Cambridge Univ. urges better climate change education, promotes green jobs

12 / 02 / 2024

By Marwa Nassar - -

Cambridge University has called for improving climate change education in addition to organizing a green jobs festival.

The global publishing and assessment arm of the University of Cambridge is calling on teachers in 160 countries to help improve climate change education for nearly a million 3-19 year-olds.

One of the world’s oldest publishing houses said it is working with the University’s climate change initiative, Cambridge Zero, to combine academic expertise from Cambridge with the experience of the educators, policymakers and thought leaders in 10,000 schools around the world.

Education is recognized as a major strategy in tackling climate change because it plays a crucial role in equipping current and future generations with the knowledge and skills needed to address climate-related challenges at local, national, and global levels.

“Education is an essential tool for combating climate change but its potential is still far from being realized,” said Rod Smith, Group Managing Director for International Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment.

“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.”

“Nearly a million learners in 160 countries will be better equipped to address the challenges of climate change with the knowledge and skills we aim to support in every curriculum in the thousands of schools using Cambridge programs and resources,” said Cambridge Zero Head of Education and Student Engagement Dr Amy Munro-Faure.

Cambridge’s Global Director for Climate Education, Christine Özden said she has heard from hundreds of students worldwide, who are passionate about making a difference on 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.”

Within this context, the university also organized the Green Careers Fair as part of the two-week Green Careers Festival which brings together students, grads, alumni and recruiters to explore sustainability and climate solutions in industry.

The fair was attended by organizations from insect farmers looking to transform the global food supply chain, to sustainability consultants supporting wind farm and solar panel projects across the world.

The students themselves were equally diverse in their interests, from technical backgrounds such as chemistry and engineering to policy-minded environmental land economists, yet all were joined by a common interest in the environment.