December 09, 2022 – The Department of Education (DepEd) underscored the role of education towards climate change action to students, personnel, and stakeholders in the conduct of the 6th National Climate Change Conference (NCCC) last November 23-25.

“Our small actions, when united, can make a long way in our fight against climate change. We believe that by encouraging participation of learners and DepEd personnel in climate change adaptation and mitigation, we can have a deeper grasp of climate change, especially the challenges and opportunities confronting us,” DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) Director Ronilda R. Co said.

Dir. Co also imparted two significant questions inspiring climate change action among learners, personnel, and stakeholders, “If Climate Can Change, why can’t I? If climate can change, why can’t we?”

Featured in the three-day conference were climate change webinars, climate action stories, and climate dialogues with experts on climate change and human rights that recognized the vital role of the academic community in climate change education.

Keynote speaker and University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho Jr. supported that academic institutions play a significant role in climate action, particularly in instruction and dissemination.

Chancellor Camacho also highlighted the involvement of UPLB in the climate change program as one of the priority areas considered in the UPLB-AGORA (Accelerating Growth through One Research and Extension in Action) research and extension agenda.

Meanwhile, DepEd Regional Directors Estela L. Cariño (CAR), Tolentino G. Aquino (Region I), Ramir B. Uytico (Region VI), and Ruth L. Fuentes (Region IX) imparted their messages on their roles and campaigns in combatting climate change and its impacts through information dissemination. Also, different students shared several pledges to the public in combating climate change and saving the environment.

In collaboration with the UPLB – University Library ALIVErary BOOKS Program, the DepEd DRRMS conducted the 6th NCCC with the theme “Responding to Climate Change: Role of Education towards Climate Change Action” to provide a space for knowledge-sharing and learning platforms on the science of climate change, challenges, and opportunities.

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