COPERNICUS - THE UNIVERSITY CHARTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Transcription

1 COPERNICUS - THE UNIVERSITY CHARTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Geneva, May 1994 (dwnladed frm n ) Preamble Man's explitatin f the bisphere is nw threatening its very existence and delicate balance. Over the last few decades, the pressures n the glbal envirnment have becme self-evident, leading t a cmmn utcry fr sustainable develpment. In the wrds f the Brundtland reprt, we must learn t care fr the needs f the present withut cmprmising the ability f future generatins everywhere t meet their wn needs. The awareness is there. What is required is a cmprehensive strategy fr building a sustainable future which is equitable fr all human beings, as highlighted by the Ri Cnference (UNCED) in This requires a new frame f mind and new sets f values. Educatin is critical fr prmting such values and imprving peple's capacity t address envirnment and develpment issues. Educatin at all levels, especially university educatin fr the training f decisin-makers and teachers, shuld be riented twards sustainable develpment and fster envirnmentally aware attitudes, skills and behavir patterns, as well as a sense f ethical respnsibility. Educatin must becme envirnmental educatin in the fullest sense f the term. The rle f universities Universities and equivalent institutins f higher educatin train the cming generatins f citizens and have expertise in all fields f research, bth in technlgy as well as in the natural, human and scial sciences. It is cnsequently their duty t prpagate envirnmental literacy and t prmte the practice f envirnmental ethics in sciety, in accrdance with the principles set ut in the Magna Chart f Eurpean Universities and subsequent university declaratins, and alng the lines f the UNCED recmmendatins fr envirnment and develpment educatin.

2 Indeed, universities are increasingly called upn t play a leading rle in develping a multidisciplinary and ethically-riented frm f educatin in rder t devise slutins fr the prblems linked t sustainable develpment. They must therefre cmmit themselves t an n-ging prcess f infrming, educating and mbilizing all the relevant parts f sciety cncerning the cnsequences f eclgical degradatin, including its impact n glbal develpment and the cnditins needed t ensure a sustainable and just wrld. T achieve these aims and fulfill their basic missin, universities are urged t make every effrt t subscribe t and implement the ten principles f actins set ut belw. Principles f actin Institutinal cmmitment Universities shall demnstrate real cmmitment t the principle and practice f envirnmental prtectin and sustainable develpment within the academic milieu. Envirnmental ethics Universities shall prmte amng teaching staff, students and the public at large sustainable cnsumptin patterns and an eclgical lifestyle, while fstering prgrammes t develp the capacities f the academic staff t teach envirnmental literacy. Educatin f university emplyees Universities shall prvide educatin, training and encuragement t their emplyees n envirnmental issues, s that they can pursue their wrk in an envirnmentally respnsible manner. Prgrammes in envirnmental educatin Universities shall incrprate an envirnmental perspective in all their wrk and set up envirnmental educatin prgrammes invlving bth teachers and researchers as well as students - all f whm shuld be expsed t the glbal challenges f envirnment and develpment, irrespective f their field f study. Interdisciplinarity

3 Universities shall encurage interdisciplinary and cllabrative educatin and research prgrammes related t sustainable develpment as part f the institutin's central missin. Universities shall als seek t vercme cmpetitive instincts between disciplines and departments. Disseminatin f knwledge Universities shall supprt effrts t fill in the gaps in the present literature available fr students, prfessinals, decisin-makers and the general public by preparing infrmatin didactic material, rganizing public lectures, and establishing training prgrammes. They shuld als be prepared t participate in envirnmental audits. Netwrking Universities shall prmte interdisciplinary netwrks f envirnmental experts at the lcal, natinal, reginal and internatinal levels, with the aim f cllabrating n cmmn envirnmental prjects in bth research and educatin. Fr this, the mbility f students and schlars shuld be encuraged. Partnerships Universities shall take the initiative in frging partnerships with ther cncerned sectrs f sciety, in rder t design and implement crdinated appraches, strategies and actin plans. Cntinuing educatin prgrammes Universities shall devise envirnmental educatinal prgrammes n these issues fr different target grups: e.g. business, gvernmental agencies, nn-gvernmental rganizatins, the media. Technlgy transfer Universities shall cntribute t educatinal prgrammes designed t transfer educatinally sund and innvative technlgies and advanced management methds. This dcument is a fllw-up t a number f university initiatives cncerned with envirnmental awareness and respnsibility, recent examples f which include:

4 the Magna Charta f Eurpean Universities, Blgna, September 1988 University Presidents fr a Sustainable Future, the Tallires Declaratin, Octber 1990 Urgent Appeal frm the CRE, the assciatin f Eurpean universities, presented t the Preparatry Cmmittee fr the United Natins Cnference n Envirnment and Develpment (UNCED), Geneva, August 1991 Creating a Cmmn Future: An Actin Plan fr Universities, Halifax, December 1991 Principles f actin Institutinal cmmitment Envirnmental ethics Educatin f university emplyees Prgrammes in envirnmental educatin Interdisciplinarity Disseminatin f knwledge Netwrking Partnerships Cntinuing educatin prgrammes Technlgy transfer Endrsing the Charter The CRE Bureau invites university rectrs t endrse the Charter n behalf f their institutins. Their signature will cnstitute a cmmitment t secure the supprt f their university, teachers and students alike, in adpting and implementing envirnmental guidelines which are cnsistent with the Charter. The principles f actin listed abve are general and pen-ended. It is left t each individual institutin and its students and staff t give them substance cmpatible with lcal circumstances. Expressed in terms f specific guidelines, they shuld frm a key element in the missin statement f the university cncerned. CRE The Cnference f Eurpean Rectrs (CRE) is the assciatin f Eurpean universities. Its membership cmprises 500 universities r

5 equivalent institutins f higher educatin in 36 cuntries. It prvides a frum fr discussins n academic plicy and the institutinal develpment f universities, including their rle within Eurpean sciety. As a nn-gvernmental rganizatin, it represents the universities' pint f view in gvernmental and nn-gvernmental circles cncerned with higher educatin in Eurpe. CRE rganizes bi-annual cnferences, training seminars fr newly appinted university heads, and ther meetings n issues f interest t its members. It als runs a number f inter-university cperatin prgrammes. Cpernicus COPERNICUS (CO-peratin Prgramme in Eurpe fr Research n Nature and Industry thrugh Crdinated University Studies) is a prgramme f CRE designed t bring tgether universities and ther cncerned sectrs f sciety frm all parts f Eurpe t prmte a better understanding f the interactin between man and the envirnment and t cllabrate n cmmn envirnmental issues. The aims f the prgramme are: t incrprate an envirnmental perspective int all university educatin and t help develp teaching materials as necessary; t stimulate and crdinate integrated, multidisciplinary and cllabrative research prjects; t disseminate the research and empirical findings widely t ecnmic and plitical decisin-makers. Pririty areas fr the time being are cmparative envirnmental law, resurce ecnmics, and public health. T encurage the bridging f frmer divisins between eastern and western Eurpe, COPERNICUS has set up trans-natinal prjects invlving institutins frm the Baltic and Danube regins. Future plans invlve launching envirnmental netwrks in ther regins f Eurpe. CRE-Cpernicus 10, Cnseil-Général CH-1211 Genève 4

6 Tel: / fax: télex Cpernicus Netwrk Crdinatin Carl-Einar Stalvant Centre fr Natural Resurces and Envirnment Research Stckhlm University S Stckhlm Tel: fax: