Education and our ability to respond to climate change are inexorably linked. Major international studies have shown that education is the single strongest predictor of whether or not someone is aware of climate change. In the US, while 74% of Americans support climate action, support is typically 10–20 points higher among those with a college education.
It's not about perceptions on climate change; a more educated workforce is better able to innovate, accelerate the climate transition, and adapt in a less stable world – especially if that education builds climate resilient skills.
One could almost imagine a university designed around this need – and that is exactly what the team at Unity Environmental University are building.
Today, we're joined by Unity President Dr. Melik Khoury who is creating not just a new curriculum, but a new, more inclusive approach to higher ed. Dr. Khoury argues powerfully against the elitism that has underpinned our educational system and climate narratives. We spoke about his background, the role of education in addressing climate change, how Unity is different, and the influence it could have. Dr Khoury’s energy is contagious and we're sure he’ll get you thinking. Enjoy.
On today’s episode, we cover:
03:06 – Dr. Khoury’s upbringing in West Africa and awakening to environmental issues
04:24 – Discovering the real impacts of resource exploitation
06:01 – Choosing higher education transformation as the main lever
08:32 – The core climate problem: beyond politics and single-issue framing
09:04 – Climate as transdisciplinary: food, energy, people, commerce
11:05 – History of Unity Environmental University
13:07 – Transforming Unity’s model and unbundling education
15:14 – New operational model and rethinking the faculty role
15:23 – Scaling Unity and redefining what a university is
19:42 – Preparing students to operate in complex, uncertain systems
20:15 – Embedding climate and sustainability across the curriculum
23:14 – AI’s challenge to traditional notions of knowledge and learning
23:48 – What Unity is learning from its students and their needs
28:14 – What success looks like for a climate-focused university
28:30 – Influencing the broader higher-ed ecosystem
31:47 – How AI is changing higher education and climate learning
32:11 – Why Unity embraces rather than bans AI
35:58 – Concrete AI experiments at Unity (UNA, tutors, automation)
39:31 – Is climate momentum fading? Perception vs. reality
39:57 – Climate’s “brand problem” and the real enemy: ignorance
42:58 – Depoliticizing climate and making the economic case
43:16 – How we broadly attack ignorance through education reform
45:52 – Call for partners and funders to back scalable climate education
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