Public institutions and in particular universities have a pivotal role in the process of societal transformation towards sustainability. This paper focuses on the role of scientific and technological higher education in fostering global ethics and sustainability. Assuming that both issues are controversial in theory and practice, we present a framework of global ethics and sustainability as instruments for decision-making and civic participation. The evolution of international concern for ethics and sustainability in scientific and technological higher education are explored, concluding that these important issues are still in an early stage of development. There are important barriers to achieving these goals related to whole systems thinking and perceptions about the planetary crisis and the future of humankind