Reversing climate change requires leveraging education to build resilience

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is greening schools and deploying infrastructure at educational institutions that make them sustainable and climate-smart, the Emirates minister of education has said.

The UAE Minister of Education, Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, participated in the “Rethinking Education for a Climate Resilient Future” event organised by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Brookings Institution on the sidelines of the World Bank Spring Meetings.

The event aimed to generate momentum for action around the climate change and education nexus and emphasised the role of education in building climate-resilient societies by catalysing partnerships to build sustainable infrastructure for climate-smart education systems.

During the event, Al Falasi showcased the UAE’s efforts in launching initiatives and programmes that contribute to greening schools, with the aim of ensuring that the infrastructure of educational institutions is more sustainable and climate-smart. He noted that the Ministry of Education, in preparation for hosting COP28, is developing a domestic roadmap that focuses on greening schools, greening learning, greening capacities, and greening communities.

Al Falasi emphasised the ministry’s keenness to ensure that the roadmap can be adapted and scaled for different educational systems worldwide, noting that collaboration with international partners and multilateral cooperation are key to making these efforts a success. He highlighted the importance of cultivating a well-rounded education that encompasses knowledge, skills, and values, especially among youth, in order to empower the next generation of leaders to steer us into a more sustainable future.

The event served as a platform to showcase the UAE’s efforts and progress in promoting sustainability and enhancing environmental awareness through its educational system, contributing to generating more momentum around the key role of education in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Overall, the event was a great success, bringing together global leaders to discuss the important nexus between education and climate change and highlighting the importance of sustainable infrastructure in educational institutions.