Scotland commits £300k to make classrooms ‘climate ready’

The initiative has been run as a pilot since 2018, preparing young people to join a national network of ‘carbon literate’ ambassadors who plan and act on climate change issues within their schools and communities

The Scottish Government is investing £300,000 to expand an initiative to help young people develop their understanding of climate change, its causes and potential impacts.

The Climate Ready Classrooms programme aims to engage with at least 30% of Scotland’s secondary schools over the next two years and accredit almost 5,000 young people aged 14 to 17 as “carbon literate”.

The initiative, developed and delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful and accredited by The Carbon Literacy Project, has been run as a pilot since 2018, preparing young people to join a national network of carbon literate ambassadors who plan and act on climate change issues within their schools and communities.

Brandon Lei (S6) from Lornshill Academy said: “This brilliant experience has inspired to me change/alter my actions to lower my carbon footprint and to spread awareness among my peers to hopefully inspire them to take action just like me.

“I highly recommend anyone who is given the opportunity to take part in Climate Ready Classrooms to do so, so you can be inspired just like I have.”

The first year of the pilot saw more than 200 learners and 18 educators across 13 schools undertake the carbon literacy training.

Bruce Robertson, Charity Trustee said: “Climate change is the biggest global Challenge we face and it’s essential that our young people have the knowledge and skills to make informed choices on how their lifestyles can help address matters.

“This is what our programme sets out to do and we thank the first minister and her government for supporting our work with young Scottish learners and their educators.”

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