Can Education Help Us Address the Climate Crisis?

Hamilton Public Lecture by Professor Chris Eames

Can we educate our way out of the climate crisis?

That is the pātai being explored in an upcoming public lecture by Professor Chris Eames at the University of Waikato in Kirikiriroa.

Climate change is no longer something abstract or distant. We are seeing the impacts here in Aotearoa. Flooding, heatwaves, shifting seasons, pressure on ecosystems and communities. The science is clear enough. The harder question is what we do with that knowledge in our kura and classrooms.

How do we prepare ākonga and rangatahi not just to understand climate science, but to live with it, question it, and act with whakaaro and responsibility?

Professor Eames has spent decades working in science and environmental education. His work connects research, schools, communities and policy. He has supported climate change education across the Pacific and worked alongside international organisations including the OECD. But more importantly, he understands the realities of teaching and learning in Aotearoa.

For kaiako, school leaders, tertiary students, and anyone interested in sustainability and the future of our communities, this is a timely kōrero.

The Hamilton Public Lecture Series is free and open to the public. It is a chance to step outside the day-to-day and think more deeply about where education is heading.

Rehita Mai