G20 Catania, Italy. June 22, 2021 – Educational poverty, lessons learned from the pandemic, international cooperation for education, and enforcement of the relation between education and labor. These were the priorities of the G20 Education and Labor in Catania (Sicily), held on June 22, 2021.

But what is missing from this list is the climate crisis as climate education was glaringly absent from the list of governmental priorities discussed during these meetings. 

What about climate literacy? Where is the education for training climate shapers, able to adapt and mitigate our most pressing global challenge?

Despite the Italian government’s leadership in the field, and its outstanding example as the first country to integrate climate change into education programs, the most important countries in the world did not include this issue among their priority discussion points. This is indicative of certain policymakers’ oversight or avoidance. These leaders have a responsibility to leverage their power to protect future generations.

In parallel to the policy session of the G20, Future Food Institute, FAO, and Isola Catania organized “Food for Earth G20 Edition,” a global side event focused on the relationship between food and climate, in the contexts of both education and labor. The event, held at Palazzo Biscari in Catania, hosted entrepreneurs, startups, innovators, schools, associations, policymakers, institutions, young talents, and many international organizations such as Reboot the Future and Washington-based Earth Day Network.

The President of Earth Day Network and the President of Future Food Institute, both deeply involved and committed to fighting climate change and raising awareness on the issue, took a strong position on the outcomes of the G20.

“I believe that G20 missed a huge opportunity. We will not have any future at all without investing in climate friendly solutions and educating a global community of changemakers and climate shapers. Humanity should be aware of it and policymakers should lead the change, inspiring their communities to act on climate. Instead, the G20 Education and Labor sessions seemed to ignore the millions of people asking for climate literacy. Future Food Institute continues to work in this direction, but we need all of humanity working towards the same sustainable goal. We believe that the Italian government represents a benchmark to follow and we hoped that its presidency, in the current G20, would have demonstrated the right model. Unfortunately, that was not the case.” 

Please join Future Food Institute and Food for Earth Day Network mission. Act on climate.

 

About Future Food

The Future Food Institute is an international social enterprise and the cornerstone of the Future Food Ecosystem, an inclusive network and knowledge platform sparking positive change in the global food system by leveraging the power of education. 

Through innovative, research-backed academic programs, boot camps, global missions, executive education, and school-based events, FF trains the next generation of changemakers, empowers communities, and engages government and industry in actionable innovation, catalyzing progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Learn more at www.futurefoodinsitute.org, join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube. Or attend a program through the FutureFood.Academy!

About Earth Day Network

EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet. Learn more: https://www.earthday.org/