Editorial: The role of the human dimension in promoting education for sustainable development at the regional level

The Frontiers in Sustainability research topic "The role of the human dimension in promoting education for sustainable development at the regional level" is comprised of nine articles. This theme was developed in collaboration with editors representing Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) from different regions of the world.In general, RCEs provide a framework in which regional networks of higher education institutions (HEIs), public, private, and civil society organisations play the role of critical partners in the implementation of sustainable development appropriate to regional contexts. The RCE concept is internationally accepted and has been used since 2003. Currently there are 190 RCEs around the world that strive to bridge formal and non-formal education in their respective regions to create an integrated and contextualised agenda on how learning for sustainable development can be better implemented to achieve more sustainable societies and ecological integrity. The involvement of diverse regional actors within an RCE, and the nature of the learning processes that underpin their activities in practice, serve as a model for how to shape ESD in general. However, the growing network of these regional associations with its potential global impact raises many questions. Not only do RCEs offer a new approach to regional development, driven by the sustainability focus of the RCEs, but they also challenge the traditional role of HEIs in generating the knowledge necessary for development processes.To answer some of these questions, the papers in this special collection discuss the processes of learning in different regional contexts and their transformative effects. These processes have the potential not only to influence the current environmental, social, and economic situation in different regions, but also to bring innovation to the education system. The papers often focus on the agency of social actors (institutions, networks, and individuals), their shared visions, and their roles and activities carried out in a local/regional context to achieve desirable common goals -the social capital they collectively generate. The research in this research topic thus emphasises the human dimension of these processes, where the exchange of ideas about the future and critical thinking are essential preconditions for change -as opposed to the (often overestimated) focus on technology. An important keyword is innovation: in a safe social environment with supportive relationships, new solutions to persistent problems can emerge, and new perspectives driven by creativity can provide space to ask fundamental questions.Several articles (Kitamura & Ito, 2022;Gajparia, Strachan & Leverton, 2022;Herten & Perez, 2022;Kioupi & Voulvoulis, 2022) introduce Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as an enabler of sustainable development across the environmental, social and economic spheres of human activity. However, it is even more evident that formal education systems operating at the national level struggle to contextualise local challenges relevant to sustainability -and thus the implementation of SD-oriented education programmes may be more appropriate at the regional or local level. These education initiatives are more successful as they often go beyond the classroom to engage with the knowledge and practices of regional or local actors and with regional geographies -and thus localise sustainable development issues within regional contexts.The principles of this sustainability-engaged education are outlined in the article "Transformation through learning: Education about, for and as sustainability" by Jaya Gajparia, Glenn Strachan and Kris Leverton (2022). With regard to sustainable development, it is not enough to learn about the problems (in education about sustainability the curriculum works with the content) or even to acquire the ability to solve these problems (education for sustainability emphasises the role of the pedagogical approaches). The authors argue for the need to apply the concept of education as sustainability, which directly links intentions and values to practice and behavioural change. These considerations are based on Stephen Sterling's ecological view of education, which is contrasted with a more traditional mechanistic perspective (Sterling, 2001). In this hierarchy, however, even the concept of education for sustainability has only been documented in specific contexts; it has not yet broken through as a dominant paradigm in mainstream education. The authors discuss the possibility of making progress in regionally conceived education, with appropriate curriculum guidance to support student engagement; they provide several examples of programmes that apply this model. As the recent impact of ESD at a regional level remains limited (Sterling, 2021), these programmes should work with existing examples of good practice and involve individual teachers and school leaders in relatively deep innovation. The question is how to apply innovative ESD concepts systemically, which would necessarily require the transformation of the entire education system.The changing role of universities -as they initiate ESD processes, and consequently enter into dialogue with other actors to provide expertise and motivation for sustainable action in practice -is reflected from different perspectives in this special collection. Kenji Kitamura and Koji Ito in their article "Facilitating Personal Transformation for Sustainability: A Learning Program on the Sustainable Development Goals, Combining a Card Game and a Self-Reflective