The role of education in keeping children safe from climate disasters

As world leaders gathered this month for the Cop28 climate summit in the UAE, global warming was already threatening children’s right to quality, safe and inclusive education. Extreme weather events make it increasingly difficult for millions of children around the world to complete their education without disruption. Despite this, the role of learning in climate action has so far been overlooked, with minimal climate finance on offer to increase the sector’s resilience.

Cop28, under the leadership of the UAE, presented the international community with an opportunity to protect and transform the future of millions of children in low and middle-income countries whose education is threatened by climate change.

To spur collective action that lives up to the critical responsibility of protecting children and their education, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Save the Children have committed approximately $43 million in financing from the GCF, and $23 million in grants and technical assistance from GPE.

This investment is set to address the neglect of the education sector in climate action. For years, underinvestment in education systems in climate-vulnerable countries has stunted their potential to contribute to sustainable global prosperity, security and stability. Now is the time to correct this mistake.

Across the world, one billion girls and boys – roughly half the planet’s children – live in countries at a high risk of droughts, cyclones and floods. These events wreak havoc on entire communities, destroying crops, livestock, livelihoods and vital infrastructure such as schools.

Education systems are extremely vulnerable to climate-related shocks that, according to Unicef, interrupt the learning of about 40 million children every year, a figure that is likely to rise as the frequency and severity of destructive weather patterns increase. According to the World Bank, climate change is also likely to displace more than 216 million people by 2050, disrupting the education and psychological well-being of millions of children.

But education systems can teach children about climate risks and prevention measures. Schools can shelter them during emergencies and give them the skills they need to help make their world more prosperous and liveable. A quality education can equip them with the knowledge to work for climate change mitigation, promote more sustainable ecosystem practices and develop the skills to build greener societies. It is in classrooms that children about how global warming renders the planet uninhabitable and how to mitigate and reverse its effects.

The initiative called Building the Climate Resilience of Children and Communities through the Education Sector (Brace) is managed by two of the world’s largest funds for education and climate and implemented by Save the Children. Brace seeks to make education systems in vulnerable countries greener and more resilient by building and retrofitting schools, making their operations greener, embedding climate change in school curriculums; and providing climate warnings to schools and improving early action.

Investments will initially focus on Cambodia, South Sudan and Tonga. Based on evidence and lessons from these pilot countries, Brace will expand its investment to include another 20 vulnerable nations that want to follow in their footsteps.

This kind of investment in education can lead to changes in behaviour and livelihoods that can then lead to the more sustainable use of dwindling natural resources. But financing has been scarce to make schools safer, teach children about climate change and prepare them for extreme weather.

The share of total aid allocated to education declined to just under 10 per cent in 2020, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, down from 12 per cent a decade earlier, while funds for climate action were on the rise to 33 per cent from 22 per cent in 2013.

It was no wonder then that Cop28 held an Education Day to recognise this sector’s essential role in mitigating and adapting to the realities of climate change. We know that a quality education prepares children, families and communities to cope with adversity. It has also been shown that girls' education is the most important socio-economic factor in enhancing resilience to climate-driven disasters. Yet, around the world, 129 million girls remain out of school, according to Unicef.

For our part, the GPE and GCF have provided a funding channel to boost education and its effectiveness in preparing for and responding to climate crises.

The UAE has been generously financing both the GPE and GCF, and we count on its support to help us provide greener and more climate-resilient education to children across the world. Together with donor governments, private philanthropies and international financial institutions, we will be able to not only protect the right to education for the next generation, but also put children at the heart of climate action.

What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

Brief scoreline:

Al Wahda 2

Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'

Al Nassr 3

Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'