Explore what Carbon Literacy means for language professionals in this introductory taster session. Learn about the climate crisis, discover the role our sector can play in climate action, and reflect on how individual choices and professional practices can help create a more sustainable future.
Description of training content
The session begins with introductions and reflective activities designed to explore participants’ existing knowledge, perceptions and experiences of climate change. Participants will take part in a short quiz to explore key climate facts, learn about carbon literacy and the work of the Carbon Literacy Project, and consider why climate action is relevant to language professionals.
Through practical activities, including exploring the carbon impact of everyday activities and a climate storytelling exercise, participants will reflect on their own role and how they can contribute to climate action within their professional practice. The session concludes with an opportunity for questions and discussion.
Who should attend
This taster session is designed for language professionals who want to develop their understanding of climate change and explore how sustainability relates to their work. It is suitable for translators, interpreters, language service providers, freelancers, and anyone working in the language sector who is interested in learning more about carbon literacy and the role our profession can play in climate action.
No prior knowledge of carbon literacy is required, but some participants may already have awareness of climate change or sustainability and want to explore how these issues relate to their professional practice. The session is designed for anyone looking to build their confidence, reflect on the impact of their choices, and discover practical ways that language professionals can contribute to climate action.
Key takeaways for participants
By the end of the taster session, learners will have:
- Developed a basic understanding of the climate crisis
- Learned why the Carbon Literacy Trust was established
- Gained an understanding of what carbon literacy is and why it matters
- Explored why language professionals have an important role to play in climate action
- Begin to recognise the climate impacts of everyday choices and actions.
The session is designed to encourage participants to reflect on how individual and collective actions influence our carbon footprints and the wider environment, while building a foundation of knowledge that they can develop through further learning.
Why this webinar is relevant and timely
Despite the political debate surrounding climate change, the scientific evidence is clear: human activity is driving unprecedented changes to our climate. Since the Industrial Revolution, global average temperatures have increased by more than 1°C, largely due to rising concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These emissions are primarily the result of activities such as burning fossil fuels.
The impacts of climate change are no longer a distant concern, they are already being felt. Rising sea levels, more frequent and severe storms, flooding, wildfires and droughts are affecting communities across Europe and around the world. Without rapid and substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the challenges of living and working in a changing climate will continue to grow.
As business owners, we have probably all already felt some of the impacts of climate breakdown, with heatwaves and floods becoming increasingly frequent across Europe and elsewhere. The consequences include disruption to our working conditions, income and travel plans, as well as negative effects on our health and wellbeing.
One of the aims of this carbon literacy training is to equip language professionals with the knowledge they need to help mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, and to show how climate action can bring a range of co-benefits that can safeguard and enhance our working lives in the future.
The greater our awareness, the better we can also support our clients with their sustainability-related communications and apply suitable criteria when selecting who to work with.
The primary goal of this training is to introduce learners to the concept of carbon literacy, increase awareness of the climate crisis, and provide an introduction to the key ideas that will be explored in the full Carbon Literacy for Language Professionals course. Details of this course will soon be published.
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