The Climate-U network brings together universities from around the world who are committed to working together to address the climate crisis. The network was born out of the Climate-U project (Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate), which ran from February 2020 to January 2024, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund.

The network aims to strengthen climate action and sustainability efforts within each institution and collaboratively, given that the sustainability challenges traverse sectors and regions. Universities are central to the transformation of societies, through their unique role in professional development, knowledge production and public debate. While there has been increasing attention to the active role universities can play in recent years, and many institutions have committed to achieving carbon neutrality and just transitions, there is still a significant knowledge gap.

Building on previous conferences held in London, UK (2023) and Nairobi, Kenya (2024), the 2025 conference provides a space for debate, exchange of ideas and sharing of new research on diverse aspects of the higher education-climate crisis-sustainability axis. It offers a platform for a range of activities that will include interactive seminars, workshops, research papers, and artistic engagement featuring interdisciplinary perspectives from prominent speakers and decision-makers in climate education. Both online and in-person participation are available.

For in-person participants, the event offers an immersive experience in the Amazon, fostering engagement with Indigenous, quilombola (African Brazilian) and other rainforest communities collaborating with the Brazilian team. It provides international network members with opportunities for deep environmental immersion and interactive workshops where Amazonian communities share traditional knowledge and innovative approaches to climate change and education.

The 2025 International Climate-U Network Conference will be held in Belém, Brazil, ahead of COP30, enabling participants to engage in COP activities, with in-person and virtual participation for research papers and symposia presentations.

The Brazilian team are welcoming submissions for presentations from academics, practitioners, activists, early career researchers and students. Please review the call for abstracts and how to submit a proposal below