In its report to Commonwealth Ministers of Education in 2022 – Transforming Education for Climate Action – the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) underscored the importance of building climate literacy and climate leadership across societies, noting that persons “do not need to become climate scientists, but they do need to become climate literate.”

Climate Literacy for All – a new MOOC offered in partnership with The University of the West Indies (UWI) Jamaica – is the third in a series of climate change courses developed with support from the COL in 2023, the other two being Becoming a Climate Champion: A Climate Emergency Course for Young People and Teaching for Climate Action.

Almost 800 people from 47 countries enrolled in the Climate Literacy for All course offered on COL’s MOOCs for Development platform between 6 November and 18 December 2023. Facilitated by UWI, the course provided the fundamental knowledge needed to understand the science of climate change, identify climate change solutions and take action at an individual level, especially in the context of small island developing states.

A geography teacher from Samoa, Johannes Uili, was among those persons completing the MOOC. Commenting on its relevance to the Pacific, he noted, “… climate change isn’t just a distant headline. It’s rising tides lapping at our shores, changing weather patterns disrupting our crops, and the ever-present threat of cyclones wreaking havoc on our islands”. He described the course as “… a revelation. It wasn’t just a dry academic exercise, but a vibrant tapestry woven with scientific data and compelling case studies tools. It filled the gaps in my own knowledge, deepening my understanding of the complex web of factors driving climate change, its diverse impacts on earth and ways that mankind can help our earth to survive”.

Dr Mairette Newman, COL Education Specialist: VUSSC, spoke about the relevance of the course, “At a time when climate pseudoscience parades as fact, it is important that citizens are not only informed but also inspired to act. Climate Literacy for All encourages us to think about the impact of our personal actions on climate, take climate-conscious decisions and become involved in climate change advocacy and education.”