PURE Global Centers Teachers and Youth Agency in Climate Week NYC AI Dialogue

PURE Global’s AI, Education & Youth Leadership for Climate Action session during Climate Week NYC 2026.

PURE Global’s official Climate Week NYC session focused on teacher readiness and youth participation in AI-supported climate education.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As artificial intelligence enters classrooms and climate change places new demands on education systems, PURE Global brought educators, technology leaders and youth together to consider a central question: Are young people being prepared only to understand these changes, or to help shape what comes next?

The official Climate Week NYC 2026 virtual session, “AI, Education & Youth Leadership for Climate Action,” explored how AI can support learning while underscoring the continuing importance of teachers and meaningful opportunities for young people to participate in climate solutions.

His Excellency Dharamkumar Seeraj, High Commissioner of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to India and Non-Resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, delivered the special guest address.

The panelists were B. Srinivasa Rao, IAS, State Project Director, Samagra Shiksha, Government of Andhra Pradesh; Aisshwarya DKS Hegde, Trustee Secretary of the National Education Foundation; and Daniel Erasmus, Founder and CEO of Erasmus.AI and Member of the Club of Rome. Shriya Kumsi, National Student Director of PURE Youth, opened the discussion with a youth perspective. Dr. Shyla Talluri, Founder and CEO of PURE Global, hosted the session, moderated by Prema Sudersan, Chair of the PURE Youth Advisory Council.

The conversation continued beyond its scheduled hour, with H.E. Seeraj and the speakers staying through the close. Across their different perspectives, the discussion returned to the practical realities facing teachers, schools and communities.

Teachers Remain Central

A central theme was the need to prepare and support teachers as education changes. Speaking from the perspective of public education, B. Srinivasa Rao, IAS, brought the conversation to the school level and the importance of helping teachers respond to evolving educational demands.

Daniel Erasmus discussed how AI can extend learning and help educators and students engage with complex challenges. The discussion placed technology in a supporting role: AI can strengthen human capability, while teachers bring relationships, judgment and context to learning. The exchange underscored a practical point: investment in AI for education must be accompanied by investment in the teachers responsible for bringing it into classrooms.

From Climate Awareness to Participation

Aisshwarya DKS Hegde, Trustee Secretary of the National Education Foundation, highlighted experiential education and the value of connecting learning to real-world challenges. The speakers emphasized that young people need more than information about climate change. They need opportunities to investigate problems, test ideas, take part in solutions and see how their contributions can make a difference.

“Climate education cannot stop with awareness. Schools and communities can become living laboratories where young people learn, experiment, participate and see that their actions matter,” said Talluri.

This approach connects climate learning to the places where young people live, giving them opportunities to experience and influence solutions in their own communities.

From Access to Agency

The Climate Week conversation builds on PURE Global’s September 20 official Digital@UNGA affiliate session, “From Access to Agency: Closing the AI Opportunity Gap for the Next Generation.” That discussion explored the difference between access to emerging technologies and the literacy, guidance, participation and opportunities young people need to use them meaningfully.

Together, the two conversations point to a shared challenge: access to AI does not automatically create agency, and awareness of climate change does not automatically lead to participation. Educational transformation depends on prepared teachers, young people who are trusted to contribute, and schools and communities where learning connects to action.

About PURE Global

PURE Global is a U.S.-based nonprofit working across education, youth leadership, skilling and community development. Founded and led by Dr. Shyla Talluri, PURE Global’s leadership includes Archana Purini, CFO, and Deepa Kamalakara, Chief Operating & Program Officer. Through its programs and growing global network of Youth Hubs, PURE creates opportunities for young people to develop skills, participate in their communities and translate learning into action.

Shyla Talluri
PURE Global
shyla@thepureglobal.org