region
United States
ENGAGEMENT PERIOD
2023 - 2024
- Lumina Foundation
- Builders Initiative
CLIENTS
A New Green Learning Agenda for Post-Secondary Institutions
Research & Policy Advocacy
Field-defining research and policy advocacy—generating evidence to shape policy and practice across interconnected systems, from education to the green and blue economy.
Explore →Data & Evaluation
Measurement, evaluation, and data systems that track climate impact and keep today's decisions accountable to future generations.
Explore →Instructional Design
Curriculum development and climate-integrated learning experiences across formal and non-formal systems—from early childhood to workforce development.
Explore →Workshop Design & Delivery
Capacity building and technical assistance—interactive experiences that shift mindsets and translate knowledge into practice.
Explore →Strategic Advisory
Strategy and advisory services that help organizations and leaders navigate complexity and drive systems change.
Explore →Thematic area
PRIMARY SERVICE
— the CHALLENGE
Achieving a just transition requires stronger alignment between climate policy, workforce development, and postsecondary education—but gaps in investment, coordination, and equity are leaving many learners excluded from emerging green job opportunities. At the same time, there is limited evidence on where these gaps exist across green jobs, skills, and learning pathways, and few practical, equity-centered frameworks to help institutions respond.
— WHAT WE DID
- Authored Part 1: 'Education and Training: An Opportunity to Achieve a Just Transition to a Low-Carbon, Socially Inclusive Economy'—including an executive summary
- Authored Part 2: 'Closing Green Learning Opportunity Gaps for a Just Transition: Transformative Approaches for a New Green Learning Agenda for Postsecondary Institutions'
- Produced three US case studies: Hawai'i, Chicago, and Eastern Kentucky
- Hosted two public launch webinars on green learning for a just transition
- Engaged the field through dissemination to post-secondary leaders and green economy stakeholders
— THE IMPACT
The NGLA reports and case studies provide post-secondary institutions, policymakers, and funders with a practical framework and evidence base for embedding green learning and green workforce development pathways into just transition strategies—with equity and youth voice at the center.
Solution
A New Green Learning Agenda
— the CHALLENGE
Despite education's clear contributions to climate mitigation and adaptation, its potential to attract co-investment from climate finance remains significantly underutilised. The core problem is a gap in evidence and methodologies linking educational interventions to measurable climate outcomes—making it difficult for education projects to meet the eligibility criteria of many climate funders. Some climate benefits of education, particularly those dependent on behavioural change, manifest through complex, indirect causal chains over long timeframes, compounding the challenge.
Thematic area
PRIMARY SERVICE
— WHAT WE DID
Unbounded Alliance led the research, writing, and synthesis of this paper, commissioned through the CLEAN Help Desk (funded by FCDO).
• Developed a conceptual framework mapping five education pathways to climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience outcomes
• Conducted a rapid desk review of academic and grey literature on education's contributions to climate action
• Conducted expert interviews to fill gaps in the literature, including on methodologies for carbon markets and climate finance
• Assessed the strength of the evidence base for each pathway and identified data and methodology gaps
• Produced recommendations for how the education sector can strengthen its case for climate co-financing
• Integrated a GEDSI-sensitive lens throughout, examining equity and inclusion dimensions of climate finance for education
— THE IMPACT
The paper provides education and climate stakeholders with a comprehensive, actionable map of five pathways through which education investments can drive climate outcomes—from climate-smart school infrastructure to foundational learning—identifying where evidence is strong, where gaps remain, and how to unlock new climate finance opportunities. It positions education as a critical, investable climate strategy at a moment when both climate urgency and education funding pressures are acute.
A New Green Learning Agenda for Post-Secondary Institutions
region
United States
— the CHALLENGE
Achieving a just transition requires stronger alignment between climate policy, workforce development, and postsecondary education—but gaps in investment, coordination, and equity are leaving many learners excluded from emerging green job opportunities. At the same time, there is limited evidence on where these gaps exist across green jobs, skills, and learning pathways, and few practical, equity-centered frameworks to help institutions respond.
— WHAT WE DID
- Authored Part 1: 'Education and Training: An Opportunity to Achieve a Just Transition to a Low-Carbon, Socially Inclusive Economy'—including an executive summary
- Authored Part 2: 'Closing Green Learning Opportunity Gaps for a Just Transition: Transformative Approaches for a New Green Learning Agenda for Postsecondary Institutions'
- Produced three US case studies: Hawai'i, Chicago, and Eastern Kentucky
- Hosted two public launch webinars on green learning for a just transition
- Engaged the field through dissemination to post-secondary leaders and green economy stakeholders
CLIENTS
- Lumina Foundation
- Builders Initiative
ENGAGEMENT PERIOD
2023 - 2024
PRIMARY SERVICE
Thematic area
Learn more about
working with us
— GET IN TOUCH
— THE IMPACT
The NGLA reports and case studies provide post-secondary institutions, policymakers, and funders with a practical framework and evidence base for embedding green learning and green workforce development pathways into just transition strategies—with equity and youth voice at the center.
Solution
A New Green Learning Agenda