https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2021/11/09/cop-26-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-departments-quest-to-put-climate-change-at-the-heart-of-education/
We are putting climate change at the heart of education. As part of COP26, the 2021 United Nations climate change conference, the Education Secretary set out his vision to empower all young people in the importance of conserving and protecting our planet, as well as developing the skills needed to solve the problems. The climate talks bring together heads of state, climate experts and campaigners to agree coordinated action to tackle climate change.
Here’s everything you need to know about the action the department is taking and proposals being developed through wider engagement with stakeholders and young people.
Additional curriculum support for teachers
Teachers will be supported to deliver world-leading climate change education through a model primary science curriculum. The curriculum will be in place by 2023 and will teach children about nature and their impact on the world around them.
Currently climate change is on the curriculum and taught in science, citizenship and geography from Key Stage 3 (the beginning of secondary school) onwards.
In primary school (Key Stages 1 and 2) pupils are taught the core concepts – so what the climate is, how it changes, the difference between a man made and natural environment and where different types of animals live.
What we’re introducing:
Primary
- We will be providing teaching resources and specific support to illustrate best practice.
- A model science curriculum that, should schools choose to use it, will provide pupils with a start to finish curriculum they can follow. It will introduce climate change as a concept to children in a coherent way that builds from the core concepts described above.
Secondary
- We’ll be working with partners to develop specific support and other teaching materials for teachers.
- Some will be ready made lessons developed through people like the Oak Academy that represent the highest calibre of teaching.
National Education Nature Park
School grounds alone in England cover an area over twice the size of Birmingham. The National Education Nature Park will encourage nurseries, schools, colleges and universities to think of this land as one whole ‘park’ with vast potential to help halt the decline of biodiversity in this country.
As their work starts to have an impact, young people involved will upload their progress on the park’s digital mapping services. They will be able to see how the Park is ‘growing’ while increasing their knowledge of species and developing important skills, such as biodiversity mapping, data collection and analysis.
The park will be developed in collaboration with children and young people and the many excellent stakeholders that work in this area.
The Climate Leaders Award
The Climate Leaders Award will help children and young people develop their skills and knowledge in biodiversity and sustainability, and celebrate and recognise their work in protecting the local environment. For example, young people may choose to undertake a project that delivers change in their local community, such as increasing the biodiversity of a neighbourhood piece of land or helping to deliver experiences for younger children to explore nature and local woodland.
The award will be developed in collaboration with children and young people so that we can ensure it supports them in making an impact in their local communities.
Pupils and students will be able to progress either individually or as groups through different levels of the award, ‘bronze’, ‘silver’ and ‘gold’, in a similar way to the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Net Zero Schools
These measures also build on the government’s pledge for every new school delivered under the department’s school rebuilding programme to be cleaner, greener and net-zero in operation.
The Education Secretary also confirmed plans to test innovative new Energy Pods that could start to replace gas and coal boilers and supply a school’s entire heating and hot water without any carbon emissions.
‘Energy Pods’ are a low to zero carbon plug and play technological solution that provide heating and hot water to existing school settings via solar panels and technology to maximise their output.
The Pods will first be tested in some schools and colleges and if successful, they could be extended across the school estate and into more public sector buildings.
Last week’s announcement comes as part of the Department’s commitment to keep the education system at the forefront of sustainability and innovation and help meet the government’s target of reducing emissions by 78% by 2035 and reaching net zero by 2050.
FAQs
The main goal was to secure global net zero by mid-century and keep a maximum of 1.5 C degrees of warming within reach. Net zero means total emissions are equal to or less than the emissions removed from the environment.
What is the aim for climate COP26? ›
The Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) is a joint initiative led by the United Arab Emirates and the United States. O cially launched at COP26 in 2021, AIM for Climate is accelerating transformative innovation in the agricultural sector to help address the climate crisis and global hunger.
What is the COP26 report for climate change? ›
COP26 in Glasgow marked a step forward in global efforts to address climate change, including a material increase in ambitions to reduce emissions across the world, finalisation of rules on reporting emissions and international carbon trading, and the launch of a range of new initiatives and sector deals.
What was the main outcome of COP26? ›
Negotiations at COP26 finalised the architecture for the Paris Agreement, including for transparency of reporting progress and for trading of emissions reductions between countries. The need for increased focus on adaptation has been recognised.
What are the 4 key goals of the COP26 summit? ›
COP26 goals
Four overarching goals have been set for COP26 which will guide the course of negotiations and drive the key outcomes: secure global net zero by mid-century and keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach; adapt to protect communities and natural habitats; mobilise finance; and.
What are the key takeaways from COP26? ›
Beyond the Glasgow Climate Pact, at COP26 countries also made bold collective commitments to curb methane emissions, to halt and reverse forest loss, align the finance sector with net-zero by 2050, ditch the internal combustion engine, accelerate the phase-out of coal, and end international financing for fossil fuels, ...
Was COP26 a success? ›
Ultimately though, COP26 fell well short of delivering the national commitments that would together limit warming globally to 1.5°C.”
What is the theme of the COP26? ›
What is the slogan of the COP26? The slogan of COP26 is Uniting the world to tackle climate change, emphasising the importance of international cooperation to address climate change.
What is the target of COP26 global warming? ›
Recognizing the benefits of science, the need to stay on track to keep global warming to 1.5°C between now and the end of the century, and the pressing need to take action in this decade, COP26 produced progress in three areas.
What is COP26 climate promise? ›
103 countries, including 15 major emitters, signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, compared to 2020 levels. Methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gases, is responsible for a third of current warming from human activities.
We want to do more to help countries around the world, especially developing countries, accelerate their clean-energy transition, address pollution, and ensure the world we all must share a cleaner, safer, healthiest planet. And we have an obligation to help.
What are the major achievements and failures of COP Conference of Parties 26? ›
The summit targeted global warming not to exceed +1.5°C and got about 140 countries to announce target dates for bringing emissions down to net zero. The achievement is significant as in the Paris Agreement, the developing countries did not agree to reduce emissions but just the “emissions-intensity" of GDP.
Is COP26 legally binding? ›
The Pact is therefore formally not legally binding, and comprises a set of international negotiated and agreed policy commitments by the parties to the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to promote the achievement of their objectives.
What are the commitments made at COP26? ›
A commitment to work together, through ICAO and other alliances, to advance ambitious actions to reduce aviation CO2 emissions including adoption by ICAO of an ambitious long-term aspirational goal consistent with efforts to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C and the industry's commitments towards ...
What are the pledges of COP26? ›
This included pledges to set new national emission-reductions targets, double adaptation finance, curb methane emissions, halt forest loss, accelerate the phase-out of coal, and end international financing for fossil fuels, just to name a few.
What is the main theme of COP26? ›
The slogan of COP26 is Uniting the world to tackle climate change, emphasising the importance of international cooperation to address climate change.
What are the key points of cop22? ›
Objectives of COP 22
To connects climate change commitment to Sustainable Development Goals. To ensure developed nations keep the promises they made before the Paris COP. To focus on themes including risk management, slow-moving climate changes, displacement, migration, non-economic losses, and severe occurrences.
What are the main points of COP27? ›
Four key themes were identified for COP27: mitigation, adaptation, finance and collaboration.
What were the major outcomes of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties? ›
Body: Conference of Parties (COP26) to the UNFCCC yielded significant outcomes in global climate action. Methane Pledge: The European Union and the US launched a significant pledge to reduce greenhouse gas methane emissions.
