Objectives

The objective of the Training Caravan initiative, underpinned by the Science Education thematic area of BC3´s RRI, is to provide science-based answers to some central questions about climate change, drawing on the best current scientific understanding and at the same time, making science education and careers attractive for young people.

1. Climate Change: A Societal Challenge
2. Climate Change: A matter of multidisciplinary science (knowledge)
3. Perceptions and evidences of Climate Change
4. Climate Change: Stepping forward a trans-disciplinary science
   
5. Fostering the vocation for research among students

Climate change represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats humanity has ever faced, as recognized by the long-term goal of the Paris Agreement. Its long term nature, the high uncertainty about future impacts, and the ethical responsibilities connected with causes and capacities make it very difficult to address effectively. Private and public sectors, including, governments, corporations and civil society, must choose between many, but often conflicting, priorities and objectives. So far, research has played a decisive warning role, raising climate change and the related global environmental issues. Now, the issue is no longer raising the alarm but to innovate, proposing and testing urgent solutions, and evaluating their impact and effectiveness.

Experience on the ground so far clearly indicates that local values and contexts matter, and that top-down solutions need to be matched with a diversity of bottom-up approaches (across sectors). This implies that all levels of governance (local, regional national and international) and society (citizenship science) need to be involved in the design and implementation of future climate policy.

The science of climate change encompasses many disciplines and is unfamiliar to many. The objective of Training Caravan is to provide evidence-based answers to some central questions about climate change, drawing on the best current scientific understanding.

Is the climate changing? Are humans causing that change? What will the consequences be? What can be done about it (mitigation strategies?

The Climate Change (and the way this has been transferred over time) has created societal controversy, has reinforced doubt and confusion about the nature and strength of the scientific evidence.

By means of this initiative, the BC3 researchers will illustrate through case studies and research results that will invite to reflection, the scientific evidences to counterpoise to the “misunderstood” and wrong messages that have settled over the years.

While the researchers can act as a resource for students (and teachers), teachers and students can in turn, help the scientist better understand how to convey their work to a larger, more diverse, and often skeptical audience.  By connecting researchers with students and educators, we hope to both enrich high school students’ climate change and evolution education, and to give researchers a better understanding of the challenges faced when teaching these often socially contentious and misunderstood topics. That are crucial to build a more scientifically literate society able to actively participate in and support democratic processes.