In March and April 2023, the students of the International Relations Department, IBS, participated in the Carbon Literacy Training

Within the course on “CSR and Sustainable Development”, delivered by Natalia Yankovskaya, the students of the International Relations Department participated in the Carbon Literacy Training.

Climate Emergency is one of the most pressing issues of the present time. However, the general public including students and staff at business schools have limited understanding of climate change mitigation and how this could be integrated into teaching and research in a business school into. The Carbon Literacy Training for Business Schools is addressing this problem by accelerating an understanding across institutions and providing high impact climate solutions that everyone can implement in daily life and work.

The training was developed by the Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University, UK in collaboration with the PRME Champions, the UN PRME Working Group on Climate Change, Oikos International, and the  Carbon Literacy Project.

The United Nations have recognized the Carbon Literacy Project as one of 100 worldwide Transformative Action Programs.

Learning alongside colleagues and students, participants gain the understanding of:

• the science behind climate change
• social equity & climate change
• what you can do to act on climate change in your personal and professional life
• Carbon Literacy: "An awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions, on an individual, community and organisational basis".

Carbon Literate citizens understand how climate change will affect them – both geographically and sectorally – and have acquired the knowledge and skills to mitigate their carbon footprint, with typical realised carbon savings of 5-15% per person.

"The Carbon Literacy Training offers a valuable insight into one of today's most pressing environmental issues, which is that of carbon footprint. During the training, important information was revealed, concerning the CO2 costs and effects associated with daily activities. I particularly enjoyed the hands-on approach that the training implies because it provides a clear understanding of the possible ways to decrease carbon emissions not just in a broader sense (at the level of a business or a community), but at the individual level as well", - Anna Polyakova IBS IR 3rd year student.

"I assume that carbon literacy training is a must thing for everyone. "It reveals how climate change is impacting us now and in the future" said our professor N.B. Yankovskaya. As a rule, people may know about carbon footprint, but do not implement any measures to combat it. As Neil Armstrong once said: "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Consequently, even one thrown plastic to recycled box can help us save our nature", - Ksenia Konnova IBS IR 3rd year student.

"Finding out that I consume such a huge amount of oxygen was shocking. I used to think that I was contributing to the environment by buying recyclable packaging and "Cruelty Free" cosmetics, but now I know that my transport consumes much more than I save. Now I will try to use the bike more to get to nearby places. I also revised my views and will no longer change gadgets every year. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to the situation", - Darya Pashkova IBS IR 3rd year student.