What happened
Türkiye’s Ministry of National Education has opened the Türkiye Climate School in the Green Zone at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya. Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum, who is COP31 president, opened the school with Education Minister Yusuf Tekin.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change, the school’s activities are intended to bring children and young people into climate action and demonstrate how environmental considerations can be incorporated into education. The launch took place as the summit’s sixth day focused on children and youth.
The first-screen implication for education professionals is clear: the COP31 programme is being used as a venue for practical climate-learning activities, alongside the summit’s policy agenda. The ministry said children visiting the programme will be able to engage with themes including soil, making and design, finding new uses for waste, and climate-friendly urban environments.
Why it matters
The initiative connects climate literacy with Türkiye’s national education system rather than treating youth engagement solely as a summit-side activity. Kurum said climate-change impacts are already addressed in school curricula in all 81 provinces, reaching 18 million children.
For schools, teachers and programme providers, the announcement indicates continued official emphasis on environmental awareness, responsibility and learning that links climate issues to everyday materials and places. It also places children and young people within the summit’s action agenda, according to Kurum.
The school’s longer-term reach remains unconfirmed. Kurum said he wanted it to extend its influence to schools, cities and communities after the conference, but the ministry’s announcement does not provide a delivery plan or a timetable beyond the current activities.
What happens next
Climate-awareness events for children are scheduled in the Green Zone during the school break. Organisations seeking to engage with the Türkiye Climate School should monitor information from the responsible ministries, as the published announcement gives no further programme dates or participation arrangements.
Background
COP31 is continuing in Antalya under the hosting of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change. Kurum has described the meeting as an implementation-oriented COP and said raising awareness among younger people forms part of its action agenda.
