Global Collaboration a priority as Reading Schools Debate Climate Action in COP30
On November 18th 2025 Just Ideas led on delivering the 12th InterClimate Network Reading Schools’ Climate Conference with 65 students from ten local secondary school joining us in the Council Chamber of Reading’s Civic Offices. Supported with funding from Reading Climate Action Network and Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSEN), the Conference brought local students together with the aim of debating how to collaborate to halt and adapt to climate change both in the context of COP 30 and also local action. Here Conference observers Robbie Usher and Helena Hempel summarise the key take aways from the day.
“A stage set for big decisions and constructive collaboration”: The context surrounding COP30 was described by the chairs, with a focus on global priorities of halting and reversing deforestation, transitioning from forest fuels, tripling renewable energy capacity, and increasing the rate of energy efficiency improvement. In their opening statements students expertly explained their current progress, aims and challenges. Hosts Brazil kicked off with the importance of the Amazon for biodiversity and oxygen creation, as well as their progress on hydroelectric making up over 90% of their power supply. As the other nations followed, themes emerged of the importance of immediacy, the unequal distribution of climate change consequences and contributions, and the insufficiency of current climate change aid.
A vote on the question ‘Is sufficient progress being made on all country emission targets?’ revealed overwhelmingly that more needs to be done, with 0 delegations voting ‘Yes’, 11 voting ‘partially’ and 5 voting for an outright ‘no’. This consensus instigated a round of open negotiations.
India’s net zero by 2070 target game under questioning from Barbados and the EU, with the suggestion that this timeframe is not sufficient when other nations have targets for 2050, especially considering the urgent risk of sea level rise for low lying and island nations. In response, India appealed for financial support from other nations to accelerate green development. The USA was questioned by Uganda on its intentions to start new drilling operations, and the UAE was asked by Nigeria how it intended to undergo a green transition with an economy so dependent on oil exports.
These conversations led into discussions about how countries could increase their own ambition in their actions, based on the principle of ‘mutirão’, a shared community spirit and effort. Indonesia and India pledged to further decrease coal power generation in favour of green alternatives, while Barbados and the UAE focused on finance as a means to lower fossil fuel prevalence. The UAE presented plans to increase tax on fossil fuel exports and to collaborate with Barbados on funding global green development.
Interestingly, the Chinese delegation took a lead in this year’s COP, assuming the role of nations like the US who had stepped back from their commitments. Although they were criticized for a lack in ambition in targets, they argued they were ahead of schedule to meet them and, as the world’s largest producer of goods, had brought down the prices of renewable energy infrastructure like solar panels.
After open discussions, special groups were formed by delegates of different nations, tasked with creating multilateral initiatives focusing on one of oceans, energy, forests/food and cities. These initiatives were then fed back to the conference and either passed or tabled:
Forests and Food
An international agreement on harder protective forest boundaries to prevent illegal logging.
Agreements on food, including lowering global red meat production and replacing crops like palm oil with less harmful ones like cacao, involving Brazil and Indonesia initially.
– Passed
Energy
China to supply solar panels to Azerbaijan and the UAE, with energy sent back to China. Solar energy to boost non-fossil fuel industry in those nations.
Chile and Australia to collaborate on hydrogen and hydro power, involving the Marshal Islands and Barbados for their island expertise.
International body for the sharing of energy technology and expertise, where different nations can collaborate with others to exchange infrastructure for energy or other expertise.
– Tabled
Cities
Globally cutting carbon emissions by introducing better public transport with technological support, starting in Nigeria but expanding to other countries and involving the UK and EU.
– Tabled
Flooding support with funding from the EU and UK and multilateral support. Focus on protection in Bangladesh and Nigeria from flooding.
– Passed
Oceans
Ocean Resilience Fund where Australia and Chile and possibly future signatories levy a carbon tax which is ring fenced for adaptation in nations at risk of rising sea levels (including India, the Marshal Islands, and Barbados). In return, the nations receiving funds will contribute technology and expertise.
