<p>The UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 speaks of quality education – one of the key areas in the higher education sector is to move towards holistic education including sustainable development, especially addressing the challenges of climate change.</p>.<p>In 2023, countries signed a landmark agreement to safeguard the high seas, welcomed by ocean scientists whose work was used to lobby for it. It is a signal of the increasing role of universities as custodians of the “global commons” that entails shared resources such as climate, oceans, and digital data. These commons are under increasing stress, and experts warn that human actions are alarmingly harming them. Through such adversity, universities can play a crucial role in the 21st century. Universities can and should defend the global commons; many are already doing so.</p>.<p>Climate change and ocean conservation challenge traditional government and market solutions. These circumstances mandate that universities have a distinctive and essential role to play in supporting governments and society at large. Universities possess special assets for that task. They carry on research over generations, synthesise knowledge across disciplines, participate in worldwide networks, and seek the common good rather than profit. Universities train the young while looking to the future. In short, they possess the vision and knowledge to safeguard our global treasures.</p>.<p>This ethical responsibility is going mainstream and it is high time Indian universities caught up with the leading global institutions. The SDGs rank safeguarding global commons such as oceans, biodiversity, and climate where the market fails, as a priority. Universities, shielded from immediate pressures, can address problems of society in the long term. Scholars have immense responsibility; when they identify threats to the future of humanity, their institutions must step up and rectify the wrongs.</p>.<p>University labs churn out important research in climate science and clean energy, and academics make significant contributions to the technical skills that underpin international climate reports. For example, economists and policy analysts at universities have contributed to the design of effective carbon pricing policies to reduce emissions. Some universities have committed to significantly reducing their carbon emissions. Arizona State University, with 100,000 students, went carbon-neutral in 2019, demonstrating that even big institutions can reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions. Student activism has prompted many universities to divest from fossil fuels; some have made formal commitments to divest from coal, oil, and gas in investment portfolios. Through research projects, institutional pledges, and public outreach, universities are actively participating in climate mitigation and resilience.</p>.<p><strong>Conservation efforts</strong></p>.<p>Biodiversity, another critical global common, has not escaped academia. Universities are using their know-how and sometimes their grounds to save species and ecosystems. In Ecuador, the Universidad Hemisferios has created a vast biodiversity reserve in the Amazon foothills. There, researchers, and students collaborate with local communities to drive conservation, actively guarding water sources and halting illegal mining and deforestation. This is a case of a university openly defending part of the global ecological commons. Meanwhile, universities around the world are coming together for nature. More than 500 higher education institutions in more than 100 countries have joined the Nature Positive Universities network – a coalition co-chaired by the University of Oxford and UNEP that is committed to restore ecosystems on campus and exchange ideas to increase biodiversity.</p>.<p>The seas, described as the world’s largest commons, also benefit from the participation of universities. Marine experts from various institutions across the globe have long been involved in efforts to regulate the world’s fisheries, protect coral reefs, and negotiate agreements related to the high seas. Duke University, for instance, has an institution dedicated to high-seas governance, having its faculty and students actively involved in United Nations Ocean forums, offering valuable data and legal analysis on how to regulate the high seas as the world’s common heritage. The scientific and policy underpinning of the High Seas Treaty (2023) has been influenced by academic experts, thus ensuring that ocean biodiversity beyond national seas has adequate protections based on empirical evidence. Through their contribution of expertise, they ensure that ocean governance is underpinned by scientific thought and serves world interests as much as, if not more than, national interests.</p>.<p>The internet makes it possible to exchange information around the world at high speed, but this openness must be defended, and universities are in the lead. Most scholars believe that knowledge should be a public good, not to be denied by paywalls. Universities have also been at the forefront of the open science and education movement.</p>.<p>If problems such as climate change, environmental degradation, or knowledge disparities remain unresolved, the environment in which universities function will be severely compromised. Consequently, universities have both an institutional and, more importantly, moral responsibility to engage in the resolution of global issues. As custodians of knowledge and educators of future generations, they have a duty to apply their intellectual resources in the service of humankind’s common good. For the privilege of societal trust and support, universities are obligated to foster understanding and improve quality of life – thus becoming stewards of the global commons is a natural extension of this social compact.</p>.<p>The case for universities to lead in the global commons is one of pragmatic and ethical imperatives. The well-being of future generations i.e., the students in front of us, depends on decisions we take today about our atmosphere, oceans, biodiversity, and digital commons. In assuming this role, universities are being true to their highest calling as beacons of knowledge and moral wisdom for humanity. While the challenge is great, the force of impact is no less when the world’s universities unite to defend our common home and future, thereby helping their respective countries to achieve the set targets of the SDGs.</p>.<p><em>(Neil is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, St <br>Joseph’s University; Paul is Principal, St Joseph’s Evening College and a professor at St Joseph’s University)</em></p>
