The Office for Climate Education will become a UNESCO Category 2 centre

The Office for Climate Education (OCE) was created in 2018 in order to promote a strong international cooperation between scientific organisations, education institutions and NGOs, with the aim of educating the young generations of today and tomorrow about climate change. It is a follow up of the IAP Statement on ‘Climate Change and Education’ (led by the Académie des sciences, France), released at the ‘One Planet Summit’ in Paris, France, in December 2017, held under the auspices of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. OCE was founded in March 2018 by the foundation La main à la pâte (LAMAP), is now operative and has begun producing resources for science teachers that are aligned with the various outputs of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Following a brainstorming meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in December 2018, in 2020 OCE will become a UNESCO Category 2 centre supported by the Government of France.

This year's United Nations Climate Change Conference will bring together 197 nations and territories, in Madrid, from the 2nd to the 13th of December. During Cop25 OCE will present its educational missions: from the production of educational resources, to the professional development of primary and secondary school teachers around the world, on the climate change topic.

What is the COP25?

For two weeks, the COP25 brings together the 197 countries that have ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Their agenda focuses on promoting and implementing initiatives and policies with important climate ambitions, targetting both mitigation and adaptation goals. The countries negotiate and define those goals and ensure their follow-up. Among them, education is considered key to meet current and future climate change challenges.

COPs have been held yearly in November-December, since the adoption of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (in the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, in 1992). In 2018, COP24 was held in Katowice (Poland) and this year, the conference that was to take place in Santiago (Chile), will be held in Madrid (Spain).

From the 9th to the 13th of December, 2019, the OCE will have the pleasure of participating in three educational events at the IPCC-WMO (World Meteorological Organisation), the European and the French pavilions.

The agenda of the events:

Tuesday, 10th December, from 09:00 am to 10:30 am, at the IPCC-WMO pavilion

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1P3UWN5rqZvUt7ZYZMOWLhdOC9EC55noe3B6DD-7tnwo/edit#gid=0

Tuesday, 10th December, from 06:30 pm to 08:00 pm, at the European Pavilion

https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/calendar/0138/calendar_en.htm#schedule

Friday, 13th December, from 03:00 pm to 04:30 pm, at the French pavilion

Speakers:

Eric Guilyardi - Researcher in Oceanography and Climatology, IPSL/CNRS

Pierre Léna - Astrophysicist, Academy of Sciences, President of the OCE

Lydie Lescarmontier - Glaciologist, Science Officer at the OCE

Valérie Masson-Delmotte - Climatologist, co-chair IPCC

Cliona Murphy - Researcher in Pedagogy, University of Dublin

Lucilla Spini - Director of Scientific Programs, International Science Council