WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2024 -- EARTHDAY.ORG, (EDO), the global leader in Earth Day advocacy, activated by over one billion people worldwide on April 22, recognizes President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil for supporting climate education as a critical tool in dealing with the climate crisis.
President Lula da Silva recently sanctioned guarantees that climate change and the protection of biodiversity will be recognized in Brazil's National Environmental Education Policy (PNEA). The measure was signed into law on at an event at Palácio do Planalto, in Brasília (DF).
"EARTHDAY.ORG is delighted with another win on climate education. We have been the global driving force behind promoting the importance of teaching climate education for decades," said Kathleen Rogers, President, EDO. "Our tireless work has ignited global interest, and Brazil has heard our call by putting climate education onto their school curriculum. Where Brazil goes, we know other nations will follow."
"Educating for the environment is a task of this century. Without this, we will continue to believe that it is possible to live in opposition to ecology," stated Minister Marina Silva, Brazil's Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (Source President sanctions law that reinforces education on climate change and biodiversity)
This is not the first time that Brazil has elevated climate education on the world stage. In August 2023 at the Amazon Presidential Summit in Belém do Pará, Brazil emphasized the importance of environmental education. EARTHDAY.ORG was honored to be a part of the NGO coalition advocating for climate education at the Amazon Summit. Our office for Latin America, based in Brazil, continues to work for universal climate education across the region.
"Climate education gives students critically important skills that will help power the global economy," says Bryce Coon, Director Climate Education Initiatives, EDO. "Not just in the future but right now. Our recent report, Climate Education Vs. The Climate Crisis lays out what an important role teaching this subject will play in creating a climate-ready workforce."
"As the regional lead for EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), is it truly fulfilling to see our work pay off and once again we are proud that Brazil is taking the lead across Latin American," says Rodolfo Beltran, Regional Director for South America at EARTHDAY.ORG. "We will continue to robustly promote climate education, with the goal of ensuring it is included in every K–12 school curriculum worldwide."
"We want to see climate education on every country's Nationally Determined Contribution, (NDC)," said Bryce Coon, Director Education Initiatives, EDO. "Which is why we wrote an NDC Guide. We are committed to finishing the job we started nearly a decade ago to achieve this."
EARTHDAY.ORG fully recognizes Brazil's on-going commitment to environmental protection, including a 40% reduction in Amazon deforestation and the expansion of renewable energy sources, which now constitute 48% of Brazil's energy matrix. President Lula da Silva's climate leadership will be on full display as Brazil prepares to host COP30 of the UNFCCC in BELÉM in 2025.
"We need to remember that the cavalry isn't coming. We are the cavalry when it comes to coping with a rapidly changing climate. Climate education is a vitally important part of our arsenal and Brazil understands that." says Kathleen Rogers, President, EDO
About EARTHDAY.ORG: EARTHDAY.ORG's founders created and organized the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Since then, EARTHDAY.ORG has mobilized over one billion people annually on Earth Day, and every other day, to protect the planet. EARTHDAY.ORG's mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental community worldwide. As the world's largest recruiter to the environmental movement, EARTHDAY.ORG works with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. Learn more at EARTHDAY.ORG
For Media Inquiries/quotes and interviews: Sarah Davies, davies@earthday.org, +1 240 463 1341 (Washington DC) Terran Fielder, fielder@earthday.org, +1 661 444 4436 (Washington DC & California)
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