The National University of Rosario, an institution of higher education in Argentina, was created in 1968. Since its inception, the university began an active relationship with the society from which it was generating each one of the projects that it launched and that was expressed in a sustained growth according to the demands of the region.
Its current structure consists of 12 faculties and 1 center for interdisciplinary studies. It has a building area of 68,000 square meters with an academic offer consisting of 171 postgraduate degrees, 63 undergraduate degrees, 15 technical courses, 53 intermediate degrees and several other programs.
Climate change and environmental protection are at the core of some of these programs. For instance, the Master’s program in Energy for Sustainable Development, which is managed by the Lab of Energy for Sustainable Development. The purpose of the latter is to contribute to the design and implementation of a new sustainable energy model that seeks not only to reduce the environmental impacts of human activity, but also to adequately generate wealth in pursuit of the socio-economic development of the region. Hence, its function is to support the generation of knowledge related to energy saving and efficiency, renewable energies and energy management, from the perspective of the new sustainability paradigm.
In addition to this, the university offers a Master’s program in Human Environmental Systems, has promoted the Ecology for Development program within the Institute of Latin American Cooperation, and created an Environmental Observatory, to serve as an open access platform of scientific knowledge that provides inputs for institutional decision-making and advise for adaptation to comply with current and new environmental regulations.
The university is also home to the Group of Energy Efficiency, Sustainability and Climate Change, within the Technological Institute of Design and Innovation. Particularly on climate change, this Group has made extensive research on global warming mitigation and the design of a photovoltaic plant at the provincial level. Moreover, the university’s Center of Studies on Environmental Policies, which is focused on sustainable development and the implementation of actions towards the 2030 Agenda, recently drafted a law proposal on climate change and is currently researching on a data systematization tool to monitor and track climate policies at the local and national level.
The National University of Rosario hosts the Platform of Environmental Studies and Sustainability, which is a scientific, technical, academic and social space, aimed at channeling society's demands on environmental problems that negatively affect well-being, are a health risk and/or pose a threat to the region's sustainable development. Among its specific objectives, one is related to the dynamic management of data on climatic components that impact quality of life. It also has a TV platform regularly updated with programs and news about academic innovations, research as well as extension activities. The university is an active member of the Working Group on Climate Change, Social Movements and Public Policies of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences.
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