A CALL for volunteers to help share knowledge of climate change has been made today, building on work by the University of Reading.
At the Education World Forum, the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan, will urge 1,000 expert volunteers to join a national climate education programme.
The Climate Ambassador Scheme is a £2 million Department for Education programme, in partnership with the University of Reading and EAUC (the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education), with support from STEM Learning.
It will provide nurseries, schools, colleges and universities across England with free access to experts who can turn climate and sustainability ambitions into action.
In the first two years, it is hoped it will help 2,500 schools, colleges and universities to become more sustainable.
Originally launched two years ago, in December it was announced the Department for Education would team up with the University and EAUC to expand it to all 30,000 education settings across England, with a goal of seeing each launch a climate action plan by the end of next year.
In her speech at the Education World Forum, the Secretary of State for Education will say: “Today, I am announcing the extension of the Climate Ambassadors scheme, which provides education settings with access to a network of regional climate ambassadors.
“The scheme provides local expert support and peer to peer learning opportunities, with Ambassadors helping nurseries, schools and colleges turn their climate ambition into meaningful climate action.”
It is anticipated the experts will help with issues such as reducing carbon emissions, improving biodiversity and young people’s connection with nature, and helping them adapt to climate risks and provide a world-leading education in sustainability and climate change critical for their future lives.
Laura Tobin, ITV weather presenter, Climate Ambassador champion and former Reading student, is backing the initiative.
“If you have a great knowledge of climate change, biodiversity or sustainability, Climate Ambassadors is perfect for you,” she said.
“Young children have a lot of questions – they want to learn so much more about the world around us. If you want to go into schools and colleges to give talks, if you want to help education settings learn more about places they can find great resources, or you want to help the places and people in our education system become greener and more sustainable, become a Climate Ambassador.”
