Why lifelong learning for climate action at the local level matters!

Currently responsible for around 75% of global CO2 emissions, cities – and in particular transport systems and office buildings – play a pivotal role in the world’s response to the climate crisis. In addition to being central to the transformation to inclusive and green economies, cities are also at the forefront of efforts to empower local communities with the knowledge and skills that are needed to break long-established patterns of unsustainable consumption, production and mobility.

Communities around the world are experiencing the devastating effects of the climate crisis, which is responsible for the erosion of animal and plant ecosystems, deadly heatwaves, irregular rainfall patterns, droughts and floods, all of which will affect the services, infrastructure and livelihoods of many urban communities. 

At the same time, cities are responsible for an estimated 75 per cent of global CO2 emissions, with transport and buildings among the biggest contributors. The impact this has on the environment will continue to expand with the pace of urbanization – one of the demographic megatrends that will shape the world in the coming decades. In 2050, almost 70 per cent of the population is expected to live in urban areas. Targeted policy interventions are therefore imperative to curb burgeoning emissions.

The climate crisis needs to be confronted from various angles, ranging from international policies to local actions. The international response is key to developing a comprehensive game plan to safeguard a just future for all of humanity through universal strategies and goals. 

In 2015, the Paris Agreement marked a pivotal milestone in the global fight against climate change, aiming to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and foster low-carbon solutions to mitigate the impact of human activity on the climate and keep the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

In 2022, in the follow-up to the Transforming Education Summit, the Greening Education Partnership was launched as a global initiative that takes a whole-of-system approach to support countries to tackle climate crisis by harnessing the critical role of education. On of its four key pillars - the 'Greening communities' pillar - aims to promote the engagement of the entire community by integrating climate education in lifelong learning, in particular through community learning centres and learning cities. This pillar is coordinated by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning with the strong engagement of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. 

The learning city concept provides an effective framework for transforming urban environments through lifelong learning. Achieving the transition towards net-zero in cities requires social change, which is manifested in individuals’ everyday life practices and broader social relations and structures. Evidently, the climate crisis calls for a deep transformation of carbon-based economies; however, change is also needed in relation to people’s awareness, behaviour and their day-to-day decision-making in favour of sustainable development. People need practical knowledge, attitudes and skills to change established patterns of consumption, production and mobility and to develop green economies in urban and peri-urban spaces. 

Climate change education needs to be inclusive and consider the learning needs of vulnerable groups. Because learning cities promote learning in a variety of settings and spaces, they help to widen access to education for underrepresented groups and whole communities. Learning cities can also cultivate a culture that values and encourages the adoption of sustainable practices beyond the local level when their policies align with national and international priorities. The local dimension therefore supports an inclusive approach that amplifies diverse social groups’ voices and affords lifelong learners with transversal skills that can be used in a wide variety of settings.

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) and the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities with its 356 members have a proven track record in promoting climate action through lifelong learning. They work towards the promotion of lifelong learning for climate action through various initiatives, such as:

Policy support and partnerships

• The coordination of the Greening Education Partnership's key action area ‘greening communities’, which underlines the critical role that adult education and learning plays in transitioning towards more sustainable, green and climate-resilient communities. Within the context of the Partnership, the ‘Greening communities: A standard-setting and guiding document to enhance climate-action at local level through lifelong learning’ is currently being developed. The guidance will support local governments and other stakeholders in developing and implementing effective strategies for greening communities. 
• The coordination of the implementation of the Marrakech Framework for Action (MFA), adopted by more than 140 UNESCO Member States in 2022, which promotes adult learning and education as a key lever for equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to address the climate crisis and to empower them to become role models for change.
• The Global Network of Learning Cities' working group on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which is a circle for peer-learning for cities and actively contributes to ESD-related work of the Global Network of Learning Cities. 

Capacity-building

• A cooperation between UIL and FutureLearn who have partnered to accelerate Education for Sustainable Development in UNESCO learning cities. FutureLearn, a member of the Global University Systems’ network of institutions, provides free access to online courses on sustainable development issues for 100,000 lifelong learners in UNESCO learning cities across the globe.
• As part of a hybrid capacity-building workshop, an online learning module ‘Education for Sustainable Development in Learning Cities: Promoting green and climate-resilient local communities’ with 9 lessons will be launched in September 2024. 

Knowledge and data

• A collection of UNESCO learning cities cases in the publication 'ESD implementation in learning cities'. 
• A new database ‘Lifelong learning for climate action at the local level' with good practices of UNESCO learning cities will be launched in July 2024, including a first set of city examples which will be followed by an open call for contributions to all members of the network later in the year. 
• A special issue of the International Review of Education is currently under preparation with a focus on ‘Multi-stakeholder approaches to promote adult learning and education, and lifelong learning for climate action: The context of learning cities’. The special issue will include academic papers from different disciplinary backgrounds, exploring critical issues of climate action in the context of learning cities. The draft papers will inform the ICLC6, with the special issue being published in August 2025.