Currently responsible for around 75 per cent of global CO2 emissions, cities – and in particular the transport systems and office buildings – play a pivotal role in the world’s response to the climate crisis. In addition to being central to the transformation to inclusive and green economies, cities are also at the forefront of efforts to empower local communities with the knowledge and skills that are needed to break long-established patterns of unsustainable consumption, production and mobility. UNESCO learning cities, with their strong expertise in lifelong learning, are uniquely positioned to instil climate consciousness and equip local residents with the green skills essential for a sustainable society.
This webinar will focus on Global Citizenship Education (GCED) as a potent tool to foster climate action. Against the backdrop of mis/disinformation, promoting critical thinking as well as data and information literacy are key to ensuring citizens can access and evaluate the information they receive through the media.
The role of Global Citizenship Education in strengthening climate action across learning cities will therefore be explored in this webinar, which will consider the relationship between education for sustainable development (ESD) and GCED, examining their potential for alleviating climate anxieties in communities, particularly among youth. It will cover media and information literacy, the importance of critical-thinking skills, and the detection of fake news, including deepfakes. The session will also examine the promotion of intercultural understanding to ensure climate action is truly inclusive of all groups, such as migrants and members of Indigenous communities.
About the webinar series
Leading up to the sixth International Conference on Learning Cities (ICLC 6) themed 'Learning cities at the forefront of climate action,' the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) hosts the webinar series ‘Building green, inclusive and climate-resilient urban communities – the learning cities approach’.
The webinars will explore a variety of topics related to learning city development, with a particular emphasis on how the climate crisis affects local communities. Special attention will be given to examining the connections between the climate emergency and other thematic areas of focus within the global network, including lifelong learning for health and global citizenship education. The primary goal of the webinars is to facilitate exchange and peer-learning among GNLC members. Summaries of the sessions will subsequently be compiled to inform a background document for ICLC 6.