If you think that you have brilliant solutions to the most pressing climate problems we are facing today, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Climate Science Community Philippines (CSCPH) are encouraging you to join this year’s ClimateScience Olympiad.
“We believe in the power of youth to create innovative and sustainable solutions to fight climate change,” DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement issued Thursday, July 15.
DepEd said that the ClimateScience Olympiad has been adopted locally through the partnership of its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) and the CSCPH.
“This will be a great platform for our learners and personnel to showcase their problem-solving skills in climate-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenges,” Briones added.
The ClimateScience Olympiad is a global competition for young people aged 14 to 25 to test their knowledge and creativity in providing solutions to real-life climate change challenges.
DepEd said that the competition has three rounds which include the Qualifiers, the Semi-Finals, and the Finals.
The qualifiers will run until September 2021 with more than 10,000 participants competing by answering one of three problem statements within an allotted time of three hours.
The top five percent of participants, DepEd said, will advance to the global semi-finals where they will answer another problem statement.
DepEd explained that the top 50 participants will then advance to the final round. Depending on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions, this may be held physically in Glasgow, United Kingdom, or online.
The finalists will be invited to the United Nations Climate Summit (COP26), and the top three winners will win a share of the USD10,000 prize pool.
DepEd said that the local online qualifiers for Filipino participants will be held on July 17, Saturday (from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; July 17, Saturday (from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m); and on August 14, Saturday (from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m).
The Olympiad is organized by ClimateScience, an international volunteer youth-led non-profit organization registered in the UK, with local communities in about 30 countries, including the Philippines.
The organization envisions a sustainable future by promoting solution-focused education that catalyzes climate action.
Interested participants, DepEd explained, may compete either solo or as a pair, and may join up to three qualifiers (maximum one qualifier in a month) through this link: bit.ly/CSCPHOlympiadSignup.
The Registration for each qualifier will close 10 days before the event.
DepEd reminded that organizations or groups of at least 15 teams may also opt to run their private qualifiers by sending an email to [email protected] along with the name of their organization and preferred schedule.