Bhaskar Som – Fitch Solutions – on Climate Education – Cli5 @ Clidemy
Cli5 is an effort to get valuable feedback from a wide range of stakeholders about their perceptions about climate education and their suggestions for improving it. It comprises a maximum of five questions, hence the name Cli5.
In this post, Bhaskar Som, Country Head from Fitch Solutions provides his insights to the questions on climate education.
Clidemy – The Climate Academy thanks Bhaskar for his insights. (See Cli5 insights from others)
Why do you think most ordinary people know so little about climate change and related
domains?
Climate change and its impact is something that happens over a longer-term timeframe. The various stakeholders of a society tend to be concerned more about the immediate concern areas, pushing discussions on climate change and related domains in the background. Significant areas in India might face extreme heat, drought and overflooding over the next decade, making certain tracts of India inhabitable. The threat is real, and it is essential that everyone be educated about climate change so that steps can be taken to reduce the impact.
How can we make schools teach more climate education to children – both
primary & secondary school children?
Climate education should become a compulsory subject in school. Children should be made aware of the effects of rising sea levels and increasing temperature on the ecosystem and what needs to be done to reverse the trend. With education will come awareness and the future generation can play a more proactive role in reversing the trend through net-negative carbon emissions.
What role do you think governments should do about climate education?
Government needs to be a key sponsor in driving climate education in schools. Without the support and the encouragement of both the Central and the State Governments, the agenda and the syllabus cannot be pushed across India. The Government may look at introducing legislation which makes
climate education compulsory in schools.
Are you aware of climate related jobs? If yes, what careers are you aware of?
Two key themes will dominate the next decade – climate change/ sustainable development and data analytics/ AI. Already several key jobs have come up in the sustainability space, with a position of Chief Sustainability Officer being created at most organizations – be it FIs or corporates. Investment banks are looking at recruiting analysts who can compare companies on a sustainability index and thereby identify
investment opportunities. Organizations are looking at recruiting technical people who can help them achieve sustainable development. Education institutions are looking at recruiting trainers on climate change issues. However, the maximum number of opportunities probably lie with the
multinational developmental banks as they aspire for a net-zero world.
