UNESCO-UNFCCC Webinar Series

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Climate Change Education for Social Transformation: Greening Communities on the road to COP30

Following the success of the first webinar series on greening education policies and curriculum on the road to COP27, the second series on greening schools on the road to COP28, and the third series on greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities on the road to COP29, UNESCO and UNFCCC are launching a fourth series of six conversations on climate change education for social transformation, from May to December 2025, on greening communities on the road to COP 30 in Belém, Brazil.

These conversations will explore the role of communities in advancing climate action through diverse learning spaces beyond formal education systems, from a lifelong learning perspective. Building on previous discussions on greening schools, curricula, and teacher training, this series will examine how lifelong learning, non-formal education, TVET, awareness-raising campaigns and local governance may contribute to sustainable and climate-resilient communities. Special attention will be given to the experiences of Indigenous peoples, young change agents, subnational governments, and UNESCO Learning Cities in fostering community-led solutions. The webinars feed into the ACE Hub, an initiative launched by UNFCCC and the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022 to foster education and public awareness, training, public access to information and participation in climate action.

It is increasingly recognized that education is crucial for addressing the climate emergency through building capacities for mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development. However, recent UNESCO findings show that around half of the 100 countries reviewed had no climate change mentioned in their national curriculum frameworks. While 95% of surveyed teachers felt teaching climate change is important, less than 30% felt ready to teach about climate change in relation to their local context. 70% of youth surveyed said that they cannot explain climate change or only in broad principles and are frightened about their future.

Building on this, the Greening Education Partnership was launched at the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022 as a global initiative to deliver strong, coordinated, and comprehensive action. The Partnership has been supporting countries in accelerating the transformation of education by integrating climate change education and climate action at its core. As an open and inclusive community of practice, which currently includes over 1,700 organizations and 97 member states, the Partnership aims to “get every learner climate-ready” through four pillars of action: Greening Schools, Greening Curriculum, Greening Teacher Training and Education System’s Capacities, and Greening Communities.

The fourth season of this webinar series will focus on the fourth pillar of the Partnership on ‘Greening Communities’ which aims to engage the entire community by promoting climate education with a lifelong learning perspective through community learning centres and learning cities, in particular.

The webinars are conducted in English. Live interpretation in French will be provided.

1. What does greening communities mean, and how does it connect to greening schools, curricula, and teacher training? (20 May 2025)

Date & Time: 20 May 2025, 14:00-15:00 GMT+2

Description: This webinar will explore how a “green community” might be defined in diverse contexts across the globe and what it means to build one through a lifelong learning approach. It will consider who might be involved in efforts to green communities and introduce key action areas through unpacking a series of practical cases. The session will identify some of the main challenges that may be faced when building greener communities through learning opportunities. It will consider the relevance of local strategies for promoting climate change education and the efficacy of multi-stakeholder efforts in making these a reality. In recognition of the Green School Quality Standard and Greening Curriculum Guidance, it will also explore how work underway to green schools, curricula and teacher training may be integrated into a whole-community approach to greening education.

2. What innovative approaches can educational and cultural institutions adopt to nurture greener communities? (24 June 2025)

Date & Time: 24 June 2025, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: This session will zoom in on how diverse educational and cultural institutions targeting learners of all ages - from early childhood education centres and universities to community learning centres and libraries - can help to build greener communities through adopting innovative tools and practices. It will place a special emphasis on the use of digital tools encompassing virtual reality, online resource centres and gamification strategies to build climate-resilient, regenerative societies, in the framework of a whole-community approach. It will also dive into creative ways physical learning spaces may be used to foster climate learning through cutting-edge approaches related to living labs, for instance. Importantly, the second webinar of this series will unpack key challenges that might arise when making use of innovative tools and methods, ranging from low levels of digital literacy to reaching traditionally underrepresented learner groups. It will then examine how these might be overcome by drawing on effective practices and the importance of partnerships.

3. How can non-formal and informal learning be harnessed to foster green skills for work and life at the local level? (29 July 2025)

Date & Time: 29 July 2025, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: The third webinar of this series will zoom in on how non-formal and informal learning opportunities can be harnessed to foster green skills for work and life in local communities. The role of lifelong learning in fostering green skills for more sustainable local economies will be examined, in light of key challenges linked to the twin transition. The use of non-formal and informal learning possibilities in promoting more sustainable lifestyles will also be considered, as inspiring cases are shared. Special attention will be paid to the utility of collaborative efforts and holistic local climate learning strategies in making green skills development a reality for communities.

