Side Event on Transformative Green Education at India Pavilion at COP27 of UNFCCC

On the 14th of November 2022, at the 27th Session of Conference of Parties of the UNFCCC (COP27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the India Pavilion will host a side event on “Transformative Green Education: Experiences from India” between 06:30 – 07:30 PM IST (03:00-04:00 PM EET). Shri Bhupender Yadav, Hon’ble Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India will give the keynote address and release abooks (both print and digital versions), calendar, postcards, bookmarks, and posters. All of these are based on paintings by Indian schoolchildren on sustainable lifestyles, collected by the National Museum of Natural History, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Hon. Minister will also release a short video on green transformative education. The side event shall further involve deliberations by officials and experts from the National Museum of Natural History, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH highlighting the need to encourage a sustainable lifestyle for the environment among children through innovative techniques, tools and methods. Experiences from India will be shared in the paneldiscussion. A live broadcast will be available on the official Youtube channel of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (www.youtube.com/watch?v=udmqfPaT-Uo). 

Side Event on Transformative Green Education at India Pavilion at COP27 of UNFCCC

Mission LiFE emphasises on the democratisation of climate change actions by creating a global community network called “Pro Planet People”. Within such a community, children play an important role since they are both a victim as well as a key to the climate crisis. As a country with one of the youngest populations in the world, school children in India will act as multipliers of sustainable habits within their families and communities. The proverb “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children” proves that we can not create a sustainable Earth for our future generations without involving them in the process.

India has been focusing on green transformative education, including exposing and spreading awareness among school children and youth on sustainable lifestyles. This was highlighted in the address of the Hon. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in COP26 on the need to include solutions on climate change adaptation within school education. National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) India have led activities to facilitate experiential learning for school children on themes covering Lifestyle for Environment and Climate Change, which contributes towards India’s NDC Goal 1. The activities include innovative permanent exhibits, climate change learning labs, outreach events, awareness programs and innovative competitions. These are intended to enable school students to relate to the impacts of climate change on their lives, help them understand the science behind climate change, and find pragmatic solutions, especially nudging them to adopt climate-friendly lifestyles. The need for such learning spaces are also detailed in the National Education Policy 2020, which envisages education to be experiential, holistic, integrated, inquiry-driven, discovery-oriented, learner-centred, and discussion-based.