Sustainability has increasingly become key in universities, as the objectives of sustainable development are essential to establish policies, guidelines and indicators that guide institutions to be more sustainable. This recognition has led many authors to develop methods to assess universities based on their performance in terms of sustainable development. This article presents a review of these methods. The review focuses on identifying existing methods and classifying the methods according to seven characteristics: (1) nature of the data, (2) data collection, (3) scope, (4) level of implementation, (5) pillars of sustainability, (6) university function, (7) country perspective taken, which will allow identifying the differences between methods when assessing sustainability. The seven criteria established for the characterization of the sustainability assessment methods contain a total of 27 sub-criteria distributed among the properties. The main contribution of the study is the analysis of the revised methods through a comprehensive characterization and systematic grouping. In the discussion, the results are examined by looking at the comprehensiveness, heterogeneity and objectivity of the methods reviewed. Together with previous research in the area, this study highlights the need to continue deepening the design of sustainability assessment methods with standardized criteria.

The South American (SA) region is particularly vulnerable to climate change and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events which threaten its economy and sustainable development. Therefore, climate adaptation is a regional priority. At least 6% of SA population live at low-elevation coastal zones (LECZ) exposed to sea-level rise, ENSO variability and storminess. This paper reviews some recent and current adaptation experiences in SA coasts focusing on (i) socioeconomic and vulnerability status, (ii) links between adaptation and sustainable development, and (iii) constraints to adaptation. Despite the regional economic growth and poverty reduction over the last decade, an adaptation deficit to current climate variability persists. Overall, SA countries show a poor link between public policies, adaptation, and theoretical-academic scope. Public adaptation efforts in coastal areas are mostly oriented towards risk assessment, vulnerability and reduction of impacts at urban and touristic settlements. Many experiences developed from the academy follow the community-based adaptation (CBA) approach mainstreamed into local plans. Adaptation constraints are linked with poverty, social priorities, allocation of resources and the multifaceted impacts of climate change. Two coastal CBA case studies in Venezuela and Uruguay based on scientific and local knowledge show that non-structural adaptation measures can improve the populations’ perception of risks, provided that stakeholders, mainly the community, are informed and integrated to define adaptation actions. There are lots of plans and less specific actions. We propose that the assessment of adaptation success has to rely on implementation and effectiveness criteria rather than solely on plans.

Resumen en español Esta investigación tiene como propósito presentar un sistema que integra los principios y objetivos del desarrollo sostenible de forma articulada en los procesos administrativos de las universidades. La investigación es de tipo descriptiva, interpretativa, de diseño flexible y emergente. Responde ontológicamente a la administración educativa, utiliza el método etnográfico y técnica cualitativa. Para el diseño se estableció la ruta a seguir en 4 etapas: 1) identificación de los componentes que forman parte del sistema y sus elementos; 2) definición de la secuencia lógica de interrelación de los componentes; 3) definición de las fases; y 4) combinación de las etapas 1, 2 y 3. Se fundamenta en la Teoría de la Administración y Teoría de Sistemas, utiliza la revisión y análisis bibliográfico de distintas fuentes. Esta investigación representa una propuesta para la aplicabilidad de la educación para el desarrollo sostenible de forma integral y transversal en los ejes medulares de las universidades, además incorpora siete factores clave llamados a partir del estudio las “7i de la sostenibilidad universitaria”.

We investigate Venezuela’s potential “futures” under Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) through a systematic literature review, including systematic mapping and thematic analysis of 50 scientific articles. We categorised the SSP scenarios into two generational categories and classified the outcomes into positive, negative, and neutral futures. Under first-generation SSP scenarios, increasing poverty could be reversed, and the country’s economic growth could be stimulated by adopting unambitious climate measures. However, second-generation SSP scenarios paint a more challenging picture. They suggest that Venezuela could face heat waves, droughts, an increase in diseases, loss of biodiversity, and an increase in invasive species and pests during the remainder of the 21st century as a direct consequence of climate change. Venezuela’s geographic and topographic diversity could exacerbate these impacts of climate change. For instance, coastal areas could be at risk of sea-level rise and increased storm surges, while mountainous regions could experience more frequent and intense rainfall, leading to landslides and flash floods. The urgency of conducting additional research on the factors that could influence the severity of climate change’s impact, considering Venezuela’s geographic and topographic diversity, cannot be overstated. We also identified the critical need to explore alternative paths to move away from the current extractive development model. The potential actions in this regard could be instrumental in aligning the country with global adaptation and mitigation commitments.

Revista de Educación Ambiental y Sostenibilidad