Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate: Qualitative and Quantitative Data, 2021-2023

Higher education has a crucial role to play in responding to the climate crisis, not only through carrying out research, but also through teaching, community engagement and public awareness. The Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (Climate-U) project aimed to strengthen the contribution of universities to addressing the causes and impacts of climate change in lower-income contexts. In doing so, it contributed to the broader task of understanding the role of education in achieving the full set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). First starting in 2020, it focused on five countries: Brazil, Fiji, Kenya, Mozambique and the UK. The project sought to answer two main research questions in these countries: What are the effects of locally-generated university initiatives on actions and ideas relating to climate change?; and How do they inform our understandings of the role of higher education in sustainable development? The qualitative and quantitative collections of data deposited here contribute to an analysis of that answers these questions.

We start with a description of the qualitative data collection. A case study design was adopted to guide the research. The focus of the case studies was variously on community engagement, curriculum and campus greening activities. The collaborations and partnerships that exist between the university and external organisations on climate action were also examined during the study. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with a range of key informants (community members, academics, students and non-government organisations). The broad aim of the interviews and focus groups was to establish respondents' views on the role of universities in responding to climate change through and beyond the teaching, research, community engagement and public awareness functions. This was in order to determine the extent to which universities can themselves be transformed in order to respond to the climate crisis, as well as transform the marginalised communities surrounding universities.

The qualitative case studies formed part of the broader research method for the project – participatory action research (PAR). Not all of the participating universities made formal data collection of interviews and focus groups as part of the PAR. Qualitative data from four of the participating institutions are included in this dataset.

We now turn to a description of the quantitative data collection. A survey on climate change was conducted in twelve universities in Brazil, Fiji, Kenya and Mozambique. The survey examined the experiences of students, their engagement in climate action and their attitudes towards environmental issues. It responded to the overall aim of the project, which was to generate insights into how to maximise the contribution of universities to the mitigation and adaptation challenges of climate change, and to understand how universities might contribute to climate justice. To this end, the survey aimed to assess students’ perceptions and experiences regarding climate change and their universities, and their environmental attitudes. It was designed to be internationally comparable and to draw on existing work and questions, so a number of previous surveys and studies were reviewed in the process of drafting our questionnaire.<p>Climate change is widely recognised as the most critical challenge of our age, with the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report suggesting that to avoid devastating effects, the world must move entirely to renewables by 2050. This project aims to strengthen the contribution of universities in lower-income countries to addressing this challenge.

The role of research and innovation in this task is widely acknowledged, and universities around the world are closely involved in the tasks of monitoring, interpreting and responding to the process and effects of global warming. Yet the broader role of universities in addressing the climate crisis is as yet under-researched. How do courses provided by universities address the question of climate change, and what forms of climate-related learning do students engage with on campus and beyond? What impacts do universities have on climate change through community engagement activities, in fostering public debate on the issue and in the way they embody the principles of sustainability in their own institutional forms?

These roles of universities beyond knowledge production are critical in addressing climate change, given the deep social, political and economic roots of the crisis, and the need to engage with professional development, civic action and public awareness. At the same time, it is clear that despite the potentialities of universities in this regard, much more could be done. This is particularly the case in low and middle-income countries in which there is disproportionate impact of the most devastating effects of climate change.

This project addresses these questions in the context of the higher education systems of Brazil, Fiji, Kenya and Mozambique. These countries have been selected on account of the vulnerability of their populations to climate-related disasters, but also because of the potentialities of their higher education systems for responding to the challenges, and in generating learning that can be utilised in other contexts. The countries have distinct features in relation to their culture, politics, economics and geography, as well as in their higher education systems, which will allow for significant possibilities of learning across the countries and with the UK.

The research started with a survey of the state of play as regards universities' coverage of climate change issues within their teaching, research and community engagement. Participatory action research groups were then created in 12 universities across the participating countries, including representatives of students, lecturers, senior management and local communities. These groups designed, implemented and monitored initiatives to address local challenges, in line with their own priorities. Interventions included new modules for students, community-based projects on disaster preparedness, and developing sustainable campuses.

The learning generated from these diverse experiences contributed to theory building and understanding of the relationship between education and sustainable development, and of the role of higher education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There was a strong emphasis on South-South collaboration and learning, and insights generated from interaction and comparison across high/middle/low income countries, between Anglophone and Lusophone higher education systems, and between Africa, the Pacific and Latin America.

While most acknowledge that education has some role to play in achieving the SDGs, much closer attention is needed to the institutional forms and practices that are most conducive. This project grapples with this question in the context of diverse countries in the Global South, with significant lessons for the broader global community.</p>