What is the Global University Climate Forum? 

The Global University Climate Forum launched in November 2020, bringing together over 500 student activists to share ideas, learn, connect, and act on the global imperative of addressing climate change. A total of 78 multidisciplinary teams of students from over 40 countries were accepted to participate based on their proposals for actionable projects in one of four tracks: inspiration and empowerment; ideas into action; governance and policy innovation; innovation and imagination. Over the last year, students have implemented their projects and reported on progress, which will be published in November 2021. 

About the Event

A screening of 1.5-minute videos from student teams around the world will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by renowned United Nations Scholar Maria Ivanova (UMass Boston) with Yolanda Kakabadse (former Ecuadorian minister of the environment and former president of World Wildlife International), Jennie Stephens (Northeastern University), and Koko Warner (Perry World House and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). Topics will include justice, empowerment, human vulnerability, and the role of students and scholars in advancing next generations solutions. This event will be led by the Penn Environmental Innovations Initiative and hosted by the University of Edinburgh Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability. 

About the Publication

With a foreword by Patricia Espinosa and Next Steps by Christiana Figueres, the current and previous Executive Secretaries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and based on the activities and remarkable contributions of the students of the Global University Climate Forum, this important publication showcases how we can and should rely on universities to research, teach, and garner action for transformative change. The publication is available online at no charge.