The Climate Box: Children from Moldova will learn about climate change and carbon footprint

Thus, UNDP Moldova, in partnership with the National Environmental Centre, has organized during 25-27 March 2019 three training sessions for more than 160 teachers. They have become familiar with the Climate Box education material to be able to use it as optional support in geography, biology, physics, science and environmental education classes. 

As a next step, the Climate Box will be adapted to national context, translated and published.

"The subject of climate change requires complex approaches and determination. Education system plays an important role in bringing relevant knowledge of the young generation on climate change impacts and educating them in the spirit of reducing their carbon footprint. It is our role to teach them using interesting and attractive methods," says Inga Podoroghin, Programme Specialist in the field of climate change, environment and energy at UNDP Moldova.

The Climate Box toolkit was developed by experts in the fields of climatology, geography, biology and economics, who have collaborated with teachers and writers of children's literature. Now it is used by approx. 50,000 students from eight countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

"I want to express my gratitude to the organizers of this seminar. I believe that the aspects of climate change are very important to humankind and it is rewarding to see that people are addressing this issue and looking for solutions," said Tatiana Stancova, a teacher at the Maramonovca village, Donduseni district.

The Republic of Moldova is vulnerable to climate change, as droughts, heatwaves, frosts, strong storms or floods are phenomena that impacted the country over the past years. The heavy snowfall of April 22, 2017, which resulted in massive destruction of the trees in central and southern Moldova, when nature was in the process of spring bloom, as well as various material damage and long electricity disruptions, provoked discussions in the public space about how prepared the country is to deal with the consequences of climate change.

The Climate Movement, which started in August 2018 as an individual protest of Greta Thunberg, a 15-year-old Swedish girl, turned into the largest environmental protest action in the history of humankind, which on March 15, 2019 mobilized over 1.4 million people in 123 countries, who advocated for better policies to reduce the carbon footprint.