University of Iceland's Ocean and Sustainability Course endorsed as a UNESCO Ocean Decade Action

The University of Iceland´s Ocean and Sustainability course will be officially endorsed as a UNESCO Ocean Decade activity. This recognition highlights the innovative approach of the university’s Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) graduate programme in addressing global ocean challenges and promoting sustainability, and opens up a new approach that other universities could follow.

The UNESCO's Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) is an initiative dedicated to the theme “The science we need for the ocean we want”. The goal of the initiative is to find new and innovative solutions to the challenges facing the ocean.

As part of the Ocean Decade, ten essential challenges were identified, addressing among other things critical issues such as marine pollution, protecting and restoring ecosystems and biodiversity, sustainable ocean economies, and climate change mitigation through ocean-based solutions.

An approach for other universities

The course Ocean and Sustainability, a graduate course offered in the Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) graduate programme at the university, was redesigned for the autumn 2024 around each of the 10 Ocean Decade challenges and addresses issues such as: sustainably feeding the world´s population, digital mapping of the ocean floor, marine pollution, and ocean literacy.

This course is set up to be applicable to any university or teaching center endeavoring to train students in sustainability studies. Therefore its designers decided to contact UNESCO to highlight this innovative course as an approach that other universities could follow.

“Having this course endorsed by UNESCO is a great recognition for our work,” says Bridget Burger, who redesigned the course with former Staff member of the UNESCO GRO fisheries training programme and graduate of the ENR programme, Mary Frances Davidson, and is teaching the course this semester. “The restructuring of this course around the 10 UNESCO Ocean Decade challenges is a unique approach to engaging with the real issues regarding the ocean that we face today. These challenges involve complex or ´wicked problems´ that must be understood from a multi-stakeholder approach and solved in an interdisciplinary Bridgetway. Collaboration, furthermore, is key in order to chart a path forward to a sustainable future for humanity, and the ocean and its resources. Science is at the core of tackling these challenges, but these issues cut across disciplines, therefore novel and convergent approaches are needed.” 

World-known experts take part in the teaching

“The goal or essence of the course is to provide an overview of each of the ocean decade challenges—but this is done in a way that allows students to gain the skills they need to actually tackle these challenges. They hear firsthand an in an in-depth way from the top experts in the various fields working in these issues—such as economics, ecology, education, and marine planning, policy and law – some of them world-known,” says Professor Lára Jóhannsdóttir, the head of the ENR programme. A notable example is Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, a leading climate expert and Professor of Physics of the Oceans at Potsdam University, who will be giving a lecture to the students in this class, and other students of Environment and Natural Resources.

The course also consists of weekly site visits to highlight the work being done here in our own communities to provide a local context. This course also gives students the opportunity to explore their interests in analyses of case studies and policy briefs. “This is an excellent way to train the next generation of professionals who will tackle these problems,” says Lára.

Having this course endorsed by UNESCO is a great recognition for the University of Iceland, according to Bridget. “The media campaigns that will follow on the UNESCO website will amplify the great work the University of Iceland is doing through the ENR programme, and promote the university and this course on a global stage.”

"We are thrilled to be recognized as an UN Ocean Decade action for this course, “ Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, notes. "Sustainability is one of the main priorities of the university´s strategy for the years 2021-2026. The University of Iceland wants to contribute to a more sustainable world and societies through research and teaching and public outreach because the challenges we are facing are urgent and big. As an integral part of Icelandic society the university´ wants to set a good example and the Ocean and Sustainability course certainly is one. This endorsement amplifies our commitment to advancing ocean sustainability globally, and we look forward to continuing to inspire future leaders through our innovative approach."

Learn more about the Ocean Decade challenges and actions on the decade's website and the ENR Programme on the University of Iceland's website