<p>The UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 speaks of quality education – one of the key areas in the higher education sector is to move towards holistic education including sustainable development, especially addressing the challenges of climate change.</p>.<p>In 2023, countries signed a landmark agreement to safeguard the high seas, welcomed by ocean scientists whose work was used to lobby for it. It is a signal of the increasing role of universities as custodians of the “global commons” that entails shared resources such as climate, oceans, and digital data. These commons are under increasing stress, and experts warn that human actions are alarmingly harming them. Through such adversity, universities can play a crucial role in the 21st century. Universities can and should defend the global commons; many are already doing so.</p>.<p>Climate change and ocean conservation challenge traditional government and market solutions. These circumstances mandate that universities have a distinctive and essential role to play in supporting governments and society at large. Universities possess special assets for that task. They carry on research over generations, synthesise knowledge across disciplines, participate in worldwide networks, and seek the common good rather than profit. Universities train the young while looking to the future. In short, they possess the vision and knowledge to safeguard our global treasures.</p>.<p>This ethical responsibility is going mainstream and it is high time Indian universities caught up with the leading global institutions. The SDGs rank safeguarding global commons such as oceans, biodiversity, and climate where the market fails, as a priority. Universities, shielded from immediate pressures, can address problems of society in the long term. Scholars have immense responsibility; when they identify threats to the future of humanity, their institutions must step up and rectify the wrongs.</p>.<p>University labs churn out important research in climate science and clean energy, and academics make significant contributions to the technical skills that underpin international climate reports. For example, economists and policy analysts at universities have contributed to the design of effective carbon pricing policies to reduce emissions. Some universities have committed to significantly reducing their carbon emissions. Arizona State University, with 100,000 students, went carbon-neutral in 2019, demonstrating that even big institutions can reduce or offset greenhouse gas emissions. Student activism has prompted many universities to divest from fossil fuels; some have made formal commitments to divest from coal, oil, and gas in investment portfolios. Through research projects, institutional pledges, and public outreach, universities are actively participating in climate mitigation and resilience.</p>.<p><strong>Conservation efforts</strong></p>.<p>Biodiversity, another critical global common, has not escaped academia. Universities are using their know-how and sometimes their grounds to save species and ecosystems. In Ecuador, the Universidad Hemisferios has created a vast biodiversity reserve in the Amazon foothills. There, researchers, and students collaborate with local communities to drive conservation, actively guarding water sources and halting illegal mining and deforestation. This is a case of a university openly defending part of the global ecological commons. Meanwhile, universities around the world are coming together for nature. More than 500 higher education institutions in more than 100 countries have joined the Nature Positive Universities network – a coalition co-chaired by the University of Oxford and UNEP that is committed to restore ecosystems on campus and exchange ideas to increase biodiversity.</p>.<p>The seas, described as the world’s largest commons, also benefit from the participation of universities. Marine experts from various institutions across the globe have long been involved in efforts to regulate the world’s fisheries, protect coral reefs, and negotiate agreements related to the high seas. Duke University, for instance, has an institution dedicated to high-seas governance, having its faculty and students actively involved in United Nations Ocean forums, offering valuable data and legal analysis on how to regulate the high seas as the world’s common heritage. The scientific and policy underpinning of the High Seas Treaty (2023) has been influenced by academic experts, thus ensuring that ocean biodiversity beyond national seas has adequate protections based on empirical evidence. Through their contribution of expertise, they ensure that ocean governance is underpinned by scientific thought and serves world interests as much as, if not more than, national interests.</p>.<p>The internet makes it possible to exchange information around the world at high speed, but this openness must be defended, and universities are in the lead. Most scholars believe that knowledge should be a public good, not to be denied by paywalls. Universities have also been at the forefront of the open science and education movement.</p>.<p>If problems such as climate change, environmental degradation, or knowledge disparities remain unresolved, the environment in which universities function will be severely compromised. Consequently, universities have both an institutional and, more importantly, moral responsibility to engage in the resolution of global issues. As custodians of knowledge and educators of future generations, they have a duty to apply their intellectual resources in the service of humankind’s common good. For the privilege of societal trust and support, universities are obligated to foster understanding and improve quality of life – thus becoming stewards of the global commons is a natural extension of this social compact.</p>.<p>The case for universities to lead in the global commons is one of pragmatic and ethical imperatives. The well-being of future generations i.e., the students in front of us, depends on decisions we take today about our atmosphere, oceans, biodiversity, and digital commons. In assuming this role, universities are being true to their highest calling as beacons of knowledge and moral wisdom for humanity. While the challenge is great, the force of impact is no less when the world’s universities unite to defend our common home and future, thereby helping their respective countries to achieve the set targets of the SDGs.</p>.<p><em>(Neil is an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science, St <br>Joseph’s University; Paul is Principal, St Joseph’s Evening College and a professor at St Joseph’s University)</em></p>
