Eyes of the Future: Coimbra Group students lead sustainability efforts ahead of 40th Anniversary Symposium
07 March 2025
The Coimbra Group will formally launch the celebration of its 40th anniversary with an inaugural Climate Symposium, hosted by Durham University, at the end of this month, from March 24th to 26th. The “Durham Declaration on the collaboration of Coimbra Group Universities on Climate Change and Sustainability” will be adopted on this occasion. The Durham Declaration is a landmark commitment that will shape the Coimbra Group and the wider sector’s response to climate change. The Declaration will also contribute to discussions at the upcoming UNFCCC COP30 Climate Conference, further enhancing the Coimbra Group’s international influence.
Rectors and Vice-Chancellors from across Europe will be in Durham for a thought-provoking two-day event. The Coimbra Group 40th Anniversary Climate Symposium will explore the role of universities as agents of transformative change for climate, nature, planetary health, and society. As institutions at the forefront of research, education, and policy engagement, universities play a critical role in addressing the climate emergency. The theme reflects the urgent need to embed sustainability across all aspects of life and academia.
Ahead of the Symposium, the University of Durham invited students to participate in an innovative sustainability education competition, ‘Eyes of the Future’. This app-based game, developed by Utrecht University, encourages players to envision a sustainable future while deepening their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the game, students worked in teams to navigate their city or campus, watch nano-talks on the SDGs, and complete interactive challenges such as ‘inspire a stranger.’ Teams earned points by uploading photos and notes to an interactive city map and engaging with other teams’ submissions.
Seven teams from across the Coimbra Group network took part. The two winning teams, ‘EnviroTeam’ from the University of Iași, Romania, and Team ‘Wet Zero’ from the University of Bergen, Norway, will join the Climate Symposium in Durham to share their perspectives on sustainability and climate action.