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Introduction to Education for Sustainable Development

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has been identified as a key instrument to support the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by United Nations member states in 2015. In this section we will briefly outline what is meant by ESD and how it aims to support the achievement of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. The short video below introduces each of the 17 SDGs.

These goals are further explored in Section 2, SDGs in the Curriculum.

UNESCO aims to integrate the SDGs into all levels of education using the ESD framework, or ESD for 2030 (p. 18-20), to build a more just and sustainable world.

The aim of ESD is to develop individuals’ sustainability competencies, such as the ability to reflect on the sustainability of their own and others’ actions, and to respond to complex global and local challenges in a sustainable manner.

There are many definitions of ESD, but they all refer to the type of education that is required in order to achieve a social, economic and ecological well-being now and into the future (Sterling 2011, p. 8). For example, UNESCO (2023) have defined ESD within higher education to be “the process of creating curricula that enable learners develop the knowledge, skills, values, and agency required to address current global challenges such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, unsustainable use of resources, and inequality”.

What does this mean for educators?

As far back as 2011, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Steering Committee for ESD adopted a set of core competencies that educators should aim to develop (UNECE, 2011). The competencies are clustered into four categories:

Learning to know refers to understanding the challenges facing society both locally and globally and the potential role of educators and learners.
Learning to do refers to developing practical skills and action competence in relation to education for sustainable development.
Learning to live together contributes to the development of partnerships and an appreciation of interdependence, pluralism, mutual understanding and peace.
Learning to be addresses the development of one’s personal attributes and ability to act with greater autonomy, judgement and personal responsibility in relation to sustainable development (UNECE, 2011, p. 13).

While it is not intended, nor necessary, that all educators achieve all competencies, it is intended that ESD is underpinned by these competencies.

The resources within this Hub will guide you through the process of developing the competencies listed above, particularly 1 and 2, through supporting you in the design of curricula that embed ESD. The remainder of this page describes some recent initiatives in ESD and points to some useful related resources.

An ESD module in Trinity

In November 2022, Trinity Teaching and Learning received HEA SATLE funding, which aims to support teaching and learning enhancement and innovation. The current themes of SATLE funding focus on Education for Sustainable Development, Digital Transformation, and Cultivating Academic Integrity. In line with this funding, and working in collaboration with Trinity Sustainability, five Fellows in Education for Sustainable Development were appointed May 2023.

One of the outcomes of this project was the development of a Trinity undergraduate module, Enacting Sustainable Development, which had its first rollout in Michaelmas Term 2024.

ESD Europe: the GreenComp Framework

The European Commission has developed the GreenComp European sustainability competence framework for sustainability competencies. This Framework is specifically designed to support education and training programmes for lifelong learners.

As the Trinity undergraduate module was developed within the scope of the UNESCO sustainability competencies, the resources provided on this website refer to the UNESCO competencies and pedagogical approaches. However, there are commonalities between GreenComp and the UNESCO competencies.

Key Takeaways

Building on the UN SDGs, both UNESCO and the European Commission have developed frameworks to embed ESD into the curriculum.
The Trinity ESD Fellows have developed a module for undergraduate students using the UNESCO pedagogical approaches and competencies.
The European GreenComp framework is an additional reference to be aware of.

Additional Resources

European Commission. (n.d.). GreenComp: The European sustainability competence framework. European Commission.
Rockström, J. & Sukhdev, P. (2016).The SDGs Wedding Cake. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University.
Sterling, P. S. (2011). Future Fit: An introductory guide to teaching and learning for sustainability in HE.
Trinity College, Dublin. Sustainability Strategy 2023-2030.
UNECE. (2011). Learning for the Future: Competences in Education for Sustainable Development.
UNESCO. (2023). Education for sustainable development: A roadmap. UNESCO Digital Library.
UN/UNESCO. (2015). UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UNESCO. (2017). Education for Sustainable Development Goals: learning objectives.

The content of this publication has not been approved by the United Nations and does not reflect the views of the United Nations or its officials or Member States. Please see their Sustainable Development Goals communications page for more details.

If you are looking for further assistance with ESD curriculum design in Trinity, please contact the Academic Practice team.