As the climate crisis and other global challenges intensify, the need for transformative education has never been more urgent. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (SDG 4 on quality education and SDG 13 on climate action) highlight the importance of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in preparing students to think critically, act responsibly, and help build a more just and sustainable world. Students at City St George’s have taken change of their own learning and help to contribute to solutions to global challenges.
On 22 April 2025, The City Law School hosted the student-led Public Interest Environmental Law (PIEL) UK conference. The topic of this year’s conference was “Greenwashing, OMNIBUS regulation, and plastic governance.” Coinciding with Earth Day, the conference examined the legal dimensions of sustainability and environmental justice.
Panels tackled pressing topics such as greenwashing under the EU Omnibus Regulation (Cenk Narter), plastic governance and the Global Plastics Treaty (Prof. Rosalind Malcolm), and corporate ESG accountability (Prof. Tapas Mishra). A panel on SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) featured environmental justice lawyer Charlie Holt, alongside moving personal testimonies from Indian activists Anuradha Talwar and Lalsu Nogoti, who described the legal harassment they face for defending their communities and the environment. Jed Odermatt (City Law School) gave a presentation on embedding climate and sustainability into education. Lakshana Pattar, PIEL Secretary and LLB student at City Law School, notes:
“The PIEL conference was a testament to what students can accomplish. Being student-led, it fostered dynamic and thoughtful discussions on urgent issues in law and policy, and highlighted the importance of student voices in shaping the future”.
Students at City Law School also took part in the co-creation of an interdisciplinary module Sustainability and Climate Change. Students gave their input during a co- design workshop facilitated by Dom Pates, Senior Educational Technologist, and the Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD) team. The final session of the module was a student-designed interactive roundtable focused on how students can respond to the climate crisis. Reflecting on her experience, Anastasia Charalampous, one of the student leaders in the module, said:
“Being part of a student-led push for climate education has shown me that change starts with us. Organising the final lecture reminded me that when students speak up and act, we can inspire others and help shape a more sustainable future.”
Safiyya Khan, who also designed and led the session, added:
“Designing the final lecture was a great opportunity to involve students in climate discussions through interactive activities and debates. It showed how student-led sessions can make sustainability education more engaging.”
Student-led events and initiatives at City Law School help show that students thrive when empowered to take ownership of their own learning. Professor Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos, Head of Department at The City Law School sees the initiatives as a way to connect research and teaching:
“It is terrific to see the pedagogic innovation at play here, that is putting students at the centre of the academic design process, energises them to think critically, exposes them to one of the most important global challenges of our times and offers them an invaluable opportunity to actively partake in effecting change. This is a model for creating synergies between our teaching and our research, and for working collaboratively with our students and colleagues across the University and beyond.”
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