Integrating Climate Action into Education Assistance

• In Event: Climate awareness and action for all ages and stages: findings and recommendations from studies at the intersection of climate change and children and youth

Proposal

Climate change threatens our goal of a more equitable world. As evidenced by the global COVID-19 pandemic–during which a sharp increase in learning poverty hit hardest in countries with the lengthiest school closures unmitigated by distance learning–the disruptions to education that climate change brings exacerbate global inequities (State of Learning Poverty Report 2022, 8). Yet strong education systems, from the pre-primary level through higher education, can mitigate the effects of, adapt to, and recover from climate shocks and stresses to minimize damage to education infrastructure and ensure continuity of learning. Some measures that education systems can implement to adapt to climate impacts on education include powering schools with renewable energy, applying climate smart practices to book supply chains, and conducting research to develop green technologies. At the pre-primary and primary level, education systems can strengthen the foundational skills that are necessary for climate-smart decision-making later on; at the youth workforce development level, education systems can train learners in green skills; and at the higher education level, education systems can advance research, innovation, and the development of an educated and technically skilled workforce needed to drive and maintain systems change.

In this presentation, USAID’s Center for Education presents new technical guidance that advances the USAID 2022-2030 Climate Strategy and demonstrates how climate action can be integrated into U.S. international education assistance. USAID’s Center for Education will provide an overview of the guidance, published in February 2023, and share findings from a USAID activity inventory, a literature review, and a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process. The presentation on USAID’s forthcoming education and climate guidance will address the role of education in climate resilience, adaptation, and mitigation across all levels of education and will further articulate how a range of actors across the international education ecosystem can collaborate to advance both learning outcomes and climate action.

Author

• Rebecca Povec Pagel, USAID Center for Education