British Council launches Climate Connection global campaign

The British Council on Thursday announced the launch of a new global campaign to address the climate emergency in the lead up to the COP26 summit in November.
June 04, 2021 | 10:44
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British Council launches Climate Connection global campaign
The Climate Connection, which launches in the week leading to World Environment Day on 5 June and runs until the COP26 summit in November. Photo British Council

The Climate Connection campaign brings together people from around the world to share their ideas and perspectives on climate change, and to look for solutions using education, art and culture, and science. It will offer global conversations, art and science showcases, university scholarships, funding, research, and training opportunities.

The UK will host the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland from 1 to 12 November. The British Council is supporting the UK government’s ambition for COP26 to be the most inclusive ever by using its global networks to inspire millions of people around the world to take action against climate change.

The Climate Connection, which launches in the week leading to World Environment Day on 5 June and runs until the COP26 summit in November, includes a number of initiatives.

Some initiatives and programmes in Vietnam are Rivers of Life, supporting ten social action projects on climate change and the impact of climate; climate action in language education, a professional development training series for teachers.

Welcoming the idea of the Rivers of Life, one of the initiatives of the British Council in Vietnam providing a platform for a joined-up youth-focused activity targeting the south of the country given the increasing severity of climate impacts there, Huynh Thanh Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Dong Thap province said “This is a very meaningful project for the Mekong Delta and for Dong Thap in particular, home of part of the Tien river. The project will help teachers and students in Dong Thap enhance and raise awareness about the impact of climate change on the river, which is vital to people’s lives.”

British Council launches Climate Connection global campaign
Young people give a presentation on a 'Rivers of Life' project. Photo British Council

Six innovative projects under Microgrant ‘Youth for climate actions’ were selected for grants to respond to climate change and create social impact, delivering practical solutions for communities, encompassing rural and remote areas as well as big cities and provinces.

The COP26 Trilateral Research Initiative will also support international joint research among Can Tho University (Vietnam), University of Southampton (UK), Kyoto University (Japan) and Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) for Integrated Strategies for Water Resources Risk Management in the ASEAN Region Under Climate Uncertainty.

British Council launches Climate Connection global campaign
The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties will be hosted by the UK in November. Photo COP26

Kate Ewart-Biggs, British Council Interim Chief Executive, said “The British Council is proud to support COP26’s aims to unite people around the world to tackle climate change. Through our Climate Connection campaign, we will draw on our expertise in education, the arts, and cultural exchange, to support people everywhere to find innovative solutions to the biggest global emergency we face.”

A British Council survey of almost 40,000 young people aged 18-34 across 36 countries, including the G20 countries, found that climate change is perceived by them to be the most important issue facing the world today.

According to the recent Next Generation Vietnam report, in Vietnam, seven in ten of those surveyed (69 percent) wish to contribute to Vietnam’s future through environmental affairs and about one in nine (14 percent) rank climate change among their top five priorities.

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