The challenge of education for sustainability in higher education: key themes and competences within the University of the Basque Country.

Introduction: One of the major challenges for higher education institutions in the last decade has been (and will continue to be) the integration of sustainability into their curricula and the development of sustainability competences in students. Education for Sustainability (ES) can help prepare students to meet the challenges of making societies more sustainable. However, as a first step toward this goal, teachers need to incorporate ES into their teaching. In this regard, this research aimed to analyze if members of the teaching staff have started this integration and, if so, which sustainability-related topics have been introduced and which skills do they consider contribute to the development of future graduates. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to teaching staff at the University of the Basque Country in 2022. A total of 403 teachers completed the questionnaire, expressing their perceptions through open-ended questions. Results: In general terms teachers incorporate ES into their teaching (71.22%). However, they do this mainly within the framework of two general themes: "Environmental awareness and energy" - most used by teachers of experimental sciences and engineering - and "Social commitment," most used by teachers of social sciences and those who are familiar with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Regarding the key competences that ES provides for future graduates, those most frequently mentioned were "training of professionals committed to society" and "critical thinking and ethics." These competences were particularly notable in the discourse of teachers who were aware of the 2030 Agenda and who use active methodologies in their classrooms. Finally, the opinion that sustainability has little to do with their teaching (28.78%) was notably expressed by teachers less familiar with the 2030 Agenda. Discussion: Thus, it can be concluded that, aside from knowledge of the 2030 Agenda, factors such as the sustainability policy of the institution, area of teaching expertise, and the use of active methodologies all play a significant role in determining whether competences for sustainable development are integrated into higher education teaching.

Explaining social acceptance of a municipal waste incineration plant through sociodemographic and psycho-environmental variables.

Municipal waste incineration plants (MWIPs) are a source of emission of diverse pollutants that have been associated with environmental and health effects, mainly in relation to premises that are old and not well equipped or maintained. As a result, the public usually holds a negative view of such plants and tends to react adversely to construction of new plants. Understanding a population's perceptions is key to ensuring the correct development of such infrastructure and adequately managing population health concerns and behaviours. In this study, we surveyed 173 residents living close (≤ 10 km) to an MWIP being built in San Sebastian (Gipuzkoa, Spain) and 164 living further away (>10 km). The questionnaire included sociodemographic and psycho-environmental measures. Answers to the questionnaire revealed a fairly low acceptance rate and the perception of a high risk for human health and the environment (average scores of 0.57, 3.07 and 2.89 respectively in a 0 to 4 scale), with no statistically significant differences between people living nearby and further afield. A hierarchical regression model built to explore the public's acceptance of the MWIP explained 59% of the variance. Dominance and relative weight analyses revealed that the most important predictors of acceptance were trust in the information provided by the local government and perceived risk for human health, which accounted for 33.7% and 27.4% of the variance explained by the model respectively. Preference for landfilling and MWIP acceptance in a farther location made a less relevant contribution.

Who feels a greater environmental risk? Women, younger adults and pro-environmentally friendly people express higher concerns about a set of environmental exposures.

Health-related risk perceptions concerning environmental exposures reflect the public's awareness of certain environmental issues that may compromise their health. These perceptions may trigger coping strategies and self-protective behaviors, which are key for protecting people's health. With this study, we sought 1) to assess the general public's perceptions of risk from a set of environmental exposures compared with the assessment of experts; and 2) to build predictive models of the general public's risk perceptions using a comprehensive set of sociodemographic and psycho-environmental variables. We recruited a sample of 338 inhabitants (208 women, 45.8 years on average) of Gipuzkoa (Basque Country). Participants completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire comprising questions on general sociodemographic characteristics and on health-related behaviors, and several psycho-environmental scales assessing general environmental knowledge, nature relatedness, pro-environmental behavior, environmental concerns and place attachment. Additionally, we contacted 33 regional experts who also evaluated the risk associated with the given set of exposures. Risk scores assigned by participants ranged from 1.51 to 3.42 (out of 4) and were higher than those assigned by the experts. Nonetheless, the pattern of risk prioritization was similar in the two groups. Explanatory models accounted for small to moderate shares of the variance in environmental exposure risk (R2 = 0.05 to 0.17). The best predictors of risk perceptions were gender, age, environmental knowledge and egoistic environmental concerns. Biospheric concerns, nature relatedness and educational level hardly made any contribution. Assessment of past experiences with each environmental exposure, affective reactions towards them and psychological traits could enrich future explanatory models.

Escenarios de delincuencia juvenil en el ámbito urbano: una perspectiva situacional / Scenarios of juvenile delinquency in the urban sphere: a situational perspective / Cenários de delinquência juvenil no âmbito urbano: uma perspectiva situacional

Resumen A lo largo de las tres últimas décadas se ha incrementado de forma notable el estudio de las variables espaciales y contextuales asociadas a la delincuencia. La evidencia empírica ha señalado que los delitos se concentran en espacios específicos de la ciudad y alrededor de cierto tipo de instalaciones y servicios. Sin embargo, los estudios en el sur de Europa sobre esta cuestión son ciertamente escasos, sobre todo si se trata de centrar el análisis en población juvenil. El objetivo principal es explorar la concentración de la delincuencia juvenil en espacio urbano y estudiar los tipos de instalaciones predominantes en los hotspots resultantes. Para ello, y bajo el marco teórico que las perspectivas situacionales puedan aportar, se han analizado -siguiendo una metodología ex post facto retrospectiva- los delitos cometidos por personas menores de edad con datos proporcionados por la policía autónoma del País Vasco (España). Se han obtenido clústeres de eventos geolocalizados y mediante un análisis de las áreas de influencia se ha hecho un recuento de las instalaciones que existen alrededor de dichos clústeres. Los resultados indican que existe concentración de las infracciones en determinados lugares en los que ciertas instalaciones prevalecen sobre otras.

