The Role of Institutions of Higher Education in Promoting the Development of Sustainable Green Energy Policies that Facilitate Climate Justice and Environmental Equality

Abstract

The climate crisis has become one of the international community's most critically debated social issues of the modern era. Environmental impact studies have produced demographic data documenting the adverse effects of this devastating phenomenon on industrialized and third-world nations. Living in a world threatened by climate disasters has become a galvanizing force for social change. It has become a motivational force that has inspired thousands of individuals worldwide to organize into community coalitions focused on developing and implementing green energy policies supporting sustainable reforms that impact climate justice and environmental equality. President Biden's reinstatement of U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Accord in 2021 provides tangible evidence reaffirming U.S. commitment to shared responsibility for transitioning global energy production to renewable sources that protect the integrity of the natural environment and reduce the burden of social disparity that impacts the world's most vulnerable populations. This chapter analyzes how colleges and universities can play a vital role in social investment in research projects and educational programs supporting green energy solutions to climate change.