11 June 2021
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2 min read
Boris Johnson is set to visit a school in Cornwall having flown from London for the G7 summit | Credit: iStock
Education resources designed to 'encourage student climate leaders to come forward as an inspiration to others'
The government is ramping up its efforts to engage the UK public with the climate crisis ahead of the crucial COP26 Summit in Glasgow later this year, as it today launched an education pack for schools "to encourage student climate leaders to come forward as an inspiration to others".
The pack, which is hosted on the COP26 website and has been sent out to schools across the country, is designed to engage students with different forms of climate action, encourage conversations about tackling climate change, and help students learn more about the November summit, the government said.
Dubbed 'Together for Our Planet', the schools pack also includes a guide for running a green assembly, along with suggested awareness-raising ideas such as organising a 'walk to school' week, bolstered by resources created by organisation such as WWF and TED Talks.
It follows a recent YouGov poll commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh Award which found 45 per cent of young people listed protecting the environment and addressing escalating climate risks as one of their top three concerns.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said he was "excited to see how schools' climate leaders bring their passion, creativity and intelligence to help us secure a sustainable future".
"When I visit schools around the country, something I'm always struck by is how engaged in environmental issues young people are," he said. "Tackling climate change requires action from each of us on an individual and collective basis and this pack helps schools encourage both those things."
The move came on the eve of today's G7 Summit in Cornwall, where hopes are high that the leaders of the world's leading economies will together broker an agreement that provides a strong foundation for a successful outcome at COP26 later this year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a school in Cornwall yesterday to help promote the new education pack, following widespread criticism of his decision to fly to summit from London, when train travel would have offered a far more climate-friendly option.
Matt Larsen-Daw, WWF UK's education manager, said the pack launched today could help educators bring climate issues to life "for their students and the whole school community".
"Young people have the biggest stake in the outcomes of the UN COP in November, and it is vital that they are informed and engaged as this pivotal milestone in the fight against climate change takes place on their doorstep, here in the UK," he said.
