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Technological Innovation for Sustainability

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Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education

Introduction and Definitions

In this paper, we aim to discuss the role and importance of technological innovation for sustainable development. To do that, we divide our discussion in two major parts: First, we highlight the role of technological innovation as an engine for social prosperity and how it can alleviate and solve social and economic problems; second, we explore a range of possibilities regarding possible contributions that technological innovation can offer in solving or mitigating some of the major environmental sustainability problems of the present. The sustainable development concept was initially formulated and gained global attention since the Brundtland Commission (UNWCED 1987). Its first definitions comprised the following core sentences:

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Meeting essential needs requires not only a new era of economic growth for nations in which the...

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Correspondence to Lucas Marques Matos .

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© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Matos, L.M., Anholon, R., Filho, W.L. (2019). Technological Innovation for Sustainability. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_78-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63951-2_78-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63951-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

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