SGGW involved in Climate Change Education
Centrum Nauki Kopernik (Copernicus Science Centre) in Warsaw hosted a formal work summary of the Round Table on Climate Change Education, during which the Rector of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, prof. dr hab. Michał Zasada read a Letter of Support for climate change education.
The climate crisis is undoubtedly one of the greatest challenges we face as a society and as a civilization. Scientists no longer have any doubts, as the sixth report summarizing the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reads: It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land. The international scientific community emphasizes not only the seriousness of the resulting risk, but also the social, economic, environmental, health and ethical consequences we are going to face in the near future.
Although experts have been providing us with various tools and mechanisms to counteract this threat for years, they are not implemented at the appropriate pace and scale.
This results from the fact that the climate crisis is an extremely complex problem that requires a comprehensive perspective, which we lack because of the insufficient understanding of the seriousness of the problem among policy-makers and society, and due to many years of neglect in the area of climate protection activities.
The university environment has been the cradle of holistic and comprehensive thinking about the world and its problems. Its role seems to be particularly important in Poland, where the academic education is really extensive.
However, it also means a great responsibility and a powerful influence of that community on society, especially on well educated individuals who make discoveries and inventions, and revolutionary political, commercial and administrative decisions.
Therefore, universal and systemic climate education is of key importance for raising awareness regarding climate change and the possibility of countering the negative effects of human beings on the environment.
Bearing in mind the above, as Rectors, we call for the implementation of universal, reliable and comprehensive climate education at all educational levels in Poland. The implementation of that objective requires close partnership and constructive cooperation between government institutions, local authorities, trade unions, non-governmental and international organizations, political groups, young people, parents and the scientific and academic community. We hereby wish to express our readiness to undertake such cooperation with all parties.
We also declare that acting within our powers and abilities we will increase our efforts and our joint efforts to create the basis for an appropriate climate education in the higher education institutions. We will involve the academic community as much as possible in this project. We will also provide and implement solutions leading to the fastest possible implementation of the idea of universal climate education, developed by the Roundtable on climate change education at the UN Global Compact Network Poland.
The Roundtable on the Climate Change Education
Members of the Programme Board at the UN Global Compact Network Poland.
Dr hab. Halina Brdulak, President of the programme Board, UN Global Compact Network Poland
Dr hab. Katarzyna Jasikowska, Vice-President of the Programme Board, UN Global Compact Network Poland
Dr inż. Piotr Bartkiewicz, the Secretary of the Programme Board, UN Global Compact Network Poland
Dr hab. inż. arch. Anna Bać
Dr hab. Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak
Prof. dr hab. inż. arch. Elżbieta D. Ryńska
Dr inż. Paweł Gajda
Prof. dr hab. n. med. Radosław Gawlik
Prof. dr. hab. med. Wojciech Hanke
Prof. nadzw. dr hab. Jaromir Jakacki
Prof. dr hab. inż. arch. Anna Januchta-Szostak
Dr hab. inż. Zbigniew M. Karaczun
Dr Aleksandra Kardaś
Prof. dr hab. inż. Piotr Kleczkowski
Prof. dr hab. Michał Kleiber
Prof. dr hab. Ewa Krogulec
Dr hab. n. med. Michał Krzyżanowski
Dr Michał Kudłacz
Dr hab. Joanna Kulczycka
Prof. dr hab. Szymon Malinowski
Dr hab. Andrzej Mikulski
Prof. dr hab. inż. Maciej Nowicki
Prof. dr hab. n. med. Krystyna Pawlas
Prof. dr hab. Jacek Piskozub
Marcin Popkiewicz
Dr Marta Potocka
Dr hab. Adam Przybyłowski
Dr Joanna Remiszewska-Michalak
Dr hab. Bożena Ryszawska
Dr inż. Maciej Siuda
Prof. dr hab. inż. Wojciech Suwała
Dr Sebastian Szklarek
Prof. dr hab. Zbigniew Ustrnul
Prof. dr hab. Jan Marcin Węsławski
Dr Jan Witajewski-Baltvilks
Dr hab. inż. arch. Katarzyna Zielonko-Jung
Dr hab. Tymon Zieliński
Prof. dr hab. Tomasz Żylicz