). A just society refers to any community that can share and distribute those vital things we have value and reward for (Sandel, 2009). Such may include income and wealth, influence and opportunities, rights and responsibilities, offices, and honours; that correctly, gives each individual his or her right. In this regard, what individuals get in the distribution process of available goods and services can be determined based on welfare maximisation principles, respect for individual freedoms, and upholding human virtues. It is an essential aspect that raised global commitment since its acceptance within the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 framework (Lee et al., 2016). Subsequently, the simple expression of ensuring equal access to justice for all becomes relevant, thereby making all concerned parties remain actively involved in fulfilling it.

International audience

International audience

International audience

Economic theory of customer preference describes consumer behavior as a “set of activities prospective customers undertake in searching, selecting, valuing, assessing, supplying and using of products and services in order to satisfy their needs and desires” (Čavoški and Markovíc 2015). When it comes to research in the field of energy consumption and energy efficiency, there is a lack of common understanding of what consumer behavior is, since it is strongly related to the technical, economic, sociological, and psychological models applied to understand how and why people perform energy-related actions, and to the disciplines which investigate these actions. Hence, consumer behavior might be referred, among others, as occupant behavior and energy behavior. Occupant behavior has been referred as a set of “observable actions or reactions of a person in response to external or internal stimuli, or respectively actions or reactions of a person to adapt to ambient environmental conditions such as temperature, indoor air quality or sunlight” (International Energy Agency EBCP 2013). However, this definition does not take into account individual attitudes and reasons which lead to a specific action, which instead have been intensively studied in social sciences. Energy behavior has been defined as “all human actions that affect the way that fuels (electricity, gas, petroleum, coal, etc.) are used to achieve desired services, including the acquisition or disposal of energy-related technologies and materials, the ways in which these are used, and the mental processes that relate to these actions” (International Energy Agency DSM Energy Efficiency 2014). Energy behavior is the one leading to end-use energy consumption, incorporating two implicit dimensions: the behavior itself and the associated energy consumption (Lopes et al. 2012). Rather than agreeing on unique terms and definitions, this chapter aims at providing an overview of the scope, policy implications, and characteristics of the consumer behavior in building energy use, focusing in particular on the household behavior in the residential sector. To the purpose of this work, all the terms above are assumed to embed energy consumption as subject of investigation; therefore, consumer behavior, user behavior, and occupant behavior are used indifferently.

International audience

Climate change is going to have significant impacts among a wide range of areas and domains, including the building sector, characterized by constructions which may not be designed to be resilient to the evolutions in the warming climate that will occur in the next decades. The chapter investigates methodologies and approaches connected to the assessment of the effects of climate change to the energy use within the building sector. Methodologies are compared and the most relevant future trends expected are traced for the current century.

International audience; This is a pre-publication copy. The published article is copyrighted by the publisher. Green Energy and Sustainable Development Synonyms Green, Sustainable, Environmental friendly Definition The concept of green energy has come to the fore as a strategic sustainable energy formation process for the whole world since last three decades, but it has gained enormous interest during recent years. Green Energy is referred to clean sources of energy that generates lower environmental impact in relation to conventional energy technology (Bhowmik et al. 2017). In terms of reducing negative environmental impact, highlighting the importance of Green Energy on environment, sustainability researchers have increasingly utilized this lens to explain the multidimensions of many sustainable development issues, and explored new ways for addressing the most recent concept. In addition, for defining various aspects of sustainability, Green Energy concept is not a new concept rather it is an emerging concept.