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The issue
Climate change is the defining crisis of our generation, and it will be the lived reality for generations to come. Yet, many people still do not understand the issue or feel able to respond to it adequately, including the very young people who will be most affected.
Through their Mock COP Declaration, young people across the globe demand that all school-age children be provided with comprehensive and up-to-date teaching regarding the climate emergency and ecological crisis.
The Climate Assembly UK has said climate education for all should form the cornerstone of any action plan. Nine out of 10 teachers agree climate change education should be compulsory in schools, yet seven out of 10 feel ill-equipped to teach it.
It is clear that young people, teachers, and experts from across a breadth of subjects are calling for change.
Our response
The University of Reading is one of the world's leading centres for the study of climate, as well as having a long history in teacher training: passing our knowledge to those who need it most is the cornerstone of our mission.
Working with the Office for Climate Education, Royal Meteorological Society, Met Office, EAUC and Ashden, we will be running an online Climate Education Summit on 15 September 2021. It aims to bring together young people, scientists, teachers and educationalists, policymakers and campaigners to create a new, nationwide action plan for better climate education in schools and colleges. Our focus will be on climate education for children aged eight to 18.
The Climate Education Summit
The Summit will include keynote plenary sessions open to all – from teachers and their students to the general public – and closed roundtable discussions, with the aim of identifying and outlining how a step change in climate and sustainability education can be made so that young people have the skills and knowledge needed for the twenty-first century.
We envisage the scope to include both policy-related matters and in-school activities, not necessarily requiring curriculum change.
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