Today’s guest on Climate.edu is Dr Bryan Alexander, author of the book Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Climate Crisis. Universities on Fire is one of the first books that I’ve seen focused on how climate change is impacting higher education.
The futures he describes for higher ed, even the best scenarios, are unsettling, and he makes clear that across the globe, but most notably in the US, our educational leaders and institutions aren’t doing enough. But his book also documents the great work being done by both faculty and students at institutions around the world, work that collectively can serve to point the way forward for other institutions and for the higher ed sector as whole.
The questions that drive Bryan’s important book–how could climate change impact higher education and what does academia have to offer the rest of the world as civilization grapples with the developing climate crisis–are in many ways the same ones I am eager to explore on this podcast, which makes Bryan an ideal guest to kick off the inaugural episode of Climate.edu.
Guest Bio
Besides Universities on Fire, Bryan is the author of 3 other books, including Academia Next, named one of Forbes Magazine’s Best Higher Education Books of 2020. He is a thought leader, educational consultant and, despite looking like an off-the-grid prepper with his long, overgrown beard, is an educational futurist, sharing his insights and ideas in his monthly report, Future Trends in Technology and Education, through his weekly webinars, on his blog, in published articles, through presentations, I could go on. He is a very busy man.
Show Notes
Below are links to Bryan’s personal websites, social media, and books
- Bryan Alexander’s website
- Universities on Fire: Higher Education in the Climate Crisis
- Academia Next: The Futures of Higher Education
- The Future of Education Observatory
- Future Trends Forum
- Find Bryan on X, formerly known as Twitter
Climate.edu is written and produced by Richard Sebastian. If you liked this episode, please subscribe. The Climate.edu theme song “Serious Business (CC-BY- NC) was written, performed, and openly licensed by Serge Quadrado. Check out all of his music on his page on the Free Music Archive.
You can go to the show website at http://www.climatedotedu.com to find details about this and other episodes of the podcast, get news and updates related to climate change and higher ed, or to get in touch.