Lifelong learning for climate justice focus of new €2.4m Trinity-led research project

Posted on: 16 May 2023

The project will research the implementation of a transdisciplinary, lifelong-learning approach to science education

The establishment of a national network to connect stakeholders in Ireland working on climate justice will be explored at a public consultation in Trinity Long Room Hub this week.

The event, aimed at Trinity staff and students, follows the launch last month of a new €2.4m Trinity-led Horizon Europe education project entitled LEVERS.

The three-year project aims to embed collaboration and interdisciplinarity in climate education across a range of learning settings – formal, informal, adult and community education.

Led by Mairéad Hurley, Assistant Professor School of Education, the LEVERS project has been funded by the European Commission, UKRI & SERI to investigate the potential of localised learning ecosystems to support community climate responses in nine countries: Ireland, the UK, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, and Cyprus.

The project will research the implementation of a transdisciplinary, lifelong-learning approach to science education in diverse settings across Europe, addressing the complex challenge of the climate and environmental crisis.  

At the event on Wed, May 17th (11am- 1pm) the LEVERS team will present initial plans for the project and provide opportunities for participants to share views and opinions on what a ‘learning venture’ could achieve in Ireland, as well as information on opportunities for collaboration. Register at this Eventbrite link

Mairéad Hurley, the project's Principal Investigator, said: “This project will promote collaboration on education for climate and environmental justice by bringing together researchers, artists, educators, schools, communities, and other stakeholders to plan and implement transdisciplinary climate action interventions. These creative projects will be driven by Irish schools and communities, addressing global issues of local concern and will enhance participants’ climate literacy and global citizenship through collective local action. 

“In addition, we will work to establish a national “learning venture” to connect stakeholders in Ireland working on issues related to climate justice from various domains including research, education, art and activism, and to co-design and implement a number of creative climate action learning projects with and for schools and communities.”

For more information on LEVERS contact: mairead.hurley@tcd.ie and anne.kearns@tcd.ie

Media Contact:

Fiona Tyrrell | Media Relations | tyrrellf@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 3551