The lecturer from the Faculty of Communication Sciences was awarded a competitive project by the European Commission as part of the 2023 call for the Erasmus+ programme KA220-HED - Cooperation partnerships in higher education. The project, “Religionen, Umweltbildung, Frieden” (Religions, Environmental Education, Peace), has been awarded financing to the amount of €400,000, part of which will be managed directly by UIC Barcelona.
The research led by lecturer Joan Hernández focuses on the promotion of environmental ethics as a critical approach within interreligious cooperation and social education as an agent of change. The project, which began in November last year, has been assigned a duration of 36 months and is expected to end in October 2026. Its objective is to foster intercultural comprehension, cooperation among religions and a commitment to environmental protection, with regard for the impact of education as a key driver of social transformation.
This innovative approach guides the project’s actions towards exploring synergies between different religions in environmental education and the promotion of peace, taking into account the communication needs of today. “We want to pursue these tasks through the integration of concepts such as sustainability, respect for nature and the interconnection between religious beliefs”, adds Joan Hernández.
This project also explores issues such as the promotion of religion teacher training and religious communities with an environmental approach, support for religious diversity, the development of teaching strategies, the urgent need to protect water resources and address global water crises through climate justice and the promotion of environmental education as a peacebuilding tool.
Joan Hernández explains that this singular combination of topics involving religion, environmental ethics and peace in the context of education make the project highly relevant and significant. In the words of the lecturer, “in terms of intercultural comprehension and interreligious cooperation in favour of the environment and society at large, this project is a major step forward, and communication plays a fundamental role”.
This competitive project not only represents an advancement in teacher training, but also offers a framework for cooperation that takes into account religious diversity and models for environmental ethics that may be replicated and adapted to different global contexts, thus contributing to a sustainable and peaceful future.
With this research, UIC Barcelona once again illustrates its ongoing commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, using research as a tool for raising awareness and promoting specific actions in the battle against climate change.
