Chapter 5: Exploring Pathways toward Global Sustainability through Information and Communication Technologies for Young Learners in Developing Nations: Marvels and Misapplications

The environment, economy, and society comprise the three core pillars of sustainable development (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development [UNCED], 1992). According to the Brundtland Commission (World Commission on Environment and Development [WCED], 1987), socioenvironmental resilience necessitates an educated populace that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This conceptualization of sustainable development frames the world as an interconnected system that spans geographic space and time. Discourse on sustainable development often highlights the environmental and economic challenges of balancing consumption and production levels with the Earth’s carrying capacity. However, sustainable development also requires an urgent attention to the education of future generations (Centre for Environment and Sustainability, 2010; Engdahl & Rabušicová, 2011; Hagglund & Samuelsson, 2009; Samuelsson & Kaga, 2008).