Education for sustainable development: the nature of the issue in the multicultural world

Abstract

At political and intellectual levels the role of education in achieving the goals of sustainable development (SD) has been highlighted around the world. The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) provides a focused framework for partnerships and collaboration in creating an opportunity to elaborate further on how education could play its role in achieving sustainable world. The aim of this chapter is to consider two approaches developed within environmental discourse on sustainable development/sustainability in the light of philosophy of technology and sociology of consumerism as a way of theorising SD that could contribute to traditional environmental theories in theorising SD and ESD. The analysis is limited to specific reference to Westernised societies. The conclusion is made that neither of the theories and approaches often summarised as 'technical fix' and 'value change' could provide a basis for conceptualising SD and development strategies towards ESD. A complex and multifaceted framework for developing approaches to ESD via technology education is proposed.