This week, all pupils from the bilingual havo and vwo 3 classes participated in the HWC Climate Summit. As international world leaders, they came together to work on a climate agreement.
The morning began with a short opening, after which the various delegations presented their positions. Subsequently, students engaged in discussions with each other, negotiating themes such as emissions, energy, and responsibility. In between, there was time to align strategies and reach joint proposals.
The summit concluded with a vote on the climate agreement and closing statements from the delegations. In the final agreement, the delegations agreed, amongst other things, to limit the rise in temperature to 2°C, to work towards a climate-neutral world by 2042 and to invest more in renewable energy (3.6% of annual GDP). It was also agreed that wealthier countries would contribute financially to measures in less prosperous countries.
With this setup, pupils experience how complex international cooperation is. They learn to justify their own position, listen to other perspectives, and seek achievable compromises. In doing so, the Climate Summit contributes to the development of global citizenship: pupils see that climate issues are cross-border and that choices made in one country have consequences for other parts of the world.
