Describes the Universal Curriculum, a program designed to prepare students to make constructive contributions to their communities and to actively pursue solutions to global problems. The program helps students deal with major issues confronting humankind and work on making the world a better place in which to live. (MD)

Research on globalization and education involves the study of intertwined worldwide discourses, processes, and institutions affecting local educational practices and policies. The four major theoretical perspectives concerning globalization and education are world culture, world systems, postcolonial, and culturalist. The major global educational…

Economic educators recognize the importance of a global perspective, at least in part because the international sector has become more important over the past few decades. The application of economic principles calls into question some assumptions that appear to be common among members of the global education movement. That these assumptions might…

In 1986, the International Council fo Scientific Unions (ICSU) launched the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme: A Study of Global Change (IGBP). The IGBP seeks to focus attention on the physical, chemical, and biological processes which contribute to understanding the components of the Earth as a system. The research topics presented in…

Claims that science takes a reductionist approach that has led to a fragmented view of the world. Argues that such a worldview lies at the heart of ecological crises. Calls for a new holistic approach to science. (TW)

Concerns associated with biological diversity and the extinction of species are addressed in this report. Major topic areas examined include: (1) historical records of extinctions; (2) conservation biology and tropical ecology; (3) human-management regeneration potentials; (4) restoration ecology; (5) experimental restoration efforts; (6)…

Tropical forests cover 20 percent of the Earth's land surface, but they are rapidly disappearing, with some estimating the loss of 7.5 million hectares a year. This bulletin provides a set of key facts relating to this problem. It details: (1) factors involving the rate at which the forests are disappearing; (2) some of the effects of these losses…

Discusses the trend toward more "earth-as-a-system" approaches in research and teaching about global science. Uses the "greenhouse effect" as a prototypical global change problem that requires interdisciplinary problem-solving approaches. (TW)

Described are recent developments in technology which make it possible to predict hazardous events, develop disaster plans, and develop hazard-resistant facilities. Stressed are the needs for action on the local level and cooperation on the international level. (CW)

This document presents the position that renewable energy sources offer a timely alternative to dwindling oil supplies and to environmentally damaging coal combustion, although public support and financial backing need to be strengthened. An expanded use of renewables and a greater commitment to energy efficiency are the most cost-effective and…

Discusses the Airborne Antarctic Ozone Experiment (1987) and the findings of the British Antarctic Survey (1985). Proposes two theories for the appearance of the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica which appears each spring; air pollution and natural atmospheric shifts. Illustrates the mechanics of both. Supports worldwide chlorofluorocarbon…

The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. This monograph is an attempt to analyze the environmental improvement efforts since that time, with emphasis on environmental education and environmental studies. It is claimed that environmental policies developed over the past 17 years have failed to incorporate adequately the human dimension in…

This document summarizes the proceedings of an international conference on environmental education which was organized jointly by Unesco and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The conference attracted 300 participants and observers from 80 countries, including experts and representatives of 15 international and national…

Describes the World Studies 8-13 Project, a national curriculum program developed through a cooperative effort in Great Britain. Discusses the purposes of the project, which includes the teaching of world issues to younger children. Outlines the major topics covered by the materials. (TW)

Designed for educational policymakers and researchers, this volume on global issues is divided into four sections. The four essays in the first section, "Reducing the Nuclear Peril," offer a brief documentary survey and then present practical suggestions and action plans to reduce the nuclear threat. The eight papers in the second…