Ahead of the coming United Kingdom’s hosting of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November, the British Council launched “The Climate Connection” campaign.
Running until COP26 summit, the campaign kicked off with The Climate Connection: Conversation for Change, a free online event on June 3 featuring COP26 president Alok Sharma; and author and activist Neil Gaiman, among others.
Through “The Climate Connection,” the British Council brings together people from around the world to share their ideas and perspectives on climate change, and to look for solutions through global conversations, art and science showcases, university scholarships, funding, research, and training opportunities.
“We will draw on our expertise in education, the arts, and cultural exchange to support people everywhere to find innovative solutions to the biggest global emergency we face,” said Kate Ewart-Biggs, British Council interim chief executive.
Aside from the campaign and regular programs, the British Council contributes to environmental protection and climate-change solutions by exploring how they can deliver their everyday work sustainably.
“We recognize that our activities impact the environment. We are committed to managing and minimizing that impact,” shared Director Pilar Aramayo-Prudencio of British Council in the Philippines.
“In the Philippines, we work from home as much as we can, especially during this time and we travel only when it is absolutely necessary. Our examiners now facilitate IELTS speaking tests for test takers across the Philippines via video conferencing, while we also encourage taking IELTS on computer rather than IELTS on paper. At the office, we reduce our energy, water consumption and waste. When procuring, we take into account environmental and sustainability factors,” she said.
The Climate Connection campaign includes other initiatives such as:
17 Creative Commissions from the UK and 28 countries. These projects explore solutions to climate migration, plastic pollution, coastal erosion, deforestation, biodiversity loss, air pollution, wildfire and melting glaciers through art, science and digital technology. The Philippines’s Komiket together with UK’s Lakes Arts Festivals and Creative Concern was chosen for their digital comic anthology “10 years to save the world” to inspire climate change action in young people.
Green Careers support young people to build successful careers that help the planet through advice on education opportunities and routes to green jobs. A webinar was held earlier this year featuring our very own Newton PhD alumnus Jhud Mikhail Aberilla from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is working on sustainable production and consumption, with a focus on developing communities.
FameLab Climate Change Communicators is an exciting competition and training program for early career researchers, scientists and advocates for climate change. This will be launched in June.