Cambridge calls for more global collaboration on climate education

Cambridge University Press & Assessment, the international education group, is advancing its work on climate change education by inviting leaders and educators globally to collaborate on developing its programmes.

Ruth Holmes

6 February 2024

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The international education group, Cambridge, is working with Cambridge Zero to combine expertise from across the University of Cambridge with the experience of its community of educators, policymakers and thought leaders in 160 countries and 10,000 schools around the world.The aim is now to grow this community to provide young people with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a world impacted by climate change.

Education vital for responses to climate change

Recognising education’s critical role in addressing climate-related challenges at local, national and global levels, Rod Smith, group managing director for international education at Cambridge, said: “Education is an essential tool for combating climate change, but its potential is still far from being realised.“We want to build a community of educators and leaders to influence the direction of climate change education that will empower current and future generations to respond and be ready for the world.”The call to deepen collaboration in the international education community on how to embed climate change education into the curriculum builds on the launch this week of a new position paper, the appointment of Christine Özden as Cambridge’s global director for climate education, its event at last year’s COP28 how to embed and scale up climate literacy in schools, as well as existing partnerships with the wider University of Cambridge community.

Responding to young leaders' calls for action

The goal of the collaboration is to equip future generations with the skills and knowledge to thrive and innovate in a world impacted by climate change.Students globally are calling for education on climate change to be on the curriculum. A new UNICEF-Gallup poll reveals that while most children and young people say they have heard of climate change, only half understand what it is.Speaking at the launch of Cambridge’s call for global collaboration on climate education, Christine Özden, Cambridge’s global director for climate education, said: “I've spoken to hundreds of students worldwide who are passionate about making a difference, and we want to give them the knowledge and skills to be ready for a world impacted by climate change.“To achieve its aims, climate change education needs to be high quality, holistic across the curriculum and school ages, and set global issues in a local context.”

A global response

Launching its new climate education community, Cambridge is inviting international educators to share their views by:

commenting on a new introduction paper to the topic: Ready for the world: empowering learners through climate change education, which explains how Cambridge is working to embed climate change education across all ages and the curriculum – not just in subjects commonly associated with climate change such as geography or science
completing a questionnaire about their experience of climate change education in their schools
joining free online sessions, hosted by Cambridge, to discuss the topic with other leaders.

Through global collaboration and this multi-disciplinary approach, Cambridge’s international education community intends to equip learners both with knowledge about climate change, and the values, attitudes and skills to understand and address it in a way that recognises the diversity of their own local and national context.

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