On November 6 and 7, 2024 in TUNIS, Tunisia the Renewable Energy Forum Africa (REFA) will be hosting their annual investment forum promoting investment in renewables on the African continent. Africa is such an important area of focus as their demand for power is projected to grow 8-fold by 2050.

The forum will once again focus on 2 key aspects:
1. Propose the most up-to-date content and discussions on all key renewables including solar, green hydrogen, e-mobility, wind, storage, hydro, biomass, ...
2.Foster quality meetings for all delegates through the state-of-the-art matchmaking platform

Agriculture is essential to our lives, even if it often goes unnoticed. Climate change is changing agriculture and our food supply chains, and the U.S. Farm Bill, which is crucial to many aspects of our food systems, is up for renegotiation. Attend two one-hour sessions of From Fields to Policy, an official Climate Week NYC event series, to hear esteemed panel speakers discuss:

- The differences and similarities between the upcoming Farm Bill and its previous iteration passed in 2018, and how Inflation Reduction Act funding adds to the Farm Bill's impact
- How the 2024 Farm Bill may impact climate, farmers, and families
- How ongoing negotiations are shaping the 2024 Farm Bill, and the role corporations and lawmakers have in creating the bill
- Alternate and supplementary legislation and initiatives to shift our food systems towards sustainability

Nonprofits are filling in the gap to better connect universities to communities for real world problem solving. EPIC-N, an international effort, connects studentns with communities for joint efforts on sustainability related projects. You might want to connect with them and take a look at their great project examples. See the attached brochure for a concise description.

The Education for Climate Coalition is the European participatory community to support teaching and learning for the green transition and sustainable development. You can be from anywhere in the world and join this participatory community – even if you are not from Europe, just create a login and use the website! As a flagship initiative of the European Education Area by 2025 and an essential part of the European Green Deal, the Education for Climate Coalition is part of the European Union’s comprehensive approach to environmental sustainability education. As a community of practice, it enriches both the Council recommendation on teaching and learning for the green transition and sustainable development and GreenComp, the sustainability competence framework, with its participatory approach for taking action on education for climate challenges on the ground.

*This post is from the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development*

On September 24th Committed to Climate and Energy Education (CLEAN) will host a webinar with a virtual tour of the CLEAN portal. Attendees will learn about the CLEAN collection of almost 1000 climate and energy educational resources and the range of other supporting materials to help you effectively and accurately teach about climate and energy topics. Register to watch on zoom!

“This post is from the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development”

One of the two largest unions for teachers in the United States is offering NEA micro credentials on climate education and shows they are commited to professional development around climate education. This is what we need! What do you think?

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has launched a National Energy Transition Planning Dashboard. This dashboard presents a global repository of energy planning documents and modelling tools developed and/or used by governmental institutions for official planning purposes (a section on the features of scenarios is forthcoming). It aims to provide information for planners in the government sector, which can be used to benchmark their national planning practices and/or learn about relevant approaches used by global peers. Information in the dashboard is being consistently updated as more data becomes available through IRENA's engagements under the “Addressing Variable Renewables in Long-Term Modelling” project (AVRIL) and Long-term Energy Scenarios Network (LTES Network). The dashboard has two pages, Planning Documents (page 1) and Modeling Tools (page 2),

*This post is by the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development*

The International Institute for Environment and Development generated evidence on the unmet needs and potential contributions of refugees and displaced people in cities. They used this data to start conversations between displaced people and city officials about how to make cities places where displaced people can lead safe and productive lives. This is significant for climate change work because climate change displaces tens of millions of people each year.

LEED: Paving the Way for Sustainable Buildings

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a globally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). This voluntary program provides building owners and operators a framework for designing, constructing, and operating high-performance green buildings. LEED certification signifies that a building was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving energy efficiency, reducing water usage, generating renewable energy, conserving materials, and improving indoor environmental quality.
Key features and benefits of LEED certification include:
* Environmental performance: LEED buildings are designed to minimize their environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving resources, and protecting ecosystems.
* Health and well-being: LEED certification promotes healthier indoor environments for occupants through improved air quality, lighting, and acoustics.
* Economic benefits: LEED buildings often have lower operating costs due to increased energy efficiency and reduced water usage.
* Market recognition: LEED certification enhances a building's marketability and can increase property values.
* Innovation: LEED encourages innovative design solutions and promotes the adoption of sustainable building practices.
To achieve LEED certification, buildings must meet a set of prerequisites and earn points in various categories, such as:
* Sustainable sites: Addresses site selection, water efficiency, and stormwater management.
* Water efficiency: Reduces potable water use.
* Energy and atmosphere: Improves energy performance and promotes the use of renewable energy.
* Materials and resources: Encourages the use of sustainable materials and reduces waste.
* Indoor environmental quality: Provides healthy and productive indoor environments.
* Innovation in design: Recognizes innovative strategies beyond the base requirements.
By promoting sustainable building practices, LEED is helping to create a more sustainable built environment and address pressing global challenges such as climate change.
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Amr Ghazy
Environmental Consultant
[email protected]

A newsletter you should check out!
The June newsletter of the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education Project, in partnership with the Sustainability and Policy Network contains multiple resources on educating on climate change, including a Policy Paper, Report, Global Indicators, and a Digital Library.