My academic career has been rich in technical knowledge; climate modelling, international agreements, environmental governance, and adaptation frameworks. These tools are essential but studying them in isolation can feel overwhelming. The complexity and scale of the climate crisis sometimes made me feel powerless, even while learning how it works.
From theory to the real world: Working with the King’s Climate & Sustainability team
This is why I applied to become a Sustainability Engagement Assistant with King’s Climate & Sustainability: it gave me the opportunity to move beyond the lecture theatre, to engage with real-world challenges, and to connect with, and become an active part of, a community equally passionate about change. I also wanted to engage fully with the institution’s efforts to address the climate crisis, to understand how King’s is tackling climate change and to learn from its approaches to sustainability and environmental leadership as real-world challenges actively being addressed across a multidisciplinary community.
My role was particularly valuable in achieving this, as I got to experience a different view of Climate & Sustainability Month (CSM). CSM is a flagship month of events at King’s each February, aimed at giving the King’s community the opportunity to learn more about sustainability topics, collaborate and connect with others from across, and take action on the climate crisis. During CSM, I supported and attended a wide range of events designed to integrate sustainability into university life.
Connecting my experiences to my master’s programme
For me, CSM was about grounding the theoretical knowledge from my master’s in lived experience. It offered spaces to talk, create, and act, whether through sustainability workshops, climate justice panels, or community-based events. These weren’t just “extras” to the curriculum; they provided a different kind of education, one focused on emotional resilience, interdisciplinary collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
What interests me most is the intersection between science and society: how we translate facts into policy, and how we inspire people to act. CSM tackled these themes head-on. Events addressed eco-anxiety, youth-led activism, climate storytelling, and more, reminding me that facts alone don’t drive change: people do. The Climate Simulation event helped participants understand the complexity of global climate negotiations, while the Sustainability Escape Room used playful design to explore serious environmental issues in a relatable way.
Individual behaviour change, while important, will never be enough on its own. We need systemic change, through public policy, institutions, and social movements. Universities like King’s have a responsibility not just to educate future leaders, but to lead by example. That means embedding sustainability across all curriculums and departments, not just in climate-related degrees. But it also means offering diverse ways to engage, with art, dialogue, activism, and community. In fact, King’s is already working on this through the Education for Sustainability (EfS) toolkit.
Through CSM, I also met other students, researchers, and staff who shared my concerns and hopes. That sense of connection helped me feel less alone and more energised. It showed me that climate action isn’t just about carbon budgets or policy targets - it’s also about culture, emotion, and collective care.
Concluding thoughts
As I reflect on my time at King’s, CSM stands out as a transformative experience. It helped me move from learning about change to being part of it. If we’re serious about building a sustainable future, we need both academic knowledge and lived, shared experience. CSM gave me the chance to bridge that gap and reminded me why I chose to study climate change in the first place: not just to understand the crisis, but to help shape the solutions.