Please join Fernando Reimers, Margaret Wang-Aghania, and Meredith McDermott for a discussion of Educating for a Climate Changed Future: From First Order Impacts to System Level Transformation (Springer Nature Switzerland, 2026). This open access publication examines how schools and climate change shape one another and what it takes to build education systems that are genuinely ready for what's ahead. Drawing on comparative education and policy research and case studies, the book maps the gap between ambitious climate education policy and what actually happens in classrooms, identifies why so many systems stay stuck, and offers concrete strategies for change.
Together, we'll explore how students learn about climate, where school systems fall short, and what it takes to scale climate education across subjects, schools, and countries. We will also bring the conversation to ground, sharing what this looks like inside one of the largest and most diverse school systems in the world: New York City Public Schools.
Speakers:
Fernando M. Reimers is the Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice of International Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative. A member of the U.S. National Academy of Education and president-elect of the International Academy of Education, he studies education policy, innovation, equity, citizenship, climate change, and artificial intelligence. He served on UNESCO’s Commission on the Futures of Education and advises governments and organizations worldwide. Reimers has authored and edited over 100 scientific papers and over 50 books including Education for a Climate Changed Future, Educating Students to Improve the World, and Artificial Intelligence and Education in the Global South.
Margaret Wang-Aghania is Co-Founder and Executive Director of SubjectToClimate, a nonprofit empowering K-12 educators across all subjects to teach climate action, reaching over 1.5 million users since its 2021 launch. A 2026 Ashoka Fellow, Margaret is a former high school teacher who saw firsthand how climate education activates students, a conviction that led her to Harvard, where she earned her Ed.M., co-authored books on education reform, and led climate trainings. She continues to teach and research alongside Fernando Reimers at Harvard, most recently co-authoring Educating for a Climate Changed Future. Margaret has also worked as an edtech product manager, holds a B.A. from Princeton, and is an avid marathoner and triathlete.
Meredith McDermott oversees the NYC Public Schools’ Office of Energy & Sustainability as the first Chief Sustainability & Decarbonization Officer. Her team leads sustainability and climate programs for nearly 1,900 schools to reduce emissions and waste, upgrade infrastructure for energy efficiency, optimize learning spaces, and support all school communities to take climate action. Meredith works to elevate teacher and youth leadership, advancing City and State commitments to establish climate education as an integral part of all climate solutions. She holds Masters degrees in Marine Science and Sustainability (University of Queensland, Australia). Working at the intersection of infrastructure, operations, policy, education, resilience, and leadership, Meredith and her team seek to realize the extraordinary potential of schools to drive lasting, positive change for students, communities, and beyond.
Discussion will be moderated by Oren Pizmony-Levy, Associate Professor of International and Comparative Education, and Director, Center for Sustainable Futures at Teachers College, Columbia University.
This book talk is co-sponsored by the Sustainability & Education Program of the International & Transcultural Studies Department; Center for Sustainable Futures; and Gottesman Libraries, Teachers College, Columbia University.