Think globally - act locally

The learning resource approaches a conceptual framework for

• understanding the global impact of activities and processes in nature and environment
• in conjunction with derived local activities.

SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities - Learning Resource supports the SDGs - SDG-Tagging

SDG9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - Learning Resource supports the SDGs - UN-Guidelines

The Sustainable Development Goals are a UN Initiative.

Futhermore on a meta level (and this is an objective why the learning resource is placed in Wikiversity) a learning and Capacity building is necessary to understand and support local activities. This includes two cacpacity building steps:

• Improve a global mindset and understanding of global challenges from a Risk Management and system thinking approach,
• Link optional local activities and the application of locally available resources with the global mindset. Beside understanding the link between global challenges and local activities, the learner must able to transform knowledge and skills into action.

Especially Information Technology (IT) allows to bridge the gap be global mindset and local interventions, i.e., the use of mobile devices for the combination of physical environment with digital capacity building resources (see e.g. Augmented Reality). Computers and telecommunications make the interaction with Information Systems and the interaction between people feasible. This is a basic constituent for user-driven innovation.

Learning Task

• (Transportation) Analyse the concept of Collaborative Mapping with the Humanitarian Open Streetmap Example of the Transportation Map for Managua. Explain how this concept "Think globally-act locally" links
  • efficient transportation,
  • local needs for transportation,
  • video conferencing, video consultations to avoid transportation of goods and people or allow unavailable services that were not available before.

accorinding to global emmission of Greenhouse gas (see Wikipedia:Climate Change)

• (Learning and Capacity Building) Analyse the example according to the topic of the learning resource: What are missing steps or necessary additional steps to improve the link between global thinking and local activities (see also Digital Learning Environment?
• (Great Ocean Garbage Patch) Define your personal conclusions from knowing about the Great Ocean Garbage Patch and local use of plastic bags or packaging alternatives.
• (Climate Change) Analyse the learning resource about Climate Change and explain how the design of the learning resource refers to the concept of "Think globally - act locally". In the last 100 years we can measure an increase of yearly mean temperature by 1 degree Celsius. In the artic ice "bubbles of ancient atmosphere" is preserved and the climate history can be compared with greenhouse concentration in the preserved ancient atmosphere samples. How and when does the global thinking about climate change lead to local interventions on personal or national level for Risk Management activities.
• (Sustainable Development Goals) Select a few Sustainable Development Goals and apply "Think globally - act locally" on the selected goal. Answer the question
  • What is the global message of the goal and
  • what can be done locally to accomplish the goal (see also SDG Indicators)

See also

• Risk Literacy and Real World Labs
• Risk Management and Global Challenges
• Systems Thinking
• United Nations: Lazy People's Guide for Contribution to global challenges
• Climate Change
• Sustainable Development Goals
• Capacity Building
• Digital Learning Environment

Teacher Learning Task

• Expect someone is new to this small learning resource and the learner never was exposed to that link. Is the selected example comprehensive? Add other examples for learners to this learning resource, that might be more helpful to understand the basic idea.
• What are the requirements that teachers can trigger local actions that follow a global goal?
• Describe the additional support a learner needs for the comprehension of the concept "Think globally - act locally"!