As part of the project titled “Sustainability-Oriented English Language Education within the Scope of the COP31 Youth and Education Theme: An International Collaboration Workshop Using the CLIL Approach and the Cambridge ELT Sustainability Framework,” led by Lect. Elif Atalı, an instructor at Bursa Technical University (BTU) School of Foreign Languages, we welcomed Mr Okan Yıldız to our school for a panel session forming a key stage of the project.

The panel, titled “Powering Tomorrow,” was organised as part of the project, which has been approved for presentation at COP31, to be hosted by Türkiye in Antalya. The event opened with remarks by Lect. Dr. Caner Gürel, Director of the School of Foreign Languages. In his speech, Gürel highlighted the significance of COP31 for Türkiye and the world, emphasising the critical role of education, young people, and foreign language education as a means of addressing climate change and promoting global awareness.

Okan Yıldız then shared his professional journey as a nuclear energy expert before delivering a comprehensive presentation on climate change, global energy sources, the role of nuclear energy in building a sustainable future, and the COP31 agenda. Referring to noteworthy figures such as 35 by 35, 1.5°C, 510 TWh, 92%, and 0.03, Yıldız invited students to predict what these figures represented, creating an interactive learning environment that encouraged curiosity and active participation.

With students actively engaged in the discussion, the panel explored global climate targets, the energy transition, and sustainable development from different perspectives. The event encouraged students to reflect on pressing global issues, raise their environmental awareness, and develop an interdisciplinary perspective.

As an important milestone in the project, which is based on the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)approach and the Cambridge ELT Sustainability Framework, the event contributed to ongoing efforts to integrate sustainability topics into English language education.

We would like to thank Mr Okan Yıldız for his valuable insights and for engaging our students in this interactive session.