4. How can change agents, including youth and Indigenous communities, be supported in their efforts to build greener communities? (2 September 2025)

Date & Time: 2 September 2025, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: The fourth webinar of this series will consider the crucial role of change agents in nurturing greener communities through a lifelong learning approach that counts on close collaboration between key stakeholders. It will explore how agents for change can both benefit from and help to promote lifelong learning for climate action at the local level, in the framework of local climate learning strategies. In light of common challenges ranging from tokenism to resource mobilization, it will place a special focus on the role of youth and members of indigenous communities, exploring how change agents can be best supported in their efforts to advance sustainable climate action. Importantly, it will consider the value of participatory approaches where the development of local climate change education strategies is concerned, through promoting spaces for change agents to share expertise and experiences linked to diverse knowledge systems.

5. Getting ready to promote greener communities at COP30 (21 October 2025)

Date & Time: 21 October 2025, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: The fifth webinar of this series will provide a space to explore key messages and strategies to promote greener communities, particularly around COP 30 in Belém, Brazil. In doing so, it will consider the importance of climate advocacy and how this may be advanced where the area of greening communities is concerned.

6. What's next for greening communities (2 December 2025)

Date & Time: 2 December 2023, 10:00-11:00 GMT+1

Description: The final webinar of this series will close Season 4 by looking back at COP 30 and its key takeaways related to greening communities. It will unpack possible ways forward for promoting climate change education for social transformation through whole-community approaches.

Credit: UNESCO

Climate change education for social transformation: Greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities

Following the success of the first webinar series on greening education policies and curriculum on the road to COP27 and the second series on greening schools on the road to COP28, UNESCO and UNFCCC are launching a third series of six conversations on climate change education for social transformation, from May to December 2024, on greening teacher training and education systems' capacities on the road to COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The conversations will delve into the challenges at all levels of education, including early childhood, primary, secondary, and tertiary, from the diverse perspectives of teachers, educators, young people, and policymakers as well as explore concrete solutions to greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities in order to deliver quality climate change education. The webinars feed into the ACE Hub, an initiative launched by UNFCCC and the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022 to foster education and public awareness, training, public access to information and participation in climate action.

Background

It is increasingly recognized that education is crucial for addressing the climate emergency through building capacities for mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development. However, recent UNESCO findings1 show that around half of the 100 countries reviewed had no climate change mentioned in their national curriculum frameworks. While 95% of surveyed teachers felt teaching climate change is important, less than 30% felt ready to teach about climate change in relation to their local context. 70% of youth surveyed said that they cannot explain climate change or only in broad principles and are frightened about their future.

Building on this, the Greening Education Partnership was launched at the UN Transforming Education Summit in September 2022 as a global initiative to deliver strong, coordinated, and comprehensive action. The Partnership has been supporting countries in accelerating the transformation of education by integrating climate change education and climate action at its core. As an open and inclusive community of practice, which currently includes over 1,200 organizations and 86 member states, the Partnership aims to “get every learner climate-ready” through four pillars of action: Greening Schools, Greening Curriculum, Greening Teacher Training and Education System’s Capacities, and Greening Communities.

The third season of webinar series will focus on the third pillar of the Partnership ‘Greening Teacher Training and Education System’s Capacities’ which aims to strengthen policy, planning, financing and the capacities of teachers, educators, and policymakers on how to integrate climate change and sustainability into teaching and learning to transform education systems to become climate-resilient and sustainable.

Access the Concept Note here.

The webinars are conducted in English. Live interpretation in French and Spanish will be provided. Written interactions during the webinar are available in English, French, and Spanish.

Programme of the series

How can teachers be supported to educate children on climate change? (14 May 2024)

Date & Time: 14 May 2024, 12:00 CEST

Description: The discussion will kick off the series of conversations and reflect on the challenges and concrete solutions in early childhood and primary education from the diverse perspectives of teachers, educators, young people, and policy makers.

The session will address two guiding questions:

• What are the needs and gaps in early childhood and primary education?

• How could these needs and gaps be filled?

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

How can high school teachers be supported in getting their students climate-ready? (25 June 2024)

Date & Time: 25 June 2024, 10:00 CEST

Description: The second discussion will reflect on the challenges and concrete solutions in secondary education from the diverse perspectives of teachers, educators, young people, and policymakers.

The session will address two guiding questions:

• What are the needs and gaps in early secondary education?

• How could these needs and gaps be filled?

