Opinion Pieces

Human history is rife with examples of challenges that have threatened the future of our planet and shaken the core of our existence. We recognize these examples as stories of triumph, of human potential prevailing over forces of destruction, and of remarkable breakthroughs in the face of adversity. Today, climate change is the defining crisis of our time and will affect current and future generations unless we pledge to alter our dangerous trajectory through commitment to transformative action. What we need today more than ever are bold, innovative, radical decisions that will translate into disruptive action, game-changing solutions, and bold dialogue that can drive unwavering commitments towards a prosperous and sustainable future for all.

As varied as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are, we believe that education lies at the heart of addressing each one of them. There cannot be tangible accelerated progress on any of the global challenges, from poverty to health to climate, without a complete rewiring of education systems globally. Without the recognition of the central role of education transformation, efforts in other sectors will fall short of achieving their full potential and miss crucial opportunities to amplify impact for people and planet. It is this belief that drove the effort to unite the global education sector in a call to bring education to the heart of the climate agenda, which culminated in the historic inclusion of education as a central theme at COP28 UAE.

Taking place on COP28’s Youth, Children, Education, and Skills Day, the RewirEd Summit positioned education transformation at the heart of sustainable development through an outcome-centric and action-oriented approach, bringing together education and climate action domains within broader development efforts to align strategies, commit to common goals, and implement and scale win-win solutions that exist at the climate-education nexus. The outcomes report at hand is the result of two years of consultations with stakeholders across education and climate, a synthesis of existing knowledge on the climate-education nexus, and the collection of insights from the bold, rich, and engaging dialogue at RewirEd Summit.

At the heart of the recommendations made lies the assertion that education transformation for climate action cannot be achieved if we do not put the “future human” front and center. The report is a call to action for all stakeholders—from policymakers to practitioners, communities and local ones, experts and students, and children, the elderly, and youth—to sow the seeds of change wherever they may be to leverage the climate-education nexus to the fullest. Putting this into practice, the report offers five win-win solutions that emphasize holistic development, ensuring that every stage of a person’s educational journey equips them with the knowledge, skills, values, and experiences needed to contribute to and thrive in a sustainable world.

The achievements at COP28 UAE are historic. However, they remain the first step in the journey for education to claim its rightful position in the climate action agenda. This report offers a roadmap that will require stakeholders to move from rhetoric to action with a sense of urgency. The time to secure a thriving planet for future generations is upon us. The time to act is now.