What question did this study set out to answer?

To investigate how sustainability and climate change are systematically embedded into higher education curricula across international pioneering institutions.

August 15, 2026Sustainable DevelopmentOpen Access

Mainstreaming Sustainability and Climate Change Across Higher Education: Lessons From Ten Pioneering Universities

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Authors

WFWalter Leal FilhoHiroshima University THTarek Ben HassenQatar University MDMaria Alzira Pimenta DinisFernando Pessoa University

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Implication

Qualitative multi-case study reveals four modes of climate curriculum integration in 10 global universities, highlighting an equity gap between undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Key Points

To investigate how sustainability and climate change are systematically embedded into higher education curricula across international pioneering institutions.
Conducted a qualitative, multi-case study across a purposive sample of 10 pioneering universities across five continents.
Performed systematic documentary analysis on institutional strategic plans, course syllabi, learning outcome frameworks, and evaluation reports using within-case and cross-case thematic analysis.
Identified four distinct modes of climate curriculum integration: dedicated modules, structural embedding, framework integration, and research-line integration.
Identified key institutional barriers, including disciplinary silos, accreditation constraints, limited faculty capacity, and an equity gap that concentrates climate education in postgraduate programs.
Proposed a scalable three-phase model (Foundation, Integration, and Institutionalization) to facilitate mandatory, transdisciplinary sustainability education across all academic disciplines.

Cite This Study

Filho et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a8019f175c2e31742c86293 https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.71544

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Implication

Qualitative multi-case study reveals four modes of climate curriculum integration in 10 global universities, highlighting an equity gap between undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

Mainstreaming Sustainability and Climate Change Across Higher Education: Lessons From Ten Pioneering Universities

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Mainstreaming Sustainability and Climate Change Across Higher Education: Lessons From Ten Pioneering Universities

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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