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

How can educators be supported to teach skills relevant for green jobs? (30 July 2024)

Date & Time: 30 July 2024, 14:00 CEST

Description: The third discussion will reflect on the challenges and concrete solutions in higher education and TVET from the diverse perspectives of teachers, educators, young people, and policymakers.

The session will address two guiding questions:

• What are the needs and gaps in higher education and TVET?

• How could these needs and gaps be filled?

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

How to support educators and education systems’ capacities in non formal education? (10 Sept 2024)

Date & Time: 10 Sept 2024, 10:00 CEST

Description: The fourth discussion will reflect on the challenges and concrete solutions in non formal education from the diverse perspectives of teachers, educators, young people, and policymakers.

The session will address two guiding questions:

• What are the needs and gaps in non formal education?

• How could these needs and gaps be filled?

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

Getting ready to promote greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities at COP29. (22 Oct 2024)

Date & Time: 22 Oct 2024, 12:00 CEST

Description: Presents key messages and strategies to promote greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities, particularly around COP29.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

What’s next for greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities? (3 Dec 2024)

Date & Time: 3 Dec 2024, 14:00 CET

Description: Closes Season 3 by looking back at COP29 and its key takeaways and ways forward on how to promote climate change education for social transformation including greening teacher training and education systems’ capacities.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

Climate Change Education for Social Transformation: Whole-institution approach to greening every school

At COP27 in 2022, the UN Secretary-General emphasized “we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator,” as we struggle to transform our societies to reach the 1.5-degree path recommended by the Paris Agreement. In an increasingly complex and interconnected world with a real, existential threat such as climate change, there is a growing call for education to enable individuals, as agents of change, to acquire knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that lead to green transition of our societies, as enshrined in SDG Target 4.7, and, indeed, in the entire 2030 Agenda.

In order to accelerate urgent action on climate sustainability, the Greening Education Partnership was launched during the Transforming Education Summit as a global initiative to deliver strong, coordinated, and comprehensive action to advance and improve the implementation of climate change education. The partnership encourages countries and key stakeholders to focus on 4 action areas:

Greening schools
Greening curriculum
Greening capacities of teachers and education systems
Greening communities

Following the success of the first series of eight monthly conversations on climate change education for social transformation on the road to COP27 which gathered 15,000 participants from 184 countries and focused on greening every education policy and curriculum, UNESCO and UNFCCC are launching a second series of six webinars, from May to December 2023, on greening schools on the road to COP28 in Dubai, UAE.

The discussions will focus on how to ensure that all learning institutions, from early childhood through adult education, are climate-ready and integrate a whole-institution approach to ESD to transform their teaching and learning, school facilities and operation, school governance and community engagement. The webinars feed into the ACE Hub, an initiative launched by UNFCCC and the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in 2022 to foster education and public awareness, training, public access to information and participation in climate action.

The webinars are conducted in English. Live interpretation in French and Spanish will be provided.

Access the concept note here. Register for the webinar series here.

1. What is a green school? (3 May 2023)

Date & Time: 3 May 2023, 12:00-13:00 GMT+2

Description: A “green school” may be understood as an educational institution that delivers knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to promote social, economic, cultural, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development through a whole-institution approach to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in its teaching and learning, facilities and operations, school governance and community partnerships. The discussion will kick off the series of conversations on what it means to embrace a whole-institution approach to ESD, with a particular focus on climate change. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

2. What does a climate-proof and climate-ready school look like? (20 June 2023)

Date & Time: 20 June 2023, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: Reflects on how to transform learning environments to ensure that facilities and operations embody sustainability principles in response to climate change. The conversation will also explore how school governance and culture become inclusive and participatory. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

3. How can schools collaborate with communities? (25 July 2023)

Date & Time: 25 July 2023, 14:00-15:00 GMT+2

Description: Explores ways in which schools can engage with community members to contextualize and enrich the content of climate change learning as well as serves as innovation hubs for building climate resilient communities. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

4. How can transformative learning environments shape the learning content? (12 September 2023)

Date & Time: 12 September 2023, 10:00-11:00 GMT+2

Description: Discusses how these reflections on school facilities and operations, school governance and community engagement can be widened into teaching and learning on climate change to ensure holistic learning environments where learners can live what they learn and learn what they live. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

5. Getting ready to promote greening schools at COP28 (31 October 2023)

Date & Time: 31 October 2023, 12:30-13:30 GMT+1

Description: Presents key messages and strategies to promote the greening of every school, particularly around COP28. The conversation will share green schools’ good practices in view of the UNESCO green school quality standard. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

6. Post-COP28 greening schools: Where do we go from here? (12 December 2023)

Date & Time: 12 December 2023, 14:00-15:00 GMT+1

Description: Closes Season 2 by looking back at COP28 and its key takeaways, achievements, commitments, and ways forward on how to promote climate change education for social transformation including greening schools.

Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

Credit: UNICEF/Abdul

"The time to learn and act for our planet is now!"

Climate Change Education for Social Transformation

Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution have led to a planetary crisis that requires an urgent response. UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls the climate crisis ‘a battle for our lives’, as we struggle to transform our societies to reach the 1.5-degree path recommended by the Paris Agreement. In an increasingly complex and interconnected world with a real, existential threat such as climate change, there is a growing call for education to enable individuals, as agents of change, to acquire knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes that lead to for the green transition of our societies, as enshrined in SDG Target 4.7, and, indeed, in the entire 2030 Agenda.

To respond to the urgent calls for action from young people to ensure every learner is equipped to tackle climate change and to promote sustainable development, as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goal Target 4.7, UNESCO and UNFCCC are launching a series of monthly conversations on climate change education for social transformation. This series builds on the success of the ‘On the road to Berlin’ series of 7 online workshops between 2020-2021 which brought together over 15,000 stakeholders to discuss cutting-edge ESD issues.

UNESCO-UNFCCC's Webinar Series consists of 8 webinars for this season, one on the last Tuesday of every month from April to November, on the road to COP27 to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from 7 to 18 November 2022.

The series is organized as part of the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Hub, promoted by the German regional government of North Rhine-Westphalia in to foster education and public awareness, training, public access to information, and participation in climate change action.

Tune into the first season, dedicated to the goal of greening every education policy and curriculum to be climate ready. Each episode will explore the critical role of climate change education, and how to harness its transformative power, in leading up to COP27.

1. Why climate change education for social transformation? (26 April 2022)

Date & Time: 26 April 2022, 10:00–11:00 GMT+2

Description: The first session launched the series with a joint systems thinking on climate crisis and the role of climate change education for social transformation. The discussion explored the gaps in education policies and curriculum, and where we want to go in view of the needed social transformation towards decarbonisation and sustainability as well as the renewed understanding of climate change education today. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

2. How climate change knowledge can become action (31 May 2022)

Date & Time: 31 May 2022, 14:00–15:00 GMT+2

Description: Reviews the core skills, values and actions as well as knowledge that are required for transformative climate change education that will bring about social change. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish

3. Education for post-carbon green economies (28 June 2022)

Date & Time: 28 June 2022, 12:30–13:30 GMT+2

Description: Discusses structural transformation towards post-carbon green economies and a 1.5-degree lifestyle, as well as how knowledge, skills, values and actions relevant to economic transition can be integrated into education policies and curricula. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

4. Now or never: Adapting teaching and learning in a changed climate (26 July 2022)

Date & Time: 26 July 2022, 10:00–11:00 GMT+2

Description: Reflects on our new realities shaped by the inevitable consequences of climate change. Within this context, the conversation will examine the teaching and learning that are needed to help learners adapt and live in the changed climate, including the importance of social and emotional learning. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

5. Our future starts with you: How to become a climate change champion (30 August 2022)

Date & Time: 30 August 2022, 14:00–15:00 GMT+2

Description: Reviews transformative pedagogies for civic action and the role of youth, educators and women as agents for social change. Find the agenda here.

Recordings
– English

– French

– Spanish

6. The ancient futures: Un-learning and re-learning our way towards a post-carbon future (27 September 2022)

Date & Time: 27 September 2022, 12:30–13:30 GMT+2

Description: Discusses the values and practices of harmony embedded in traditional knowledge and indigenous communities across the world, and how they help us visualize a post-carbon future. Good practice stories will be shared to inspire a brighter future for collective efforts fighting against climate change. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

7. Getting ready to scale up climate change education at COP27 (25 October 2022)

Date & Time: 25 October 2022, 10:00–11:00 GMT+2

Description: Reviews the gaps, challenges and opportunities in promoting climate change education for social transformation in education and sustainable development policies and curriculums. The discussion will present concrete strategies to promote the greening of every education policy and curriculum, particularly around COP27. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

8. Post-COP27 climate change education: Where do we go from here? (29 November 2022)

Date & Time: 29 November 2022, 14:00–15:00 GMT+1

Description: Closes Season 1 by looking back at COP27 and its key takeaways, achievements, and commitments made related to climate change education. Find the agenda here.

Recordings:
– English

– French

– Spanish