Climate puts pressure on higher education
Climate change is profoundly transforming the world for which students are being trained. It calls for new competences and skills in almost every field. At the same time, it makes the learning environment itself more vulnerable. Three voices — a political scientist, a paediatrician and an economist — explain why education can make the difference right now.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 is clear: inclusive and high-quality education for all. But what does that mean in a world that is becoming increasingly unpredictable?
In short
- Future graduates will need to be able to bring about change rapidly and on an unprecedented scale.
- Co-benefits are simple interventions that generate positive effects both in Belgium and globally.
- International collaboration and citizen science help develop local solutions.
Studying in an uncertain world
Hans Bruyninckx is a political scientist and professor of Environmental Governance at the University of Antwerp (Faculty of Social Sciences). From 2013 to 2023, he served as director of the European Environment Agency. Today, he teaches sustainable system transitions at the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development (IMDO), which brings together expertise on environment and sustainability from various disciplines.
According to Bruyninckx, we’re living in exceptional times. ‘Climate change may well be the largest experiment in human history,’ he emphasises. ‘We need to bring about changes at system level, at a speed and scale we’ve never seen before.’
End of the stable era
‘Over the past ten thousand years, humanity evolved and built civilisations during a long period of relative climate stability. That is no longer a given. Earth system scientists say that we are leaving the so-called corridor of civilisation. We’re doing so on the assumption that we can continue to build stable societies in a turbulent context, even though there is no guarantee that this will be possible.’
As expected, in recent years climate change has made the world more uncertain, more unequal and more costly to manage. Bruyninckx: ‘In response, some choose to look away in the hope that the laws of physics will no longer apply. But every delay makes the problems bigger and reduces the room to act.’
Mental and physical health
Bruyninckx identifies direct consequences for higher education at three levels. ‘First of all, there is the impact on the health of students and staff. Heat and air pollution affect cognitive performance. A disrupted ecosystem leads to malnutrition (mostly in the south) and increased disease burden, which in turn slows cognitive development. And climate stress has a negative impact on our mental health.’
‘A second level is infrastructure: many education buildings are outdated, poorly insulated and not designed to withstand extreme heat or are located in flood-prone areas. In regions such as Southern Europe, where temperatures can exceed 40 degrees for weeks in summer, education is already coming under serious pressure.’
We need out-of-the-box solutions, not just optimisations of what we already know.
‘Finally, there is education itself. It would be strange if a theme such as climate change didn’t have a structural place in curricula. We need out-of-the-box solutions, not just optimisations of what we already know. That requires system thinking, interdisciplinarity and attention to social justice. We need to educate students to think differently and work together to tackle complex challenges.’
Knowledge and hope
‘These are skills that are difficult to develop in large, anonymous lecture halls. But however serious the climate situation may be, we must not deprive students of hope for better times. Even in times of budgetary pressure, we must integrate these fundamental challenges into higher education. Knowledge and well-educated people are the most important resource of our region, which must take its international responsibility.’
Your health depends more on where you live than on your DNA
Daan Van Brusselen is a paediatric infectious disease specialist at the ZAS hospital in Antwerp, a researcher at the University of Antwerp and author of Dagboek van een kinderarts zonder grenzen (Diary of a paediatrician without borders). He worked for many years with Médecins Sans Frontières in Pakistan, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
‘I have seen in dozens of places how severe the impact of climate change and environmental pollution is on health,’ says Van Brusselen. ‘Human behaviour exacerbates many existing vulnerabilities in children: from more asthma due to air pollution to increased malnutrition and infectious diseases due to climate change.’
Tropical infections and collaboration
This means that educational content and required competences and skills within his field are shifting significantly. Van Brusselen: ‘Future doctors will need to know more about a range of tropical infections that are becoming more common. In addition, interdisciplinary collaboration with architects, policymakers and many others will be crucial in the coming years.’
Through the MSF Academy of Médecins Sans Frontières, Van Brusselen also trains healthcare workers in vulnerable countries. ‘That is badly needed. Did you know, for example, that Sierra Leone has more doctors working abroad than practising within the country itself? Practical knowledge can make a huge difference. Think of how to prevent mosquito breeding sites or how to respond to flooding.’
Where you are born has a huge impact. We don’t often reflect on it, but your health depends more on where you live than on your DNA.
Less CO₂, less asthma
The paediatric infectious disease specialist strongly believes in what he calls koppelkansen (co-benefits): simple interventions that simultaneously deliver multiple positive effects, both locally and globally. ‘Reducing fossil fuel use not only lowers global CO₂ emissions, but also improves air quality locally. Low-emission zones can reduce the use of asthma inhalers in children by up to 13%.’
He emphasises that considerable progress has been made in recent years. ‘Extreme poverty and child mortality have declined significantly. In the early 2000s, around twelve million children died worldwide each year; today, that figure is around five million. That is an enormous step forward.’
New pathogens
At the same time, Van Brusselen sees how climate change is causing new harm. ‘In eastern Congo, at an altitude of 1500 metres, malaria cases were previously rare. Due to rising temperatures, mosquitoes can now survive there, in a region where the nearest hospital may be hours away on foot. In Haiti, cholera recently broke out after one of the hurricanes that are now occurring more frequently. Damaged water infrastructure allowed the disease to spread rapidly, leading to life-threatening dehydration.’
We expect dengue to occur in Belgium in the near future, as the tiger mosquito is already overwintering here.
The signals are also clear in Europe. ‘Dengue, long considered a tropical disease, is appearing more frequently in Italy and France. We expect dengue to occur in Belgium in the near future, as the tiger mosquito is already overwintering here. Tropical infections will not cause many deaths here, but they will place additional pressure on healthcare systems.’
Societal responsibility
‘Where you are born has a huge impact. We don’t often reflect on it, but your health depends more on where you live than on your DNA. For me, that means education has a responsibility that becomes even more important in times of climate change. I already see a great deal of enthusiasm and awareness among current students to take on these challenges.’
‘Where climate science and citizen participation meet’
James Marandu is an economist and assistant lecturer at Mzumbe University in Tanzania. He studied at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) of the University of Antwerp with an ICP Connect scholarship. He currently coordinates the citizen science project Lab to Life and Back on flood monitoring in Mzumbe, in collaboration with UAntwerp.
Marandu sees in his home country how the onset of the rainy season has become increasingly unpredictable due to climate change. ‘Sometimes the rains come very early or very late, with devastating consequences for farmers. Sudden floods destroy crops and roads. Small-scale farmers and low-income communities bear the heaviest burden.’
From theory to practice
This is why the economist launched the project Lab to Life and Back, a collaboration between Mzumbe University, Nelson Mandela University and the University of Antwerp. ‘We combine technology — weather stations, water monitoring systems, mobile phone alerts — with a human component to ensure broad participation. Those who help collect data automatically understand its value.’
The project is helping to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and what people experience on the ground.
Marandu’s studies at IOB in Antwerp laid the foundation for this collaboration, which brings together scientific research and societal service. ‘Amongst other things, I learned how to implement projects like this successfully. Measurements began in April 2026, and I hope we can gradually develop concrete solutions. You can already feel that the project is helping to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and what people experience on the ground.’