In order to meet the demands of student activists, the University of Barcelona (UB) plans to add a new, climate crisis-oriented course to its curriculum in the 2024 academic year. This course introduction was announced after a seven-day occupation by End Fossil Barcelona, a youth movement against fossil fuels that aims to provide social and climate justice. This class will not just be another lecture on sustainability, but will instead combine the related social and ecological aspects of global warming – both elements of which are essential in order for students to be well-informed about the issue and empowered to create a change.
As one of the first of its kind in the world, this course will be mandatory for all undergraduate and postgraduate students, and the university will devise a training program on climate issues for its academic staff. The University of Barcelona will train staff to teach about the ecosocial crisis, as well as create a commission of experts and academics to supervise the process. This commission, selected by End Fossil Barcelona, will be composed of several professors with established reputations in the field of social and economic consequences of climate breakdown; the instructors will be tasked with designing the course to make it as successful and impactful as possible.
Despite introducing a new eco-social subject to the university, End Fossil Barcelona still criticizes the university for not dissociating itself from other fossil companies, another cause for which the movement is fighting. Perhaps this issue will be further pushed in upcoming years as the movements fighting to lessen the climate crisis gain more momentum.
However, the addition of this new program still proves overwhelmingly positive for End Fossil Barcelona. An economics professor at the university, one of 200 who backed the climate-conscious student’s demands, stated, “To recognize that we all have to study this marks a change in the paradigm of the university education.” In other words, by implementing this class means that the urgency of the climate crisis has been recognized. It shows how society has collectively recognized its detrimental ecological footprint on the planet and is trying to work towards reversing the damage they have done.
Being one of the first of its kind in the world, this program will hopefully achieve roaring success when it comes to informing future generations about climate change so that they will be able to help tackle this growing problem. Also, with the implementation of this new eco-social class, hopefully other colleges and institutions around the world will take a step in the right direction by implementing similar courses at their campuses. Climate change is a key issue in our modern society and no matter what job students have in the future, they will need to understand the effects of the climate crisis with regard to the modern world. Thus, it is essential that students are taught about such defining issues in school.
Bibliography:
Burgen, Stephen. “Barcelona students to take mandatory climate crisis module from 2024.” The Guardian, 12 November 2022, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/12/barcelona-students-to-take-mandatory-climate-crisis-module-from-2024. Accessed 12 November 2022.
“End Fossil Barcelona finaliza la acampada en la UB tras el compromiso de una asignatura ecosocial.” Europa Press, 9 November 2022, https://www.europapress.es/catalunya/noticia-end-fossil-barcelona-finaliza-acampada-ub-compromiso-asignatura-ecosocial-20221109192220.html. Accessed 12 November 2022.