We know our climate is changing, and we know we need to take action to ensure that the catastrophic possible outcomes of this are reduced as far as possible.
We know that young people will bear the brunt of the impact, and that many are passionately engaged in fighting against climate change.
But how can and should schools be exploring this emotive, urgent topic with students?
That’s been one of the key conversations over the past fortnight at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, where Professor Nicola Walshe has been exploring the link between education and climate action.
“It’s been a huge privilege for me to be able to go to COP27,” says Walshe, executive director of the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education. “I really am very grateful. But at the same time, it’s a real rollercoaster of emotion.”
COP27: ‘The voices of young people’
She describes the experience as being both inspirational and frustrating, as well as “physically and emotionally exhausting”, but says the strong turnout from youth delegates was particularly heartening.
“There was a really strong presence of youth constituencies, particularly involved in the panels around education and empowerment events,” she says. “To hear the voices of those young people, particularly in relation to education, was hugely impactful.
“We were constantly reminded during discussions that education is already being impacted by climate change at a global level, and this is disproportionately affecting women, children and girls.”
The global context
In the podcast, Walshe shares the story of Elizabeth Wathuti, a Kenyan climate and environmental activist, who spoke about “girls in north-east Kenya being withdrawn from schooling because of the impact of drought”.
“Families couldn’t afford to send daughters to school. Instead they were having to work at home looking after livestock,” Walshe explains.
“Although, of course, within the UK we need to consider the impact of policy at home, we have to remember that there’s this broader context.
“For countries that do not yet have a policy around climate change and sustainability education, there will be more impetus to develop it, which is really important. And for those that do, such as England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, there’ll be real responsibility to ensure climate change and sustainability education reaches all children.”
The podcast also features interviews with two educators implementing their own impactful approaches to climate awareness: Nick Brown, head of geography and horticulture at Ysgol Clywedog in Wrexham, talks about his school’s immensely popular eco taskforce and its links around the globe; and Abdikadir Ismail, principal of Mwangaza Muslim School in Kenya, tells us about creating hands-on learning through growing projects.
To find out how you can get started with an international partnership, visit the British Council’s Schools Connect site and discover how to get recognition for your school through the British Council International School Award.
