Esol Education students from Fairgreen International School, Dunecrest American School, and two campuses of American International School in Egypt had the opportunity to attend the recent COP28 UN Climate Change conference held in Dubai in November 2023. This edition of COP was the biggest of its kind, hosting 85,000 participants including more than 150 Heads of State and Government, representatives of national delegations, civil society, business, Indigenous Peoples, youth, philanthropy, and international organizations. COP28 concluded the first “global stocktake’” of the world’s efforts to collectively limit the global temperature increase to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, and to counteract the existing effects of climate change. It was reported that progress across all areas of climate action was too slow – from emissions reductions, strengthening vulnerable communities to climate finance and technology support. Member countries were called upon to speed up their transition to renewable energy and accelerate action 2030.
Students joined COP28 via Esol Education’s partnership with a youth program, “#Decarbonize,” organized by CGE Education. Esol’s Fairgreen International School, with sustainability embedded in its curriculum was designated as the lead school for this year’s conference, on the heels of Esol’s AIS Egypt being designated as the lead school for COP27 held in Sharm El Shaikh in 2022. #Decarbonize is the world's largest, multilingual school-based program on climate education, advocacy, art, and action. Esol students joined their peers from around the world for an action packed itinerary at the COP28 conference venue that included mock COP conferences, debates and presentations, school visits, panel discussions, inspirational talks by industry leaders, a science fair and cultural visits. Students showcased projects they had worked on in their classes, sharing some solutions they brainstormed to some of the biggest challenges the world is facing.
Esol students joined their peers from around the world for an action packed itinerary at the COP28 conference venue that included mock COP conferences, debates and presentations, school visits, panel discussions, inspirational talks by industry leaders, a science fair and cultural visits.
“It’s made so happy to see so many people come together, not just to talk about issues but to actually do something about them,” reflected Serena Elsokari, Grade 10 student at Fairgreen. “This is my second COP conference,” shared Jody Abdelmonen, Grade 8 student at AIS Egypt. “The speeches at Extreme Hangout Zone were inspiring and I am so impressed with all the innovation, technology and ideas being generated,” she added. AIS Egypt students’ initiatives to combat climate change at COP 28 caught the attention of H.E. Rania Almashaat, Minister of International Cooperation, who then invited them, upon their return, to attend the 23rd Annual Report launch on "Platforms for Policy and Practice" - a true testament to their impactful work.
Esol Education schools focus on a inquiry-led, project-based teaching approach, where students are encouraged to apply global and local contexts to their learning, generating relevant, actionable ideas and strategies. “Events like these get students to focus on real-world problems, think about solutions and how to implement them,”
said Mr. Daniel Cruz, Social Studies Curriculum Leader from Dunecrest who accompanied his class to the event. “This is how they will be able to be change-makers in the world tomorrow.”