Education at the heart of London Climate Action Week

By Molly Tooher-Rudd

As London sweltered through the hottest June days on record during London Climate Action Week 2026 (LCAW), the central message was impossible to ignore: climate change is no longer a future problem but a reality already re-shaping daily life.

The soaring temperatures provided a powerful backdrop to a series of thought-provoking events led by and in collaboration with representatives from the University of Cambridge. The importance of education as a vital tool for resilience was high on the agenda, from a high-level dialogue on green skills and the circular economy in the lead-up to COP 31, hosted at the Turkish ambassador's house, to the launch of the new Education Visions series at the British Library.

For Cambridge, the week concluded with the Cambridge Climate & Nature Research Showcase, bringing together more than 250 researchers across all six of the University's Schools, to share critical research and strengthen connections across disciplines, themes and the community.

At the British Library, Professor Anjali Goswami, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) reminded the audience that adaptation to climate is no longer a distant concern.

“It is here and we need bold action. Education is a vital part of that action,” she said. 

This year's LCAW – the largest to date – brought more than 75,000 participants across over 1,000 events, with diplomatic engagement from 25 countries. Over the week, Cambridge Zero, Cambridge University Press & Assessment (CUP&A), the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education, Cambridge Sustainable Design Group and colleagues from across the University demonstrated Cambridge leadership in climate research, education, policy and international collaboration.

Education and green skills were threads running through many of Cambridge’s contributions. 

Hosted by Cambridge Zero Director Professor Emily Shuckburgh CBE (Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero) with CUP&A, the event Thriving sustainably on planet earth, celebrated the launch of the first book in an Education Visions series. It asks questions of how education serves young people in a world of climate change, the challenges of social loss that come with it, and the stress children experience on a day-to-day basis.  

“It's incredibly important to have started this conversation on how we support our children and young people to respond to the climate challenge,” said Professor Shuckburgh at this event.  

Also at the event was Professor Michael Thomas, (Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Education), who raised the importance of the new Natural History GCSE. The DfE and Cambridge OCR, launched a consultation on the new Natural History GCSE just before LCAW.

"This GCSE is a chance to empower young people to understand and appreciate nature, with deep knowledge and skills, whether they live in the countryside, a town or a city," Cambridge OCR Managing Director Myles McGinley said.   

Ensuring equality and climate justice across education systems is essential. 

Cambridge Zero, The Faculty of Education at Cambridge and CUP&A worked together with Save the Children to convene a long table event to discuss “Advancing Climate Justice, Community Resilience & Education”. This focused on the impact of climate on education, resilient, climate just education systems and the connections between climate funding and educational funding. 

Green skills are a core pillar of transition, enabling people to access jobs, transform innovation into deployment and drive a needed systems change. CUP&A and Cambridge representatives joined an international panel of senior leaders at the Turkish Ambassador’s Residence in London to explore education, skills and the circular economy in the lead up to COP 31. 

"Cambridge stands ready to play a part in that effort, we look forward to collaborating," said Professor Bhaskar Vira, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Cambridge. 

Green skills and the current UK jobs market were also explored at, “From green skills to future‑fit, resilient organisations” hosted by CISL with LinkedIn and Microsoft. Panellists discussed the growing demand for sustainability-related skills and the challenge of translating them into delivery, and what leadership means now.  

Also on the road to COP31, Cambridge supported an event “Advancing Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) through Higher Education Institutions” which brought together representatives from UK higher education, climate networks, government and international organisations to explore how universities can advance the Action for Climate Empowerment Action Plan. 

The week also showcased Cambridge's interdisciplinary research, through events such as Health and Climate Action for Equitable Heat-Resilient Futures, an afternoon of research, dialogue and public engagement, hosted by the SDG, a research group led by Professor Ronita Bardhan, Professor of Sustainable Built Environment and Health at Cambridge.

CISL ran a wide-ranging programme of events across the week focussed on the need for collective action, delivering its most extensive presence since LCAW began, contributing to more than 70 events. Highlights included The UK Business Leaders Summit, co-convened with CISL UK’s Corporate Leaders Group, and an electrification roundtable.  

An event on Climate Law and Diplomacy at the UN General Assembly, the ICJ and Santa Marta was hosted by the Centre for Climate Engagement, the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, and Cambridge Zero. 

"Speakers from the Pacific shared innovative approaches to international climate law, highlighting the major diplomatic and legal efforts made by island nations'," Cambridge Hatton Professor of Climate Law Harro van Asselt said.

Shuckburgh delivered a powerful closing note at the Cambridge Climate & Nature Showcase at the end of LCAW. “The world desperately needs the curiosity and creation that exists in the University to navigate these challenging times.”