“Nature is not a place to visit, it is home.”
– Gary Snyder

Times Higher Ed Climate Impact Forum was a Success

Wow, the Times Higher Ed Climate Impact Forum on 28 October was truly a success! Some of the highlights for us included:

1. Announcing the achievement of the Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges (as of today 1,070 institutions have committed to net zero by 2050 at the latest) and sharing our plans for a Nature Positive Universities Network alongside the University of Oxford;
2. Seeing high-level engagement from government representatives from the UK, Ecuador and the EU to discuss the role of higher education in the green transition;
3. Hearing from a range of brilliant Vice-Chancellors from universities around the world such as the VC of the University of Cape Town, Mamokgethi Phakeng, who discussed the need for explicitly making the connection between poverty and climate change in order to ramp up the urgency of the matter;
4. Listening to the LinkedIn session on green jobs which discussed the need for adaptability within the workforce;
5. Gaining insight into THE’s new data-led report, The Race to Net Zero, which presented how well higher education institutions across the globe are performing when it comes to reducing their own greenhouse gas emissions and transitioning to net zero.

Missed the event? You can watch all the sessions on-demand via the agenda page. Click the “watch recording” button on the session you want to view.

Check out more reports, research & resources from the event:
– Gain crucial insight from Elsevier’s landmark new research: Pathways to Net Zero.
– Contact FutureLearn to hear more about their comprehensive online climate curriculum.
– Pledge to embed climate and ecological learning in teaching.
– Discover the new global student manifesto for change.

Over 1,070 universities and colleges make net-zero pledges as part of the Race to Zero

As of today, 1,070 universities from 68 countries and representing over 10 million students, have made a range of new commitments to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

New commitments from institutions include:

• The Chiba University of Commerce’s commitment to become the first university in Japan to run exclusively on renewable energy before 2025, as well as to establish the Renewable Energy University League of Japan;
• The University of Glasgow, which has set a net-zero target of 2030, was the first university in the UK to declare it would divest from fossil fuels within a decade;
• The University of Toronto has committed to develop a low-carbon action plan by 2030 with a range of interventions planned.

Read the full press release here and join us today! You can sign up as well as check out the list of institutions who are part of the Race on the website here.

Sign up for the Nature Positive Universities Initiative

UNEP and the University of Oxford are launching a global network of Nature Positive Universities in order to prompt the prioritization of nature and its restoration within the higher education sector; in their operations and supply chains, on campuses and within the cities where they operate. This network will form a major contribution to the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, the post-2020 Biodiversity Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals.

So far, close to 60 expressions of interest from universities around the world have been submitted. Please complete this form if you are interested in joining this network!

Powerful Video Messages from Higher Ed Students

Students urgently call upon higher education leaders and government to make climate education a mandatory part of formal higher education curricula, across disciplines. Higher education students from around the world contributed to this video, which was produced by Students Organizing for Sustainability as part of the UNEP and UNESCO Youth and Education project and was launched at the Times Higher Education Forum on 28 October. Watch the full video here.

Train the Trainer Capacity Building Workshop

Discover the Circular Economy:
A Masterclass for Teenagers in Africa

Launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, this free programme is open to anyone aged 13 to 19 years old who is living or studying in Africa. Registrations are now open for the programme, which will take place online from 26 October to 7 December 2021. Hosted in collaboration with Hello World and the African Leadership University (ALU), the programme will combine online learning and creative challenges, designed to ignite imaginations and inspire participants to create both local and global change. There will even be a chance to win prizes, sponsored by INSCAPE.

Find out more and register here.

Climate Action Position Paper Launched

The  Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN) is excited to launch the Climate Action Position Paper!

This Position Paper is the network’s joint statement on the current major challenges and required climate actions across seven thematic areas, including economic recovery and climate finance, energy, transport, agriculture and food, cities, private sector innovation, and climate education. The position paper aspires to bring youth perspective to global climate discussions ahead of COP26 and influence decision-making processes at the international, regional, national and local levels.

The Truth About Lies – Virtual Event

Are you between 16 and 18 years old? Do you want to learn about how disinformation works and ways to combat the spread of fake news? Join the Your Europe, Your Say! (YEYS) virtual event organised by the European Economic and Social Committee on 31 March – 1 April 2022!

Exchange ideas with pupils and teachers from 32 countries during an exciting and interactive event. Be part of the YEYS community and find out how disinformation campaigns are carried out and the tools you need to fight them! Share your own views and ideas in order to draw up policy recommendations that will be passed on to the other EU institutions. Register now through your school!