University of Oxford launches climate challenge for Chinese schools

Said Business School at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Chinese education platform Know+, has launched the Oxford Said Know+ Climate Change Challenge China Region Finals, inviting high school students and teachers across China to propose innovative solutions to urgent environmental challenges.

The initiative aims to spotlight the role of youth and educators in the global climate conversation and encourage grassroots solutions with local relevance and global impact. Winners of the China Region Finals, set for August 2025, will advance to the global stage. The top student team will present their project at Oxford's Said Business School, while the winning teacher will showcase their climate education strategy during the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil this November.

Global winners will be awarded fully funded, in-person courses at the University of Oxford, offering an extraordinary opportunity to study at one of the world's most prestigious academic institutions.

"China has demonstrated what can be achieved through bold policymaking and a shared commitment to sustainability," said Josephine Fawkes, director of global inclusion and youth education at the Said Business School. "Yet the journey toward a sustainable future is far from complete."

Open exclusively to high school students and teachers in Chinese mainland schools, the competition provides a platform for homegrown innovation. Student teams, composed of three to five members aged 15 to 18, are invited to address challenges such as air pollution, extreme weather, food security, water scarcity, and biodiversity. Educators will submit comprehensive lesson plans designed to bridge classroom learning with real-world climate action.

Paul Lin, co-chair of the competition and founder of Know+, described the initiative as a powerful opportunity for Chinese youth to engage on an international scale. "This collaboration with Oxford Said creates an invaluable platform for global dialogue, encouraging the next generation to lead with creativity, responsibility, and purpose," he said.

Since its inception in 2023, the Oxford Said Climate Change Challenge has seen rapid expansion, drawing more than 1,000 applications from 58 countries in 2024. The introduction of regional finals, beginning with China, marks a strategic shift toward cultivating local leadership within the broader climate movement.

Finalists in both the China Region and Global Finals will be evaluated by a panel of experts from Said Business School, Know+, and prominent industry leaders. All participants who reach the final stage will receive official certificates of recognition from the University of Oxford.

The launch of the competition comes at a time when China is playing a pivotal role in the global transition to clean energy. At the 2025 Sino-UK Entrepreneur Forum in London, Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Zheng Zeguang highlighted China's achievements in renewable energy development. According to the ambassador, China now leads the world in installed renewable energy capacity and is the largest producer and exporter of clean energy technologies. For the first time, the combined installed capacity of wind and solar power has surpassed that of thermal power.

In the first four months of 2025, China's vehicle production and sales both exceeded 10 million units. Among these, new energy vehicles accounted for 4.4 million and 4.3 million units respectively, marking a year-on-year increase of 48 percent and 46 percent, said the ambassador.

A 2024 report by the International Energy Agency also confirmed China's significant role in reducing global emissions and advancing international climate goals. Yet even with this progress, challenges remain, including increasingly frequent extreme weather events, mounting water stress, and accelerating biodiversity loss.

It is against this backdrop that the Oxford Said Know+ initiative hopes to inspire a new generation of climate-conscious leaders in China and beyond.

wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com