Questionnaire" (2022) see the personalisation of the educational agendathrough adding a step between the development of initial awareness and the acquisition of competencies for subsequent action -as a necessary condition for adapting the education system to its role in sustainable development. This personalisation would lead to an understanding of the relationship with a particular issue, in this case the SDGs -and once people have a personalised perception of the SDGs, they are more likely to actively seek information related to their own work or life, even without external help. At this stage, individuals would be able to plan their actions relatively easily. The authors focus on bridging the gap between simple awareness and active interest in practice: they design and implement the learning programme, which uses a combination of a game and a selfreflective questionnaire, applying a future perspective. This is one of the ways to localise the sustainability agenda -so that citizens (community members and local governments) see the SDGs as issues that directly affect them, and are able to translate the relevant policy goals into local contexts.The problems of contemporary society are often embedded in (and fuelled by) the education systemthis is an assumption for changing the concept of education, which Marjolein van Herten and Paquita Perez document in their article "Ecocritical analysis of 'glocal' essays on Lived Experiences of Climate Change in higher education" (2022). The authors see the ecological crisis as a crisis of Western thinking, which is dominated by the objective/subjective dichotomy. It is our education system that shapes this thinking and consequently practice. If climate change education is to be transformative -anticipating a resilient future society -a truly new educational design is needed, based on multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge.In order to contribute to the desired change, the authors designed and implemented the university course that follows these considerations. The focus was on lived experiences of climate change, and students were asked to develop essays that linked their immediate, regional experiences to the broader contextual influences of climate change. The learning environment supported them to reflect on this relationship between global and local knowledge, and to be aware of the ontology, epistemology and ethics within the selected cases. The course was multidisciplinary in nature, with the humanities playing an important role -an ecocritical lens was applied. In analysing these essays, the authors identify different forms of knowledge used by the students: situated knowledge and local knowledge about the residents' living environment, integrated with scientific knowledge about the consequences of climate change. With an ecocritical perspective, students are more actively challenged to compare their lived experiences with the complex issue of climate change. This demonstrates that even when working with natural science phenomena, the humanities can increase levels of critique and promote multiple perspectives.The personal dimension is embedded in ESD -it can shape the personalities and capacities of learners from early childhood to adulthood. This factor is discussed (at the community level) by Vasiliki Kioupi and Nikolaos Voulvoulis in their article "Education for Sustainable Development as the Catalyst for Local Transitions Towards the Sustainable Development Goals" (2022). In order to achieve a common understanding of the SDGs that can be translated into practice, education communities need to localise themselves in relation to the goals that are meaningful to them and that will guide their vision. An analysis of three case studies, from a university, secondary and primary schools in the UK, led to the conclusion that participatory approaches are needed in education to enable ownership of the transformation process and commitment to action. The authors present a range of tools that enable people to connect with their local realities and link with their communities to discuss, (dis)agree and discover shared visions, values, ideas, and experiments. These tools (which include visioning, gap analysis, back-casting, and decision-making) allow all stakeholders to engage, share their views and act; they promote a socially critical orientation of education. Based on these considerations, the authors have developed a systemic but also practical framework for transitions towards the SDGs through ESD. They also conclude that the development of competences to envision sustainability (to decide what is aspirational and desirable), to make decisions and to set action plans for its realisation requires a general rethinking of education and a shift from traditionally applied educational techniques.It is the diversity of interactions between actors and the openness to innovation that allows new ideas to be generated within communities. An important role in catalysing these SD processes is played by the RCEsthe networks that bring together multiple local actors to implement local and regional sustainability policies. Often based in a university, RCEs see education as a prerequisite for the emergence of sustainability; one of their roles is to share good educational practices with other higher education institutions, schools and other formal, non-formal and informal education organisations. They also promote the engagement of committed individuals and social actors and see the social relations between them as an important driver for activities and joint projects. Social capital is thus a potential trigger for the transition to sustainable development, but this factor is less emphasised in the literature and