2021 Student Engagement - University of Pennsylvania & Yale University - USA

2021 Student Engagement - University of Pennsylvania & Yale University - USA

Global University Climate Forum: Empowering students to take action

Around the world, college and university students have become increasingly vocal about climate action. This is a powerful and growing movement that has the potential to change the course of history, yet it is unclear that climate demonstrations or divestment protests will have the desired outcome of comprehensive systemic change to avoid climate disaster.

The Global University Climate Forum brings student activists together to share ideas, learn, connect, and act on the global imperative of addressing climate change. Launched during the week of November 9, 2020, the Forum is a one-year program that is inclusive, inspiring, and impact-oriented.

Following a robust application process, 134 multidisciplinary teams of students from 44 countries were accepted to participate based on their proposals for actionable projects in one of four tracks: Inspiration and Empowerment; Ideas into Action; Governance and Policy Innovation and Innovation and Imagination. Successfully completed projects will be included in a publication to be issued during the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Top 3 learnings:

1. The global climate negotiations would benefit from better engaging Higher Education Institutions as the knowledge.
2. GHG emissions are not the only measure of success. Student creativity has the capacity to drive societal transformation.
3. There are many programs aimed at harnessing the passion and innovation of the next generation – we should all work together.

GMT20210701-212708_Recording_1920x1080 from Melissa Brown Goodall on Vimeo.