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Each month we share updates from our Education team and the work they do to help facilitate dynamic ways of teaching geography, from resource highlights to recent activities.

For the November edition, to mark COP30 which starts today in Bel茅m, Brazil, we鈥檙e sharing an exciting event that took place at the Society last week.

Organised by the British Council in partnership with the Society, nearly 100 pupils from United Learning and Harris Federation were invited to participate in a COP30 simulation exercise that gave them the chance to step into the shoes of the COP delegates.

Gathered in the Ondaatje Theatre, students were welcomed by Fiona Iglesias, Head of UK Schools at the British Council and reminded of what was at stake, with CO2 emissions the highest that they鈥檝e been for the last 800,000 years and increasing faster than at any time in millions of years.

Set against the context of these environmental and geopolitical challenges, schools spent the day exploring climate change solutions from a variety of perspectives.

Activities centred around a series of negotiation and lobbying activities, with students split into groups representing individual nations and groups of nations, including China, the US, countries of the EU, other developing and developed nations, as well as journalists, climate change activists and fossil fuel lobbyists.

As the potential leaders of tomorrow, this event highlighted the importance of student participation in discussions surrounding COP. Emily Brunton from United Learning encouraged students to take their learnings from the day to 鈥渟teer the progression at your schools鈥�.

Rachel Owen, Coordinator: Resources at the Society, commented: 鈥淲hen I was in the classroom, one of my favourite things was when you saw pupils applying their knowledge, developing key skills and understanding the complexity of concepts鈥�the COP30 simulation did just that and it was wonderful to see the Society full of engaged young people wanting to negotiate for a better future for our planet.鈥�

Are you a teacher or student? You can attend a similar event taking place later in November.

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The Society has also developed a Conference of the Parties animation in collaboration with the British Council to help students engage with COP30.