The Romanian Presidency launched on Tuesday a report on education for climate change, in a special event where president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Nicolae Ciucă were also present.
„Education, environmental protection and tackling climate change are priorities of my presidential mandate. These are essential domains which policy-makers are still neglecting. For this very reason I established, within the Presidential Administration, working groups and think-tanks to produce concrete proposals”, stated president Klaus Iohannis.
Iohannis also mentioned that „education is one of the pillars that could enhance our answer to climate change, because it reshapes the human behavior, in the sense of a grater responsibility for nature conservation and for the future of the entire society”.
The report not only widens the access to environmental protection education and combating the effects of climate change, but also creates the premises for a green infrastructure for schools, ass well, according to Iohannis.
„What we desire, more than anything, is to open the way towards a mentality change.(...) We all wish a cleaner environment. We all desire our health not to be put in danger and to be safe from the devastating effects of extreme weather conditions”, president Klaus Iohannis mentioned.
„We can achieve this through adequate public policy, functional and law-abiding institutions, but mostly through the individual actions of each of us”, added the Romanian president.
Therefore, environmental protection and tackling climate change cannot be accomplished without a partnership between institutions and citizens. The success of the partnership is based on combating fake news and looking towards accurate information on environmental problems and those regarding climate change, stated the chief of state.
Education regarding environment and climate change cannot be a solitary effort. The success of an initiative of this kind also depends on the level of implication from central institutions, local authorities, teachers, NGOs, parents, communities, companies, media.
Prime-minister Nicolae Ciucă: 93% of the European citizens consider climate change a major problem
Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă underlined, at the same event, that „Europeans, especially young people, are very concerned of climate change”. Thus, 93% from the European citizens consider climate change a major problem, while 96% got involved in at least one action to combat this phenomena.
„Romanians, as well, are directly affected by climate change: drought, heavy rains, floods, extreme weather conditions and severe heatwave became more frequent in latest years”, mentioned the head of Romanian government.
Reports of the National Administration of Meteorology clearly show that climate warming generated the warmest 10 years period in the history of weather measurements.
Two thirds of the Romanians perceive climate change as a very critical issue.
Meanwhile, the European climate pact is an important mechanism in promoting education regarding climate change and in growing awareness on this subject, stated Ciucă.
„For Romania, it represents a foundation of the actions we will take and an example to follow, having in mind profound changes on economic and social level. The Romanian Government assumed the fulfillment of some of these instruments.
The Romanian government targets energy efficiency of production and consumption, renewable energy production, reduction of transport emissions, use of advance technologies in industry, efficient management of farmlands and waste recycling.
„For all these projects, Romania benefits of approximately 12 billion euros. The objectives will be achieved through projects that secure the transition to green energy and decarbonisation. In concrete terms, it means a cleaner environment and a healthier life for citizens. On our today’s actions depends the future of the young generation, already extremely interested in environment protection and the effects of climate change”, stated the Romanian prime-minister.
Editor : Ștefania Vîlcu
