Young – educators: learning, inspiring and driving climate

Young educators: learning, inspiring and driving climate action, UN Climate Change News, 12 August 2024 – On this International Youth Day, we celebrate the transformative role of young people around the world in education and innovation to tackle the global climate crisis. Across the globe, children and youth are calling for access to quality climate education.

Climate education

“improving access to climate education is no small task, but it is critical to advancing our shared climate goals. Equipping teachers with the right resources is an essential step in the right direction.”

A UNESCO analysis of 100 national education curricula in 2021 showed that nearly half (47%) do not mention climate change. Only 23% of teachers felt able to properly address climate action in their classrooms. 70% of young people surveyed could not explain climate change properly and expressed concerns about the way in which it is currently taught.

During a recent address to the UNESCO Executive Board in Paris, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell stressed the importance of education for climate action:

• Education is key for the future.
• Climate education should be part of all school curricula.

Climate Summer

The Climate Summer Camp aligned with the work of the Greening Education Partnership, introducing and applying new resources, such as the follow:

• Greening Curriculum Guidance.
• The Green School Quality Standard – tools developed by the Partnership to support countries.
• schools and individual educators in implementing climate action through education.

Camp’s programme covered critical concepts related to climate change, including its causes and impacts, as well as climate justice and climate anxiety. It addressed all aspects of climate change education – cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural – ensuring a comprehensive understanding among participants.

Sought of training sought to inspire and motivate young educators to apply their newfound knowledge and teaching methods upon returning to their schools. Fostering peer-to-peer exchange and networking was also emphasized, allowing educators to discuss challenges and share solutions, thereby building a global community of practice.

“I joined the Climate Summer Camp to learn more from educators around the world about how they implement climate change education,” said Gurpreet Kaur, an English Language primary school teacher from Malaysia.

Climate Change Camp has given me the knowledge and confidence to continue teaching and fighting climate change,” added Sam Baker, an Earth Science high school teacher from the United States.

Climate Summer Camp was organized with the support and collaboration of the following:

• Ecology
• Natural Resources
• Youth, and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
• UNDP Azerbaijan
• UN Climate Change
• UNICEF Azerbaijan
• ADA University,
• Non-Aligned Movement Youth Organization
• UNESCO
• An International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
• Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
• Office for Climate Education (OCE)
• UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL)
• Teach For All.

Children and Youth

Children and youth have the creativity, potential and capacity to make change happen – for themselves, for their communities, and for the rest of the world. UN Climate Change actively builds the capacity of children and youth as agents of change in climate action by supporting the work of the COP29 Presidency Youth Climate Champion and through various initiatives, such as the ACE Hub and the Youth4Capacity programme.

For more information about the COP29 Presidency Youth Climate Champion