Exploring the role of Italian transversal skills and orientation programmes for high school students as Tools for Climate Education through Data Rescue Initiatives

An effective educational tool to understand the Earth’s climate system, its causes, and the consequences of climate change can be the recovery and digitization of historical meteorological data. In this context, high schools and universities play a key role in climate education by engaging both students and teachers.

In 2023, the project “Let’s Not waste Time: Adopt a Historical Series of Meteorological Data of Rome” was launched within the PCTO programs promoted by Sapienza University of Rome. The activity involves digitising one year of data from the Meteorological Register of the historic Collegio Romano Observatory (founded in 1787) and comparing temperature data with measurements taken 100 years later.

The project aims to: (i) engage students in rediscovering historically and scientifically valuable meteorological data preserved on paper records, and (ii) contribute to the recovery and digitization of historical data, raising awareness of the importance of long-term observations for studying climate trends. So far, about 80 high school students from two schools in Rome and its province have participated. This contribution presents the project structure, results from the first two years, and an evaluation of its educational impact.