The United Nations urges countries to ‘recover and build back better’ once the current pandemic comes to an end, relying on vaccines investigation still on trial. However, there is another critical emergency -the planet revealing a significant environmental crisis; an imminent climate disruption to the point of no return.
We must be united to stand-up and fight the menacing of COVID-19 and its consequences on Health and Education. But we cannot forget that the Climate Change will give rise to hundreds of millions abandoning their homes to uprising sea levels, as the consequence of the hottest decade in history that causes natural disasters, floods, droughts and fires across the globe.
This pandemic and the environmental crises are a wake-up call to nations for a greener recovery policy and a chance to restart social activities and health protocols to shape the 21st economy, by carrying on practices that are healthy, clean, safe, green, and above all, more resilient.
The United Nations is setting up an outline for a healthy planet and a better-inclusive society through a structure to guarantee a more resilient world.
Climate-related and Education actions to operate the recovery
- We must work together as an international community.
- Financial capabilities must direct a swing to make societies and people more resilient and a change from the grey to a green economy.
- Governments are spending a vast amount of money to recover from the COVID-19, where taxpayers’ money is used to rescue businesses; we must deliver new jobs and companies by way of a green-clean transition.
- The investment must be tight to accomplishing green jobs and sustainable growth.
- Public funds must be used to invest in the future, and run towards sustainable areas and projects that benefit Education and the environment.
These principles represent an essential benchmark to recuperating better and together. Fossil fuel practices must end, and contaminators must start paying for polluting. Climate risks and opportunities, public policies, and infrastructure must be integrated into the financial system.
The transforming-architects prepared for global challenges
School closures have exposed harsh inequalities in Education, a deficit in remote learning, the lack of investment on digital allocation, a misconception of the vital role schools play in student’s health and wellbeing. It is the reason why governments worldwide will need to re-evaluate learning systems to encounter these challenges that represent a unique opportunity to better Education, to boost economies, and fight the climate emergency.
Last year, the United Nation General Assembly renowned Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as an example of redesigning learning to accomplish sustainable- development goals. ESD re-evaluates how what, where we learn. It builds up the attitude, values, knowledge, and skills that empower learners to make knowledgeable choices and actions on global issues. It enables students of all ages to change their mindsets and work towards a sustainable future.
ESD manages the content of Education and designs curricula to encompass the studying of economic viability, environmental integrity, and how to operate towards an ethical society. It also reconsiders educational methods to develop critical-minded-sympathetic students, who can work collectively to get to the bottom of problems and act on regional and worldwide emergencies.
The emphasis has to be on social-emotional-behaviour learning, crucial to help students to drive the transformation Education urgently requires and to deal with the conservation of the planet. What it is needed is to make sure that Education gives students the means to deal with the problems of the future and to make a commitment in favour of climate crisis too, whilst transforming their society.
A Global Citizenship Education
The goal is to make learners ready to face a crisis like the current pandemic through the acquisitions of ESD elements and to transform the future of Education by strengthening their skills to engage in and promote sustainable development.
Stakeholders must guarantee all aspects of Education for Sustainable Development are covered to build frameworks at each level of Education, such as teachers’ training, learning-process scenario and location, encompassing all students no matter the gender or socioeconomic status, and assuring an efficient-active connection to the Internet.
We have to rethink our industries, our workforce, the way we work, the place we work, by giving rise to more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive societies. This reshaping of our lives must encompass both Education and Climate change, as a nation cannot evolve if how and what we have learnt continues unchanged.
Summing up:
“Education should make us resilient to situations like the current pandemic and the climate crisis...” Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education - UNESCO 18/06/2020
Is your educational institution ready to embrace the new Education approach that supports the wellbeing of people and the earth?
Dave Food
Prophetic Technology
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