Another campus expands climate classes — this time, because the students made it happen

I’m catching up with writing, slowly.

Getting COVID knocked my schedule flat. Ten days ago I keynoted a conference in Chicago, which went well, but exhausted me like a simple trip has never done before. COVID recovery actually means a lot of this kind of strange fatigue. Just making a big meal for everyone sends me to a sofa for rest. And the health experts insist I refrain from exercising, so no biking, weightlifting, or hiking for weeks.

None of which stops me from researching and reflecting on the future of higher education! I have a series of blog posts in the hopper. Today’s topic is how academia grapples with climate change, based on one new story.

“… for a few days the camp has become an open space for training and reflection, with many classes and workshops.”

Students at the University of Barcelona asked their administration to mandate a class on climate change. Not make such a class available, but require it for all students. They occupied administrative spaces until UB agreed to the curricular change, adding a professional development component for faculty and staff:

In a move thought to be a world first, all 14,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students will have to take the course from the 2024 academic year. It will also devise a training programme on climate issues for its 6,000 academic staff.