Abstract Throughout the three last decades the study of the special and contextual variables associated with the delinquency has increased. The empirical evidence has signaled that the crimes are concentrated in specific spaces in the city and around certain type of facilities and services. Nevertheless, the studies in the south of Europe about this issue are certainly scarce, especially if it is about centering the analysis in juvenile population. The main objective is to explore the concentration of the juvenile delinquency in urban space and to study the types of predominant facilities in the resultant hotspots. For it, and under the theoretical framework that the situational perspectives could bring to, the offences committed by minors with data provided by the Basque country police (Spain) were analyzed - following a retrospective ex post facto methodology. Clusters of geolocated events have been obtained and, through an analysis of the areas of influence, a recount of the facilities that exist around those clusters has been done. The results indicate that concentration of the infringements exists in specific places in which certain facilities prevail over others.

Resumo Ao longo das três últimas décadas tem incrementado de forma notável o estudo das variáveis espaciais e contextuais associadas à delinquência. A evidência empírica tem assinalado que os delitos se concentram em espaços específicos da cidade e ao redor de certo tipo de instalações e serviços. No entanto, os estudos no sul da Europa sobre esta questão são certamente escassos, sobretudo se se trata de centrar a análise em população juvenil. O objetivo principal é explorar a concentração da delinquência juvenil em espaço urbano e estudar os tipos de instalações predominantes nos hotspots resultantes. Para isso, e sob o marco teórico que as perspectivas situacionais podem fornecer, foram analisados -seguindo uma metodologia ex post facto retrospectiva- os delitos cometidos por pessoas menores de idade com dados fornecidos pela polícia autónoma do País Basco (Espanha). Foram obtidos clusters de eventos geolocalizados e, através de uma análise das áreas de influência, se fez uma contagem das instalações que existem ao redor de tais clusters. Os resultados indicam que existe concentração das infracções em determinados lugares em que certas instalações prevalecem sobre outras.

Exposure and health risks perception of extremely low frequency and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and the effect of providing information.

Given that regardless of actual exposure levels, high-risk perceptions of electromagnetic fields of non-ionizing radiation (EMF-NIR) may cause health effects, it is important to understand the mechanisms behind perceptions in the general population. The aims of this study were to assess perceptions of both exposure and health-risk among mothers of the INMA (Environment and childhood)-Gipuzkoa child cohort; to explore possible determinants that explain such perceptions; and to evaluate whether providing information on exposure levels has any effect on perceptions. Overall, 387 mothers completed a questionnaire composed of four questions on perceived exposure and perceived health-risk of exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) and radiofrequency (RF) fields answered on a Likert-type scale from 0 to 10. Later, measurements of ELF and RF fields were conducted in the houses of a subsample of 104 participants. All measured levels were far below the levels established by the European Council recommendation. This was explained in the individual reports sent to the families. After reading the results, mothers completed the aforementioned questionnaire a second time, plus two additional questions regarding the role of public health bodies in risk communication. The association between perceived and measured levels as categorical variables was assessed with a chi-square test. Multiple linear regressions were conducted for each of the questions related to perceived exposure and health-risk perceptions. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to assess the effect of receiving information. Both exposure and health risk were perceived to be very high for both ELF and RF fields, with mean and medians of 7 on a 10-point scale. Reporting higher perception levels was not associated with higher levels of exposure measured at home. Variables that were repeatedly associated with higher perceptions included: manual social class, not having the feeling of living in a good neighborhood, difficulty getting by financially, not having a television antenna within 600 m, being younger and having fewer devices at home. Providing information on EMF-NIR exposure levels at home did not alter health-risk perceptions, but mean perceived RF exposure decreased significantly (by 0.7 points). Most of the participants claimed to have received no or insufficient information regarding exposure and health-risks of EMF-NIR from public bodies and considered it very important that they should.

Restoration and the City: The Role of Public Urban Squares.

Over recent decades, the study of psychological restoration has attracted a considerable amount of interest within and without the boundaries of environmental psychology, with most of the work focused on analyzing restoration in natural contexts. However, little attention has been paid to the (possible) restorative potential of urban settings, as they have usually been expected not to be restorative and to present some elements that might imply negative health outcomes in the short and long term. In this field study, our aim was to evaluate restoration in urban squares. To this end, we measured participants' attentional and affective states both before and after spending half an hour in an urban square. A sample of 46 subjects contemplated and walked through one of the two selected squares that differed in restorative potential (PRS). Analyses revealed a statistically significant increase in cognitive performance and a decrease in negative affect in both squares. They also showed that participants reported greater stress recovery rates in one of the settings. These results support the idea that cities can be potentially restorative and justify the relevance of a research area focused on the urban designs, which may offer psychological benefits to urban citizens.