Curricularização da extensão e mudanças climáticas: um desafio para as instituições de ensino superior

Abstract

The intensification of climate change has challenged Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to rethink their formative and social roles, calling upon them to make an effective commitment to sustainability and environmental justice. In this context, university extension emerges as an essential tool of higher education, capable of articulating scientific knowledge and community knowledge in the search for solutions to contemporary socio-environmental problems. This qualitative study, with a bibliographic and documentary approach, analyzes the process of curricularizing extension as a strategy to address the climate crisis, based on CNE/CES Resolution No. 7/2018 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 13 – Climate Action. The results show that, although 79% of Brazilian higher education institutions have implemented the curricularization of extension activities, only 51% have effectively incorporated the climate agenda into their curricula and extension projects. The main obstacles identified include a lack of specific teacher training, curricular fragmentation, and the absence of consolidated institutional policies. Despite this, successful experiences demonstrate the transformative potential of university extension by promoting critical environmental education, interdisciplinarity, and community engagement. It is concluded that extension, when integrated into the curriculum in a participatory manner, constitutes a strategic instrument for reducing climate impacts, for the formation of environmentally responsible citizens, and for strengthening the social function of universities in building sustainable and resilient societies.