Happy new year to you all. After the warmest and wettest year on record in 2023, 2024 is likely to be warmer still on land and sea, and there will be even more droughts, forest fires, and unpredictable severe storms with intense flooding, as our atmosphere continues to warm, absorbing more moisture and energy. More than 3 billion people will be affected: mainly children, the aged, and the economically and physically disadvantaged. Our current and future students are getting ever more eco-anxious, as we are now on a critical tipping point in the climate crisis, with a greater probability that a 1.5 C increase is already locked in. Caroline Hickson at Bath University, working with Mind, estimates that 90% of our students are concerned about climate change and biodiversity loss.
The climate emergency is now widely recognised by the UN, our government, and most of our staff and learners. Further guidance may follow this year from the DfE, which has its own climate change and sustainability unit, and it is likely to be based on their current strategy, the FE roadmap for sustainability, and the following six Cs:
- Co-construction with our learners
- Collaborative action with our community partners
- Curriculum for all students on all courses at all levels
- Capital investment
- Communication of the agreed vision and strategy, and
- Clarity of purpose and targets.
