Climate Action Spotlight: Initiatives Creating Hands-on Change

• Location: Syria
• School name: Center for Applied Physics and Basic Sciences
• Students’ age: 6 to 16
• Amount of students involved: 30

Championing environmental awareness and action, the Center for Applied Physics and Basic Sciences embarked on a transformative journey through the Climate Action Project. Syrian high school educator Badria Taamari led 30 of her students to take meaningful action for climate change in their community.

Since joining the project in 2019, the key pillars of their activities in the Climate Action Project were research, solution recommendation, and taking action. Beyond this, the students got a broader view of climate action with their global connections with other students. 

A significant highlight of their efforts was submitting a petition to Syria’s Ministry of Education in 2021. The petition’s goal was to ensure that civil society members, including teachers and students, are taking proactive measures to protect the environment. 

Also, in 2022, three student teams from the Center for Applied Physics and Basic Sciences kick-started three initiatives:

• A Sensitive Flash, The Life Fund led by two students, Ali and Mohammed (pseudonyms), under the guidance of Badria, emerged as a culmination of the six-week Climate Action Project. Their initiative helped highlight endangered species on Earth using augmented reality and other application software.
• Biological Sustainability sought to provide sustainable solutions for plastic usage and waste by manufacturing biodegradable bioplastics safe for the environment.
• Green, My Country” initiative, focusing on enhancing schools and public gardens in their country in cooperation with the directorates of education and agriculture. 

The government approved these initiatives, paving the way for more vocational training and hands-on change. The impact of these initiatives caused the Syrian Ministry of Education to adopt these initiatives across numerous Syrian schools. The Climate Action Project strengthened their commitment to preserving the environment and eliminating environmental degradation. 

Since my school is a global climate school and after my participation with my students in the Goals 2023 project, my work with my students was an initiative entitled Deep Breath, approved by the Ministry of Education as a national project accelerating the wheel of transformative education in my country—and in the world to support the sustainable development goals.

Badria saw students become better stewards of the environment, especially as they took their initiatives across numerous schools across Syria. She saw her students become actively concerned and proactive about the looming threat of global warming and the increasing extinction of plant and animal species due to human activities on Earth. 

Leveraging her experience in using technology to enhance education, Badria has been recognized and worked with other teachers in the Middle East region. One such experience was the 2023 Middle East Technology Teachers Forum, where she shared her experience leveraging technology in education with teachers from 14 Arab countries represented in the meeting.

The Center for Applied Physics and Basic Sciences’ Climate Action Project is a testament to the transformative potential of education and collaboration. The journey is an inspiring blueprint for other classrooms worldwide, proving that small, dedicated steps can lead to monumental positive change.