Extract

Facing the global climate change, national and local policies have been established to encourage and facilitate the adoption of environmental technologies and strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, a legally binding agreement on the target of global greenhouse gas emission reduction for the post-Kyoto era still has not been reached. In this context, bottom-up initiatives taken by cities, companies and organizations are playing an important role, complementary to the top-down national target setting and policy influence. Among the organizations, higher education institutes are unique in many ways. Universities are preparing future leaders in all fields and are educating future professionals, consumers and taxpayers, for whom the university education and experience of campus life would have far-reaching impact. Besides having significant influence on scientific and technological advancements and economic development of societies, universities have a critical role to play in responding to the challenges of global climate change, through research, education and shaping the lifestyle and worldview of future generations.