EDC Brings Call for Climate-Ready Education at COP29
EDC is honored to join alongside partners and peers at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, November 11th through 22nd. At COP29, EDC is bringing a much-needed focus to the intersection between education, workforce skills, and climate change. Achieving our collective climate goals depends on young people receiving an education that addresses these needs, from foundational science literacy in early childhood to green workforce development in later years. EDC experts will share insights on preparing children and young people for a climate-affected world through foundational science education and green skills.
Why this COP29 Matters
This year’s COP29 is pivotal, focusing on the pressing need to keep global temperatures below 1.5ºC. The conference is built around two key pillars: driving nations to strengthen their climate commitments (ambition) and ensuring financial support to turn those promises into reality (action) By actively engaging diverse voices and perspectives, COP29 aspires to deliver inclusive solutions that can help us make real progress in tackling the climate crisis.
Our Ambition
In response to these urgent global needs, one of EDC’s key ambitions is to ensure that people of all ages have the skills, agency, and resilience to flourish in a changing world. The shifts in economies and societies, driven particularly by climate change, require future-proof skills and innovative thinking. To address this, we are promoting a holistic focus on climate education – from primary science to green skills training and workforce development.
Education and training systems have the power to equip young people with the right knowledge and skills to fully engage in shaping an equitable transition to emerging green and blue economies. Conversely, the green transformation urgently requires new skills and the reskilling of those in impacted industries and communities. A lack of a qualified workforce could significantly delay the implementation of climate and energy ambition.
At EDC, our goal is to introduce young children to climate change mitigation early on, and support youth with the skills they need in a green economy to create a sustainable and equitable future.
Preparing Young People for a Green Future
Our initiatives, Inspiring Climate Action Now (ICAN) and Our World, Our Work (OWOW), create a continuum of climate-ready education and workforce development to prepare the next generation.
- Inspiring Climate Action Now (ICAN) is a primary science education approach designed to drive climate change adaptation and mitigation at both national and global levels. It seeks to close the equity gap in science opportunities, laying the groundwork for future STEM careers and fostering resilience in marginalized communities most affected by climate change. While foundational skills such as reading, writing, and numeracy are essential, primary science is equally vital in equipping young learners for a changing world. By leveraging students’ environments and daily lives, ICAN prepares both learners and educators to adapt to climate change. Through engaging, curiosity-driven science learning, teachers utilize the eight critical habits of mind—curiosity, creativity, openness to new ideas, flexibility, critical thinking, responsibility, perseverance,and humor—to inspire meaningful learning experiences and climate-focused action, even by the very young.
- Our World, Our Work (OWOW) is EDC’s 10-year commitment to support one million youth—60% women—with quality employment and self-employment opportunities in green and blue economies. OWOW follows the continuum of education towards workforce development by bridging local labor market needs and green skills development to build a climate-adapted workforce. By partnering with governments, private sectors, and communities, OWOW advances sustainable livelihoods, creates data-driven insights on local labor market assessments, and advocates for supportive policies and incentives. With OWOW, EDC empowers youth to step into green jobs, supporting a just and inclusive transition to a green economy for all.
- Additionally, EDC, alongside an emerging group of organizations, are developing a first-of-its-kind initiative to accelerate human capacity for a just and green economy. This effort aims to (1) secure jobs and skills as priorities on the global climate agenda, including through a flagship report to be launched at COP30; (2) catalyze and support job creation efforts for the transition in champion countries; and (3) drive industry and private investment in green jobs and skills development. This initiative will bridge the critical gap between human development and climate action, advancing a just transition for all.
Together, through ICAN, OWOW and beyond, we can build the skills and resilience needed for individuals and communities to thrive in a changing world, driving forward our shared vision for a sustainable, equitable future.
Delegation
| Adwoa Atta-Krah | |
| Nada Berrada | |
| Joseph Isaac |
