Climate education campaign launched

The UCU lecturers’ union is calling on UK colleges and universities to do more to cut carbon emissions and embed climate education across the curriculum.

The campaign, jointly coordinated by UCU, the Teach the Future youth-led campaign, education charity SOS-UK and the National Union of Students, is part of wider calls for the education sector to decarbonise and decolonise (see Labour Research, April 2021, pages 9-11) by 2030.

The UCU is calling for institutions to act to better prepare students for the unfolding climate crisis, as well as meeting the UN’s Education for Sustainable Development goals.

The union says students need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to question the carbon intense economic system and explore radical solutions that are also rooted in social justice.

The campaign also recognises that decolonising education institutions is vital to achieving a just and sustainable education system.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Human beings are the greatest contributors to climate change, and we urgently need the education sector to equip learners to address this before the situation becomes even more catastrophic.”

She added: “As this campaign recognises, our colonial past has directly contributed to the climate emergency we currently face. That’s why it’s crucial that work to decarbonise our institutions goes hand in hand with decolonisation.”