‘Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can be understood as a lens that permits us to look critically at how the world is and to envision how it might be, and equips us to deliver that vision. ESD develops competencies - skills, attributes and values - and how they link to subject knowledge and knowledge of sustainable development.
ESD supports learners across all academic disciplines and subject areas to create and pursue visions of a better world. A world that recognises the interdependence of environmental integrity, social justice and economic prosperity, while acknowledging that environmental resources are finite and provide the foundation for our society and economy.’ (QAA, 2021)
ESD in the Curriculum
Ulster University has an ongoing commitment to ESD. The vast majority of our courses already include ESD related issues aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and we want to encourage all staff to consider how this global imperative can be developed and more explicitly embedded in all curricula.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The Sustainable Development Goals are a collection of 17 global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs were set in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and intended to be achieved by the year 2030.