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E-EDUCATION
Towards environmental

awareness 3.0

How could digital technology improve environmental education and awareness?
This was the focus of the conference hosted by the MERI Foundation at the

Monaco Scientific Centre on 23 March 2022.

In France, 80% of students expect a catastrophic future with regard to the KEYFACT
climate and the extinction of species (La Croix survey, 2021).

CLIMATE E-EDUCATION APPLICATIONS ET AI

Often overlooked during environmental debates, edu- Tim Spuck, Director of the Education and Public En-
cation on climate change is nonetheless crucial. Digi- gagement network at Associated Universities Inc, ap-
tal technology offers high-quality global environmental preciates the role of digital technology in the dynamics
education platforms. The Office for Climate Education of connection, global cooperation and inclusion, faci-
(OCE), under the aegis of UNESCO, promotes climate litating “the union of inter-generational forces to com-
change education at an international level thanks to bat climate change”. Artificial intelligence and citizen
a collection of educational tools produced in coope- science could be combined to come up with an envi-
ration with international experts : “It is vital that tea- ronmental monitoring system 3.0 capable of sending
chers around the world have access to free educatio- live warnings to scientists and policy makers based on
nal resources produced from IPCC data, but also to the data uploaded by citizens via their telephone. The
professional development based on the best climate panel did not omit to address the question of the envi-
and teaching research”, says David Wilgenbus, CEO ronmental responsibility of digital technology, “particu-
of OCE, who stresses the importance of educating all larly in terms of the extraction techniques for minerals
levels of the educational chain on climate issues. Be- needed for mobile phones”.
cause a review of the educational context has shown
substantial gaps, the new climate situation being the
focus of awareness rather than actual learning.

As Juan F. Davila y Verdin, Director of FutureED ex- The environmental education
plains, “there is no sustainability without long-term application TerritoriAR is an example
environmental and climate education”. Going beyond of e-education connected to the
a purely academic framework, the FutureED platform ground. Developed since 2018 by the
enables a wide range of users to access trustworthy Caserta Foundation in association
scientific content presented in layman’s terms, thanks with the MERI Foundation and 3
to online courses. emblematic nature reserves in Chile,
it provides the geographical location
of trails, geological landmarks, species
of flora and fauna, and promotes
interculturality, using enhanced
reality multimedia capsules.