Last year UN CC:Learn (hosted by UNITAR) partnered with Harwood Education to create an innovative climate change education programme for primary and secondary schools in the United Kingdom. Harwood Education is a private sector entity that delivers innovative education resources, programmes, training and learning schemes to the entirety of the education sector. 

More specifically, the project seeks to develop a comprehensive package of interactive classroom materials on climate change for school teachers and children, with the aim to integrate climate change knowledge into all core subjects of the school curriculum. The first step is the development and delivery of a UN CC:Learn Academy for Teachers, which consists of introductory online training for teachers, based on selected UN CC:e-Learn resources.

Teachers have a tremendous power to influence young minds and therefore are a very important element of effective climate action that translates into a better and safer future for everyone. By integrating climate change issues into different subjects and ensuring that it becomes a coherent part of school curriculum we make a vital investment into a greener and more climate-resilient future. 

The project is now in its pilot phase being tested in over 80 schools to provide feedback and data necessary to scale the programme nationally and then internationally. The initiative is however already making an impact and more and more British schools are joining the scheme. Local authorities of North of Tyne region are planning to have a UN CC:Learn-accredited climate change teacher in every school. Read more in the Guardian article below. 

Meet Bec Wakefield, a teacher at Down Hall Primary School in Essex, who is the world’s first accredited climate change teacher. After completing a course by the UN CC:Learn Teacher Academy in May, Wakefield now hopes to introduce lessons on climate change throughout the school. Read about her story in the ONE Earth article (below) written by Naomi Larsson.