Menu Close
Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

World Symposium on Climate Literacy

September 9: 14:00 - September 11: 16:00

Climate change literacy is crucial as it may empower individuals and communities with the knowledge to understand the impacts of climate change, the underlying science, and the strategies needed for mitigation and adaptation. By being informed, people can make more environmentally responsible decisions, advocate for sustainable policies, and adapt to changes that are already occurring. Climate literacy also involves understanding the evidence for climate change, recognising its influence on environmental and human systems, and being able to participate in community-based efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to its impacts. As climate change affects all sectors of society, literacy is necessary for everyone, from policymakers and scientists to students and the general public, ensuring a well-informed community ready to tackle these challenges effectively.

There is a perceived need for events which may cater for in-depth discussions about how the cause of climate literacy may be fostered.  It is against this background that the  “World Symposium on Climate Literacy” is being organised. The Symposium aims to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners  and educators engaged with climate literacy to exchange their knowledge and perspectives.

The Symposium also aims to offer a valuable platform to enable climate literacy providers and users from the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East regions to depeen their knowledge on the topic and enhance networks. The theme of the Symposium, “Combining the Theory and Practice of Climate Change Literacy” reflects the intention to offer participants an opportunity to present what they are  doing,  both in research and reflections on climate literacy principles, and their implementation in practice.

The event has four primary objectives as follows:

  • a) To increase awareness and understanding of climate literacy and its applications among a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, educators, and the general public.
  • b) To promote climate change literacy, highlighting its importance and the need for effective climate education at all levels, from primary schools to higher education institutions and beyond.
  • c) To facilitate the exchange of knowledge, research findings, and best practices related to climate change education and communication.
  • d) To create a platform for collaboration and networking among individuals and organisations working in the field of climate literacy, encouraging partnerships and joint initiatives.

Also, the “World Symposium on Climate Literacy” aims to inspire and empower individuals and communities to take action to mitigate and adapt to climate change by providing them with the necessary knowledge and tools.

The event will be held at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK on 9th-11th September 2024. Manchester is the UK´s second largest city, and Manchester Airport is a major UK hub, with a wide range of national and international flights. Manchester is also easily reached by bus and railway services.

The Symposium is being organised by the Department of Natural Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, in cooperation with theInternational Cllimate Change Information and Research Programme (ICCIRP) 
and the “Universities and Climate Change Initiative”, a global network of universities active on climate change research.

The “World Symposium on Climate Literacy”  is also supported by the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR), the UK Consortium on  Sustainability Research (UK-CSR) and  theInter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP).

The Symposium entails a on-day training on carbon literacy, to be held on 11th September 2024, offered by staff from the Department of Natural Science of Manchester Metropolitan University.

Interested colleagues are invited to contribute to the event in two main ways: by means of presentations on the work they do, and/or by making presentations and also writing papers that address the subject matter of climate literacy. These may be in one or more of the following topics:

•    Introduction to climate literacy
•    Climate literacy in the curriculum
•    Teaching approaches and methods to promote climate literacy
•    Climate literacy and the media (conventional and social media)
•    Case Studies on climate literacy
•    Technologies and fostering climate literacy
•    Innovations in climate literacy
•    Policy and Legislation: Discussion of existing and required policies that could encourage climate literacy
•    Climate literacy: communication and behavior

Other themes may be considered, please contact the organisers to discuss the details.

The “World Symposium on Climate Literacy will be of special interest to practitioners, educators, communication specialists and researchers, working  in the field of climate literacy in the Americas, Asia and Pacific, Europe, Africa and the Middle East region.

The Symposium will be structured around the following sessions, to be held on 9th-10th September 2023:

  • Plenary Sessions: With keynote speakers discussing overarching themes.
  • Breakout Sessions: Focused group discussions on specialised topics.
  • Panel Discussions: Panels with a mix of experts debating and providing
  • insights.
  • Exhibition Space: For organisations to showcase their works on sustainability education.

In addition, the Symposium entails a one-day training on carbon literacy, to be held on 11th September 2024, offered by staff from the Department of Natural Science of Manchester Metropolitan University.

The Carbon Literacy training offers the chance for participants not only to develop their understanding of how climate change works and what is causing it, but also to empower themselves to take meaningful action, as individuals, and as collectives through their community and professional lives. Becoming a certified Carbon Literate citizen is a significant step in making positive changes for yourself, for your organization, and for the planet. Delegates attending the training will receive a certificate on completion.

The “World Symposium on Climate Literacy” will tackle a critical and timely topic, which may significantly contribute to efforts in the fields of climate change mitigation and adaptation, by fostering innovation and collaboration in this field.

Monday, 9th September 2024: 14:00-17:00- Plenary and Parallel Sessions
Tuesday, 10th September 2024 (all day)- Plenary and Parallel Sessions
Wednesday: 11th September 2024: One-day training on carbon literacy (ends at 16:00).

As an output and long-term documentation of the event, selected papers will be published in the book  “Combining the Theory and Practice of Climate Change Literacy”, which will follow on the success of the 3-volumes “Handbook of Climate Change Communication” with over 200 authors, and the 6- volumes “Handbook of Climate Change Management” one of the world´s largest non-publicly editorial projects on climate change produced to date, to which over 500 authors have contributed. The book will be  produced as part of theClimate Change Management Series, published  by Springer Nature, which is fully indexed. All papers are peer-reviewed. Publications in the book series have been officially counting for promotion and tenure purposes over the years.
Interested participants should prepare an abstract of 200 to 300 words, along with the authors’ names and full contact details, summarising their planned inputs. Abstracts should be sent to the coordinating team of the “World Symposium on Climate Literacy”  BY FILLING IN THE FORM.

The deadline for submissions of abstracts is 30th April 2024. Full papers are due by 30th September 2024. The details will be discussed with the selected authors. It is also possible to attend the event and make a presentation, without producing a paper.

This event is part of the Continuing Professional Development Programme on Sustainable Development, undertaken by the European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR) and Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP). An official certificate of participation, useful for professional development purposes and to be shown to employers, will be issued to participants, with the equivalent of 20 hours, including attendance to the event and preparation time.

In other to offset the costs with staff time, organisation, and preparation, book production and follow-up, a registration fee of Euro 340,00  (plus taxes) will be charged per delegate. The fees entail the coffee breaks and lunch breaks during the Symposium. For cancellations made up to 2 months before the event, a full refund -minus handling charges- will be possible. For registrations up to 30 days before the event, a 50% refund-minus handling charges- is possible. For cancellations within 30 days or less, no refunds are possible. The details about the payment will be sent to the participants.

The Symposium will be held on the Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University. The hotels which are close by are: Holiday Inn Express Oxford Street (ca. 6 min walk), and Ibis Hotel at Princess Street (ca. 10 min walk). There are many other options, according to your one´s budget. You can visit this web site for more details on accommodation in Manchester: https://www.visitmanchester.com/where-to-stay

  • Professor Walter Leal, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) and HAW Hamburg (Germany)
  • Prof. Liz Price, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Prof. Paul Hooper, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Dr. Rachel Dunk, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Dr.  Cormac Lawler, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Andrew Lynn, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Damion Shaw, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Gemma Hill, Manchester Metropolitan University
  • Sarah Underwood, Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr. Joao Eustachio, HAW Hamburg (Germany)
Laís Trevisan, HAW Hamburg (Germany)

Details

Start:
September 9: 14:00
End:
September 11: 16:00

Venue

Manchester, UK