– Passed
These proposals concluded the first part of the conference, with delegates having proficiently discussed current progress, identified weaknesses in global action and produced collaborative projects to rectify them. After the Oceans Resilience Fund was passed, the chairs brought discussions to an end and turned attention towards local climate action. Jess Cooper from the Strategic Planning and Sustainability Team at SSEN introduced their work and a focus on engaging young people as the company looks to develop its future thinking and strategy. Gemma Bailey, Climate Ambassador South East Hub Manager, introduced the Climate Ambassadors Programme, helping schools develop a climate action plan across England with a focus on four key areas: decarbonisation, adaptation, green education and careers, and biodiversity, from a base at the University of Reading.
Afternoon Session: Climate Action in Reading
Setting the scene for the afternoon session, seven schools shared the climate action projects they are making happen in their own schools, including biodiversity initiatives, waste management projects, a thrift shop, reducing food waste, increasing recycling and the introduction of student groups tasked with sustainability. Reading Youth Council also talked about their work and encouraged more students to get involved. This included their work at Reading Climate Festival, the ‘Platform’ project, developing public speaking skills with other young people in Reading.
The focus on local climate action continued with the support of a ‘Question Time’ panel bringing together a diverse range of experience in relation to planning and acting on climate change in Reading. The Youth Council were joined by:
· Dylan Parkes – Co-Chair Reading Climate Change Partnership
· Councillor John Ennis – Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, Reading Borough Council
· Ben Burfoot – Sustainability Manager, Reading Borough Council
· Dr Samatha Mudie – Specialist in energy reduction within the catering and hospitality industry and presenter at Reading Climate Festival
· Gemma Bailey – South-East Hub Manager, Climate Ambassador Programme
· Jess Cooper – Business Analyst, Strategic Planning and Sustainability Team, SSEN Distribution
The panel received a variety of questions on climate action in Reading and beyond, which stimulated conversations involving the whole panel and many students. Some of the questions they received included:
Q: How long does it take for renewable infrastructure to pay off its own carbon footprint?
Ben Burfoot: it depends on where and how it is made, but estimates tend to be from 18 months to 30 months.
Jess Cooper: it is important to be careful with procurement of assets to make sure the embodied footprint isn’t too great.
Q: How will the UK move away from gas in home heating?
Ben Burfoot: As the grid gets more renewable, electricity will become cheaper than gas and we will move towards sustainable infrastructure overall.
Q: What is the single biggest thing you’ve done in the last year to push reading towards carbon neutrality?
Dylan: It is too complicated to know because carbon neutrality requires a comprehensive plan involving thousands of interventions.
Q: How is Reading affected by flooding and how are we adapting to it?
John Ennis: Reading has had three floods since 2015 with 15 properties affected. Irrigation, built defences and mines to divert water are important adaptation strategies. As well as this, the council is determined to protect the remaining flood plains by preventing developments on them.
To round off the day, each school delegation made one pledge to take back to their school and enact over the next year. The pledges were:
Maiden Erlegh Reading: planting plants around the school for increased biodiversity.
Reading School: expand their gardening club to make it a larger initiative and communicate it through the school council and sustainability prefect.
Chiltern Edge: a thrift shop for students to give used clothes another life.
Bulmershe: composting initiative to separate food waste from general waste.
Highdown: Increasing recycling bins and reward recycling with house points.
Prospect: A used clothes thrift shop and introducing bins (recycling) by the football area of the playground.
Kendrick: A push for community flower beds and to encourage more litter-picking and recycling.
Little Health: Introduce more recycling bins and better recycling education.
UTC: Push for water fountains at college to decrease single use water bottles.
Reading Girls’ School: Expand their garden to grow more food and introduce a thrift shop for old uniform and other clothes.
The conference closed a huge vote of thanks to all participants, sponsors, panel members, teachers and the Just Ideas team.
Interested in hosting?
Beyond the Reading conference, in 2025 Just Ideas’ work with InterClimate Network (ICN) was also scaled up due to the formation of a team of climate conference associate facilitators. We have worked with ICN to expand the conferences delivered to include a range of formats, hosted by individual schools, as well as in town halls across England.
To find out more about hosting a Model Climate Conference please get in touch