University education and the natural environment: are they compatible?

Abstract

The ability to construct a society that can function effectively within the limitations of a finite planet is rapidly becoming the preeminent problem of mankind. The decision‐makers of the next few decades are now being educated in our universities. Are the students receiving an education compatible with the realities of a finite environment? In the present university environment the student is exposed to a specialized didactic education that, in terms of mode of perception, is anti‐ecological. Universities should be seeking new approaches to education that eliminate arbitrary subject barriers and teach in an in‐depth all‐at‐once manner.