The September 2018 Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) brought together leaders from around the world to showcase the achievements of states, regions, cities, companies, and citizens with respect to climate action. The summit also served as a launchpad for the announcement of bold new climate commitments and accelerated action to realize the historic Paris Climate Change Agreement.
As a complement to the summit, an official GCAS affiliate event was hosted by Ten Strands—in partnership with the California Environmental Protection Agency, CalRecycle, California Department of Education, California Subject Matter Project, State Board of Education, Strategic Energy Innovations, and the University of California—in order to elevate the importance of education as a systemic, strategic tool to advance climate action.
The event, which took place at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, was attended by over 100 sector leaders and included inspiring keynotes and panel presentations highlighting the power of education and activism. The day also included time for rich table discussions and brainstorming sessions amongst attendees.
The three panels of the day focused on:
- Empowering California students through education.
- Scaling education efforts to reach youth across the globe.
- The role of cross-sector partnership in elevating education in climate action.
Featured speakers included:
- Adriana Valenzuela Jimenez, climate education lead, UNFCC
- Cindy Montanez, CEO, TreePeople
- Juanita Chan, STEM and college and careers pathway coordinator, Rialto Unified School District
- Kahri Boykin, high school teacher, Yosemite High School
- Matt Rodriguez, secretary for environmental protection, California Environmental Protection Agency
- Maxine Jimenez, graduate and environmental justice activist, UC Santa Cruz
- Michael Watkins, superintendent, Santa Cruz County Office of Education
- Nathaniel Rich, American novelist and essayist
- Pierre Lena, honorary president, Foundation La main à la pâte
- Dr. Ram Ramanathan, distinguished professor of atmospheric and climate sciences, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
- Terry Tamminen, former CEO, Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation
- Dr. Tom Adams, former deputy superintendent, California Department of Education
Read a blog about the GCAS education affiliate event here.
Photo credit: Brian Dettor photography