The higher education sector’s diverse strengths – including student activism, co-produced research, and sector-wide network mobilisation – are enhancing the speed and scale of climate solutions, according to a panel of experts at the recent session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
A roundtable session themed “Enhancing and enabling climate solutions with higher education” convened by the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, the University Climate Change Coalition and Second Nature, brought together faculty and centre leaders, including senior administrators and students from the Global North and South, to share examples and insights about how their learning institutions are leading climate change and sustainable development.
This followed the Network of Networks session, which gathered global higher education leaders to set priorities for the coming year and to explore ways to amplify their impact as non-state actors through the UNFCCC Marrakech Partnership and Global Climate Action Agenda.