Office for Climate Education
Initiative on International Climate Change Education
Teachers around the world are faced with the major challenge of explaining the complex interrelationships of climate change to students and balancing economic, ecological, and social aspects to demonstrate perspectives for action. The OCE aims to support them in this endeavor. The international initiative offers scientifically based teaching materials for teachers in four languages (English, German, French, Spanish), as well as organizes training courses and conferences in developing and emerging countries. In terms of content, the OCE is guided by the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The OCE was founded in 2018 by the La main à la pâte (LAMAP) Foundation in Paris and several scientific institutions such as the French Research Institute for Development (IRD), Météo-France and Météo & Climat. Siemens Stiftung is a cooperation partner mainly in the countries where it operates. In addition, the OCE is supported by other French foundations and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
Learning Today for a Better Tomorrow
Siemens Stiftung has a seat on the OCE’s Strategic Committee and Scientific and Pedagogical Committee, where the educational content is developed. It also supports the initiative financially.
Through our network, we promote the dissemination of the content to relevant stakeholders. In particular, the STEMplus Territories (STEMplus regions), which emerged from our Red STEM Latinoamérica network, form ecosystems to work on a holistic educational concept on the topic of climate change and to promote regional adaptations. All teaching and learning media are also available through our educational portal CREA (Centro de Recursos Educativos Abiertos).
We are particularly involved in the ALEC-Projekts (América Latina para la Educación Climática). This five-year pilot project aims to promote climate change education in Latin America, focusing on three main areas: 1) the creation of free educational resources, 2) professional development for teachers, and 3) the formation of a community for practical exchange. Currently, the focus is on Mexico and Colombia.
«We need universal education on climate change that is simultaneously adapted to the different conditions in the world.»
Badin Borde, Project Manager ‘STEM + Climate’ at Siemens Stiftung, on our involvement in ALEC.
The Office for Climate Education’s materials are available as Open Educational Resources (OER) under Creative Commons license on the OCE website. Handouts for teachers, topic-specific websites, multimedia animations and videos explain the complex topic with different focuses. The content of the materials is based on the IPCC reports. They are developed in cooperation with a scientific and pedagogical committee and checked for content and applicability before publication.
Comprehensive materials are available on the following topics in particular:
- Climate change in general
- Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees
- Ocean and cryosphere
- Greenhouse effect
- Soil, land use and agriculture
n addition to providing teaching materials and training specifically for teachers in emerging and developing countries, regional pedagogical congresses are organized where methods and topics relating to “Education for Sustainable Development” are discussed. These take place at regular intervals in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Together with the OCE Conferencia Internacional Educación en Cambio Climático , Siemens Stiftung plays a key role in the Conferencia Internacional Educación en Cambio Climático (International Conference on Climate Change Education), which has now been held five times in Santiago de Chile.
TeachersCOP presents the work of teachers and their key role in the global climate response to policy and decision-makers. The next event will take place at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates.
The International Seminar on Climate Change Education brings together teachers and policymakers from various countries outside the EU. For a week, they participate in workshops to exchange knowledge, methods and tools in the field of climate education.
International Seminar
At the “International Seminar on Climate Change Education” from September 12 -15, decision-makers and educational practitioners will exchange information on current best practices and tools.
Since 2023, teachers worldwide can participate for free in the new MOOC “Climate Change Education: From Knowledge to Action”.
The Office for Climate Education relies on international cooperation with leading scientists, climate researchers, research institutes and NGOs. The initiative is based on close cooperation between international institutions and non-governmental organizations involved in climate change education.
The institutionalization of the OCE as a UNESCO Category 2 Center underlines the global significance of the initiative for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Projectmanager STEM + Climate
Badin Borde
badin.borde@siemens-stiftung.org
Managingdirectors OCE
David Wilgenbus
david.wilgenbus@oce.global
The climate in our hands –
Ocean and Cryosphere (2021)
The first teacher’s guide book from the collection “The climate in our hands”, a series of volumes on climate change, has been researched and written by the OCE team and the OCE’s scientific and education partners. The multidisciplinary guide is aimed at primary and middle school teachers (target: students aged 9 to 15) and offers turnkey sessions based on the investigative approach to help students understand climate change and the functioning of the oceans and cryosphere, through experiments or document analysis. It concludes with proposals for mitigation or adaptation measures to be implemented in their schools or communities. Available in English, French, German, and Spanish.
The climate in our hands –
Climate Change and Land (2022)
“Climate Change and Land” is the second teacher’s guide book from the collection “The climate in our hands”, a series of volumes on climate change. This multidisciplinary guide is aimed at primary and middle school teachers (target: students aged 9 to 15) and offers turnkey sessions based on the investigative approach to help students understand climate change and the functioning of the land, through experiments or document analysis. It concludes with proposals for mitigation or adaptation measures to be implemented in their schools or communities. Currently available in English, French and Spanish. A German version is in the making.