Thinking about the Future

No one knows what the future will be, except that it will be very different from what life is today and that decisions about whether the future is a sustainable one or not will depend upon changes in human culture.

Our culture includes our whole system of beliefs, values, attitudes, customs and institutions. It shapes our gender, race and other social relations, and affects the way we perceive ourselves and the world and how we interact with other people and the rest of nature. To the extent that the global crisis facing humanity is a reflection of collective values and lifestyles, it is, above all, a cultural crisis. Culture, therefore, has a central place in the complex notion of sustainability - and whatever form the future takes, it will be shaped at the local level by the mosaic of cultures that surround the globe and which contribute to the decisions that each country, community, household and individual makes.

Source: UNESCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action, paragraph 111-112.

Our increasing awareness of many pressing global realities is helping us to understand the impact of human actions on the environment and on human quality of life. Indeed, the concept of sustainability is, in itself, a reflection of this growing awareness and of the need for new cultural values. Thus, it has been suggested that:

Perhaps we are beginning to move towards a new global ethic which transcends all other systems of allegiance and belief, which is rooted in a consciousness of the interrelatedness and sanctity of life. Would such a common ethic have the power to motivate us to modify our current dangerous course? There is obviously no ready answer to this question, except to say that without a moral and ethical foundation, sustainability is unlikely to become a reality.

Source: UNESCO (1997) Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action, paragraph 116.

Local and national communities are applying this ethic in many different ways and developing images of sustainable futures that are both culturally appropriate and locally relevant. The great diversity of cultures around the world means that there will be many versions of what a 'sustainable future' might be like and many different local forms of sustainability. Despite these differences, there are at least three common themes in global thinking about sustainable futures. These include the ideas that sustainability involves: thinking about forever; a process of learning; and, a dynamic balance.

Thinking about Forever

Underlying all our images of a sustainable future is the key principle that sustainability is about 'thinking about forever'.

This means committing ourselves to the common good by thinking differently, considering things previously forgotten, broadening our perspectives, clarifying what we value, connecting with our neighbours, and providing hope for future generations.

Building the capacity to think in terms of 'forever' is a key task of education.

A Process of Learning

Educating for a sustainable future is not so much about a destination as about the process of learning to make decisions that consider the long-term economy, ecology and equity of all communities. Its goal is to build an enduring society. This involves learning how to anticipate the consequences of our actions, envision a sustainable future and create the steps needed to achieve the vision. Individuals and societies will perpetually have to make choices. How those choices are made and the information and ethical discernment used in making them will determine whether our visions of a sustainable future are achieved.

The World Commission on Environment and Development urged people, governments and businesses around the world to make their choices that contributed to ways of living and relating to the Earth and each other so that the use of resources today would meet 'the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.'

How can the needs of current and future generations be met in a world where the aspirations of many people far exceed their needs and the life chances of the many more are acutely limited by poverty and environmental decline? The task of creating social, economic and political systems that meet our needs and aspirations, that are based on sound ecological principles, and that are democratic and fair to current and future generations, is a deeply challenging one. Yet, building the capacity and commitment to build such a sustainable future is, in large part, one of the tasks of education. This requires that teachers and schools have a vision of what a sustainable future might be like - bearing in mind the dynamic balance between cultural differences and the emerging global ethic of 'interrelatedness and sanctity of life.'

A Dynamic Balance

The dynamic balance between cultural differences and this emerging global ethic is a key concept in educating for a sustainable future. It reminds us that sustainability will be built from the actions of people and businesses in their own communities, at local levels, and extend outwards in a spirals of shared understandings and revised and renewed visions.

Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future does not prescribe the forms that a sustainable future might take. Rather, it encourages adaptations and applications of the learning activities to local situations and needs. Nevertheless, in keeping with the emerging global ethic of 'interrelatedness and sanctity of life', the learning activities reflect a dynamic balance among four dimensions and principles that underlie a sustainable future:

Dimension of Sustainability   Value Principle
Social Sustainability Peace and Equity
Ecological Sustainability Conservation
Economic Sustainability Appropriate Development

Political Sustainability

Democracy


These principles mean that a sustainable future would be one in which people:

Care for each other and value social justice and peace
Protect natural systems and use resources wisely
Value appropriate development and satisfying livelihoods for all
Make decisions through fair and democratic means.

Developing the capacity and commitment to apply these principles at the level of personal and family actions, and in decisions for local, national and global communities, is the task of educating for a sustainable future.

Source: Adapted from Ecotrust: Building a Conservation Economy; East Midlands (UK) Regional Environmental Education Forum (REEF); and Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) - Communities by Choice.