An evaluation of the knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and Black Carbon within the higher education systems of northern Finland and Norway, and in Kola Peninsula, NW Russia

• Main Author: Ilieva, Amelia
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Greenery management; fi=Luonnonvara- ja ympäristöala|sv=Bioekonomi och Miljöbranschen|en=Natural Resources and Environment|; sustainable development; climate changes; air pollution; circular economy; emissions; arctic region; Lapland; Bachelor Agro- and biotechnology; Arctic; Kola Peninsula; Norway; black carbon; Climate change; kola peninsula; Northern Finland
• Online Access: http://www.theseus.fi/handle/10024/502934

Climate change is a global problem. Black carbon (BC) is a strong climate forcer that absorbs light particles, influences cloud formation and increases the melting rate of snow and ice. It has a short life span and is often deposited not far from the source. It is also an air pollutant that causes a great variety of health problems. BC is already included in international legislation around climate and air pollution but there are limited legal commitments that directly address it. As part of the Kolarctic Cross Border Cooperation Programme, the project Capacity Building for Black Carbon mitigation efforts (CB4BC) aims to create a roadmap for mitigation in northern Finland and Norway, and in NW Russia. This thesis study aims to support the project in two ways. First, it creates an overview of the current situation of BC emissions and sustainability practices in the three countries. Second, it evaluates the level of knowledge of BC and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among students and teachers in universities. This also includes investigating the main information channels and collecting opinions and suggestions on current mitigation strategies. To test the hypotheses that the knowledge of BC and the SDGs differs between the three regions, students and teachers, genders, age, sectors, years of involvement at university and income, an online survey was distributed. It was sent internally within one university per region, resulting in a total of 307 student and 34 teacher participants. The responses were analyzed in SPSS using a Kruskal-Wallis and a post hoc Mann-Whitney U tests. Analysis among the teachers used the Fisher’s exact test as a more conservative approach due to the limited data. Bonferroni adjustment was used for the p value. The only differences found were on the knowledge of the SDGs between Finland and Norway, and between teachers and students. Analysis between countries can however not be used to draw reliable conclusions, due to possible bias as a result of the uneven response rate across the countries. Therefore, this report reflects best the situation within Finland. University and publications were the main information channels for teachers, whereas students focused more on news and social media. Educators were more aware of governmental practices. Both groups thought that universities should be more eco-friendly and integrate the topics better. Multiple initiatives on energy efficiency, food alternatives and the integration of the knowledge were listed. The results suggested that even though teachers knew the SDGs better, the topic was not integrated enough in lessons. Knowledge of the SDGs is found to still be fragmented in the university education. To successfully combat climate change, awareness and knowledge of the SDGs and BC among the young generation especially must increase. The universities, being among the most important information channels on the topics, have the obligation to provide reliable information and motivate students to take action. An interdisciplinary integration combined with an innovative communication strategy will be suitable for the higher education system.