A total of 155 students, teachers and administrative and service staff from the University of the Basque Country, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, the University of Deusto and Tecnun have participated in the Kima Bai! competition, run by the Department of Sustainability of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa on climate change.

The Deputy for Sustainability of Gipuzkoa, José Ignacio Asensio, has highlighted that "universities are key agents in the construction of a sustainable future". Their role in the training of tomorrow's professionals is essential for climate action, and their involvement is fundamental to promoting a true transformation in society towards sustainability.

Asensio presented the Klima Bai! competition awards on Monday at an event held at the headquarters of the Gipuzkoa Climate Change Foundation, Naturklima.

The event was also attended by the director of Naturklima, Xabier Esteban; the director of Ecological Transition of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, Mónica Pedreira; and representatives of the participating universities, such as Erlantz Allur, director of Internships, Dual Training and Employability of the UPV/EHU, Raúl Antón, director of Tecnun, Nekane Errasti, Academic Coordinator of the Polytechnic School of Mondragon Unibertsitatea, and Aitziber Aranzazu Irigoras, vice-rector of the University Community and Agenda 2030 of the University of Deusto.

The main objective of this competition is to raise awareness and educate citizens about climate action, promoting reflection on small daily actions that can contribute to a change of habits towards sustainability.

In this sense, the aim has been to identify the obstacles that hinder the adoption of more responsible and sustainable behaviours.

Asensio has highlighted during the event that "collaboration between agents is key to determining our response as a society to climate change". "It is essential to establish mechanisms that facilitate social action in favour of the climate, and in this task, universities play an essential role, since it is the professionals of the future who must be trained in the needs of tomorrow," he said.

The competition lasted one month and consisted of five thematic blocks with 10 questions and four challenges in each one. In addition, a final challenge was included focusing on the role of universities in the fight against climate change.

The prizes awarded included an electric bicycle, kits of sustainable and local products, a stay in sustainable rural houses and materials for observing nature, among others.