Enabling citizens to act on climate change, for sustainable development and environmental protection through education, citizen science, observation initiatives, and civic engagement (LC-GD-10-3-2020)

IA Innovation action

Specific Challenge:

The active role of citizens and their direct involvement is essential to address climate change and other human actions harming the environment on land, air and sea. Changes in citizen’s and consumer’s behaviours towards more sustainable patterns can happen through education, awareness raising, citizen science, observation and monitoring of their environmental impacts, civic engagement and social innovation. It is essential to directly involve citizens and communities in contributing to climate action and protecting the environment, thereby encouraging them to change their personal behaviour and their mindsets, reducing their carbon and environmental footprint and taking action at the individual and collective level. This would lead to a more sustainable lifestyle and relationship to the environment.

A strong emphasis is placed on strengthening environmental awareness of the young generation through education and other forms of youth engagement. Pupils and students have the potential to become ambassadors for climate action, sustainable development and environmental protection by sharing their knowledge, experience and engagement with their families, local communities, public and private decision makers, as well as through communication and the use of social media. As recommended in the European Green Deal Communication, schools, training institutions and universities are well positioned to engage with pupils, parents and the wider community on the changes needed for a successful transition to a green economy. A European competence framework is needed to help develop and assess knowledge, skills and attitudes on climate change and sustainable development. Related demonstration activities on for example nature-based solutions, biodiversity conservation, waste management, sustainable energy production and consumption, marine science, etc. will support the testing and the implementation of the framework.

Citizen science is a powerful tool for climate action, sustainable development and environmental protection through civic engagement. Citizen science should be understood broadly, covering a range of different levels of participation, from raising public knowledge of science, encouraging citizens to participate in the scientific process by observing, gathering and processing data, right up to setting scientific agenda and co-designing and implementing science-related policies. It could also involve publication of results and teaching science. Citizen science activities should be based on a robust scientific methodology ensuring the quality of the data collected and a fair representation of all stakeholders involved. Citizen science will help to raise awareness, to educate in science, to increase understanding of scientific processes and scientific literacy. It will also provide new tools and data for environmental monitoring, covering a broad European geography. Citizen science can strongly contribute to the delivery of environmental data with a significant potential for further broad use, including contributing to improving relevant European policies. It will have real-life impact through adaptations in citizen/consumer personal behaviours.

Initiatives should be coherent with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the European Climate Pact and the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 to engage citizens and communities in action addressing climate change, sustainable development and environmental protection. The proposed activities will build on existing initiatives and practices that demonstrate at international, European, national, regional and local level innovation in teaching and learning methods and how to engage the wider community in the changes needed for a successful and just transition. For example, experience can be learned from the European Ocean Literacy platform, the European Atlas of the Seas, the Plastic Pirates initiative, the citizen science platform, the Horizon 2020 project TeRRIFICA, Scientix, School Education Gateway, resources for nature-based solutions in education, UNESCO experience in Education for Sustainable Development, as well as cultural, creative and artistic activities as a tool for empowering citizens.

Pressupost: 25 milions pel tòpic; entre 3-5 milions per projecte

Data límit: 26 Gener 2021 17:00:00 Brussels time

Web de la convocatòria: enllaç

Més informació, contacta amb la Secció de Programes Europeus i Internacionals de l'OITT: european.office@udg.edu