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27th United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of Parties of the UNFCC, 2022, most commonly referred to as COP27 held from 6th November to 20th November last year (2022) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. H.E. the President of Sri Lanka, Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe participated in this critical event representing Sri Lanka.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe also recently(a few weeks ago) discussed this plan to establish the climate change university in Sri Lanka during the 10th Environmental Pioneer President’s Medal Awarding Ceremony 2020-2021 held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall.
In COP27, critical topics related to climate change and the world’s future were discussed. Climate Change Education is one main topic that was mentioned in COP27. President Ranil Wickremesinghe proposed establishing an ‘International Climate Change University (ICCU)’ in Sri Lanka with an ancillary institute in Maldives, with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
According to the president, ICCU will support “green, blue studies and provide room for scientists, environmentalists, researchers, policymakers, development practitioners and visiting researchers worldwide.”
Why does the world need a University for Climate Change?
Climate change is one of the significant challenges to the earth and its future. The primary responsibility of this phenomenon is basically in the hands of all the human beings who live in this world.
Climate changes affect, directly or indirectly, almost every sector, such as physical, economic, social, and metaphysical sectors, which are very important to life on the earth. Also, on the other hand, most of the factors in almost every industry affect climate change directly or indirectly.
So, for the persistence of the world and a better future on earth, climate change mitigation is essential. Even our daily meals, the air we breathe, the home we live comfortably, and other needs depend on climate change.
Most factors causing climate change have human involvement either directly or indirectly. That is the best place we can take control of our hands while climate change adaptation and mitigation. So, controlling these factors can be taken as human responsibility.
As Nelson Mandela said, “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hand to make it different.” Fighting it will not be hard when humans get together with that thought to face this challenge.
But the most crucial point is that people need to have a good education on climate change for climate change adaptations and mitigations. First, the most important thing is introducing climate change as a global problem. Though this has become a main subject to be discussed, few people still need to consider climate change a global problem. But still, many of them need proper educational knowledge on climate change and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
People should not ignore facts about climate change without believing them or ideas like ‘we don’t need to bother about climate change as it is not near future’ or ‘not affect on my area’ or ‘I can tolerate that.’
Climate change knowledge in Asia and the Pacific regions is summarized here.
So, improving knowledge of climate change is the first step in successfully facing climate change. For this, climate change education is critical. There are many methods of climate change education.
In addition to conducting plans on climate change education worldwide, establishing ICCU is very useful. The scholars with knowledge of climate change from this university will spread their knowledge among society, and climate change studies on school education can also be improved with them.
So, a climate change university would be an excellent opportunity for everyone willing to specialize in climate change and protect the earth from climate change.
Climate change education in the world
In the world, there has been no any established specific university, which is dedicated to learn about the global climate change. But there are indirect ways to learn about the climate change. Usually, at the school level, a little idea of climate change was given under different subject areas such as science and geography.
In higher studies, the best method for anyone wanting to learn more about climate change is selecting a university with ecology and environmental science courses. Under these courses, ecological health, environmental monitoring and management, and climate change fields are being discussed. So, the best universities for climate change are always related to the best for ecology and the environment. But the universities which are best for climate action are different. Anyway, if someone is enthusiastic about learning about climate change in his higher studies, it is pretty easy to find a proper path out of them.
But it differs from learning in a university specifically established only for climate change. Climate change is a vast subject area, but these university courses only extract a small part or part of that vast area. So, it is better to have a highly concentrated knowledge of climate change with non-other than a climate change university.
Levels and steps on climate change education in Sri Lanka are discussed in the article on climate change education in Sri Lanka.
Why is it good to establish the ICCU in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka is a 3rd world country and a tiny island. Most negative results of climate change are thoroughly affected in such countries. So, Sri Lanka is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
Establishing International Climate Change University in Sri Lanka will be an advantage for Sri Lankans to put more effort into understanding climate change mitigation and adaptation. It is an outstanding benefit to our environmental studies and the climate situation.
Also, this can turn into an advantage for the Sri Lankan economy. If the world’s first climate change university is established in Sri Lanka, that will be a path for dragging foreign exchange to Sri Lanka. Many international students are willing to study in a specific university for climate change, and it is easy to attract them to Sri Lanka with this ICCU.
Sri Lankan students who prefer learning about climate change may be able to understand it on an international level but at a low cost. In addition, education level, quality, and accreditation for Sri Lankan education may increase with such international-level universities established in Sri Lanka.
So, not only environmental and educational development but also economic development can also gain with this concept of climate change university in Sri Lanka.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe
While addressing the 10th Environmental Pioneer President’s Medal Awarding Ceremony 2020-2021 which was held few weeks ago at BMICH, President Ranil Wickremesinghe commented on this climate change university while talking about the steps Sri Lanka has taken to protect the environment and climate change mitigation.
“As the Minister of Environment, I am proud to announce that we are bringing new laws to protect nature reserves like Muthurajawela and creating pristine forests. We have taken steps to develop the necessary rules for this. But we didn’t stop there. Recognizing the importance of addressing climate change, we believe it should be included in school and university curricula. That’s why we plan to establish the International University of Climate Change, the world’s first international environmental university. We expect it to provide opportunities for post-graduate and research work.
Currently, no center in the world is dedicated to researching climate change. Therefore, we are taking steps to start the International University on Climate Change by establishing that center in Sri Lanka. We plan to carry out this work with the participation of many countries and give membership of the governing board to the governments and organizations.
2000-3000 people will enroll in this university every year, get the necessary training and build a great relationship with the world. We hope this will be a support that Sri Lanka can provide to face climate change. Therefore, we have discussed this with several governments and will present information on this at the conference on climate change in Dubai this year.”
President’s Media Division (PMD)
11.05.2023
This will soon become true with the solicitude of the Sri Lankan government, the international organization, and other governments.
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-With Inputs from Mihiri Saparamadhu–