in practice than technology.In the European context, participatory processes are promoted at regional level through Local Action Groups (LAGs). These non-governmental organisations use the LEADER method to involve different local actors in the design and implementation of 'community-led local development strategies' (SCLLD), which are specific to the region, its unique resources and opportunities, and can be framed by the 'localised' SDGs. In a concrete example from the Czech Republic, where Local Action Groups cover rural areas across the country, the potential of this actor to initiate SDG-related changes at the regional, and therefore national level, has been explored by Jan Vávra et al. In their article "Local Action Groups and sustainable development agenda: Case study of regional perspectives from the Czech Republic" (2022), the authors analysed the perception of the SDGs by LAG representatives. The responses to the question: 'Which SDGs do LAG representatives consider important at the local level, and which ones do they feel empowered to implement?' were quite unexpected. For example, while climate change does not seem to be often considered important and manageable by LAGs, the SDG most emphasised and addressed in practice is SDG 4 -Education, which shows its perceived importance in a regional context and the willingness of LAGs to address it.From this perspective, the landscape of LAGs is further explored by Dlouhá et al. (2022), who focus on the potential and impact of regional actors and their social relationships on regional sustainable development. Stakeholder mapping is therefore used to identify which actors can support sustainability processes and how, where they can have a real impact in practice, and what opportunities and constraints exist for their involvement. The article "The Role of Actors in Sustainable Development Processes at the Local Level -Experience from the Czech Republic" further illustrates how the SDGs are localised and addressed at the regional level, which actors are most important in this respect, and who is currently not involved in addressing sustainable development issues -but could be (under certain circumstances). The authors show the different roles of actors in the transformation towards a new concept of SDG-led regional development (OECD, 2020). The focus is on the expertise of regionally involved universities, and the role of education in these processes is highlighted -as a multiplier and facilitator of other SDGs. Through education, a desirable shift in the mindset of rural actors can take place; they can take responsibility not only for social well-being, but also for the environmental health of rural areas. As these areas are important providers of ecosystem services, they can play a prominent role in global resilience (although this factor is not perceived as a priority by citizens and local governments, at least in the Czech regions).A 'whole-region approach' to sustainable development requires changes in the policies and regulations governing different types of development. As Roger Petry (2023) shows, RCE interventions can transform otherwise routine processes of policy implementation. RCEs have the technical expertise, independence and social legitimacy needed to halt or alter development proposals and, in turn, shape larger development policies. In a case study of the RCE of Saskatchewan (Canada), project approval processes are redirected into spaces for education and learning by all stakeholders, including, in particular, project proponents and government regulators. This is done through strategic letter writing since 2009 (including interventions in government approval processes for specific developments). This approach delivers messages to relevant institutions that fully highlight the unsustainable dimensions of proposed projects or those with high opportunity costs relative to more sustainable forms of development in areas such as energy, forestry and mining. Successful RCE correspondence identified and framed key issues for decision-makers, offering constructive questions and criticism, further sustainability options and recommendations for action from a long-term citizen perspective. Through their deliberate inclusion in such correspondence, a wider range of regional, state and national governments and other stakeholders are informed about regional development issues evaluated through the lens of relevant SDGs and UN conventions. RCE Saskatchewan has thus been demonstrating its role as an independent, critical, organisation with the expertise and credibility to influence regional and national policy.Regional development processes -those based on local resources, including human, social and natural capital -can be initiated and supported through education and lifelong learning. The RCE model puts this idea into practiceproviding a mechanism for local actors to engage with the global Sustainable Development Goals in the context of their own communities and networks of cooperation, using education as a tool to implement sustainable development. During the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD), the concept of RCE spread as the network grew and the innovations around multi-stakeholder partnership in ESD began to inspire university faculties, local school administrators and local government policy who to action on sustainable development in their own and The RCEs are therefore as a model for higher education in general from and to and in to the challenges of sustainable research to focus on the of RCEs of the UN on how partners work together example, what and HEIs to work with is to the activities on which they work In et al. 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