INGENIO participates in a study on how to integrate climate justice into higher education
A team from the INGENIO Institute (CSIC-UPV) has taken part in an international study analyzing how universities around the world are beginning to incorporate climate justice into their educational programs. The work, published in the journal Discover Sustainability, highlights the role of higher education in addressing the inequalities caused by climate change.
According to Guillermo Palau, researcher at INGENIO, climate justice starts from a fundamental idea: the effects of climate change are not the same for everyone.
“The most vulnerable people and communities, who have contributed the least to the problem, are often the most affected. Incorporating this perspective into education helps train professionals and citizens who are more committed to a fairer and more sustainable future,” explains Palau.
The study, coordinated by Manchester Metropolitan University and Florida State University, combines the analysis of recent scientific publications with practical examples from universities that have already started integrating climate justice into their courses. The contribution of the INGENIO team focused on analyzing different success stories from around the world.
The research confirms a growth in scientific output on climate justice in education, especially in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia, and Germany. It also identifies teaching methods based on interdisciplinarity, collaboration with local communities, and project-based learning.
“One example in Spain is the Learning in Action experience in the Orriols neighborhood of Valencia, where students work on proposals related to the destigmatization and multiculturalism of the neighborhood, combining science, communication, and citizen participation,” highlights Pablo Aránguiz-Mesías, co-author of the study and also a researcher at INGENIO.
This study is part of the series “100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”, promoted by the Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP), which aims to boost the contribution of universities to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Researchers from the University of Murcia, LUT University (Finland), HAN University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS, Brazil) also participated.
Article reference:
Leal Filho, W., Kim, E., Salvia, A.L., Anholon, R., Platje, J., Palau-Salvador, G., Aránguiz-Mesías, P., & Avila, L.V. (2025). Climate justice in higher education institutions: trends and good practices. Discover Sustainability, 6:16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01090-3
