Strengthen climate awareness: JGU launches new study program for the future!

Strengthen climate awareness: JGU launches new study program for the future!

On March 9, 2025, the importance of education for climate protection will become clear, especially in the context of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015. In this agreement, 195 countries committed to limiting the global temperature rise to below two degrees Celsius by 2100. In order to achieve this goal, climate neutrality must be guaranteed worldwide by the middle of the century presse.uni-mainz.de reported.

The interdisciplinary study program “Future Certificate – Climate Crisis and Sustainability” has been offered at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) since 2024. This program aims to enable graduates to take active action against the climate crisis and offer them the necessary tools to act as multipliers. A new component of the program, the “Colloquium Sustainability: Climate Change in Times of Multiple Crises”, is organized by the Forum for Responsibility Foundation.

Further training for students

Over the next three years, 30 places will be made available for Mainz students in the colloquium. Prof. Dr. Stephan Jolie, Vice President of JGU, emphasizes that this initiative offers students the opportunity to further educate themselves on climate, sustainability and biodiversity topics and to network nationwide. Thomas Fell, CEO of the foundation, emphasizes the added value of interdisciplinary discourses for the participants and society as a whole.

The Forum for Responsibility Foundation has been committed to scientifically based educational work and dialogue around sustainability for 25 years. The future certificate offers students from all disciplines the opportunity to deal with sustainable development from different perspectives. It emerged from a student initiative and is one of 20 qualifications offered by JGU.

Political initiatives for climate neutrality

In parallel to these measures, there is an increased discussion about climate protection at the European level. On November 28, 2019, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling on the EU to set climate neutrality by 2050 as a long-term goal under the Paris Agreement. This resolution proposes to increase the EU's emissions reduction target to 55 percent by 2050. Parliament has also declared a climate emergency, which underlines the urgency of the issue europarl.europa.eu reported.

In December 2019, the EU Commission presented the European Green Deal, a comprehensive plan for a climate-neutral Europe. This agreement aims to keep the global average temperature well below two degrees Celsius and recommends additional efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is important that EU member states sign independently and coordinate their positions in order to jointly reduce CO₂ emissions.

Education for climate protection

The crucial role of education in climate protection cannot be overestimated. Education is an important key to developing knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for a more sustainable life. There are already many initiatives in the EU that address the issues of climate change, biodiversity and sustainability in education, such as education.ec.europa.eu describes.

The European Commission has launched several initiatives to strengthen education for climate protection. These initiatives include the Education for Climate Coalition, which forms a community of learners and teachers on climate change and sustainability. In addition, a new European framework for sustainability skills will be defined to promote the knowledge and skills necessary for ecological change. The Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps programs have also been made more environmentally friendly in order to make the educational infrastructure sustainable.

In summary, the combination of new educational programs, political action at the European level and the pursuit of interdisciplinary knowledge are important factors that contribute to meeting the challenges of the climate crisis.