In the run up to the globe's most important meeting on climate change, the #CIWEMtalksCOP26 series asks thought leaders from the water and environmental industry and beyond to answer a common question: what do you most want COP26 to deliver? Here we'll be serialising their answers.

Elinor Kinrade is a graduate hydrologist at Mott MacDonald.

"As stated by the World Health Organisation, more than 2 billion people have been impacted by floods between 1998-2017. Climate change is expected to increase both the frequency and intensity of flood events; it is therefore critical that future policies across the world focus on building public resilience to flooding.

"One crucial element of creating flood resilient societies is through education. An example of the increasing recognition that the role education holds can be partly seen in the UK, with the 2021 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy Action Plan.

"This aims to communicate flood risk to local people, as well as providing information on how to respond. Whilst this is undoubtedly a positive step towards building resilience, there must also be increased global education for children. They are typically seen as victims of flooding, however, evidence suggests that they can proactively contribute to emergency planning activities and inspire change within societies.

"In Cambodia, the benefits of education were seen following a flood risk awareness campaign under the Flood Emergency Management Strengthening project.

"Teachers conducted school sessions communicating flood risk reduction strategies to children. Following the scheme of learning, children exhibited positive behavioural changes that demonstrated understanding of the content taught, shown by the increased number of flotation devices brought to school during the flood season. Such a simple action will save lives.

"In the UK, the Environment Agency have hosted small-scale ‘Flood Weeks’ within primary schools in the North East. Children were taught what to do both during and prior to flood events. They created ‘grab bags’ and generated flood plans, which were then presented at community events to parents and local utility companies.

"This is a positive example of educating children on flood risk, whilst also reducing vulnerability at a societal scale, as evidence suggests that children can informally disseminate information to their communities and households.

"We must now ensure that these instances of good practice become the normality at an international scale. Climate change policy makers must pledge to work with education providers in order to facilitate the proactive teaching of flood risk.

"Changes to the global climate will occur, even if the most optimistic emission scenarios are met. Today’s children are the adults of tomorrow, and by sharing knowledge on flooding and building preparation skills now, we can collectively improve our future resilience to flooding."

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Elinor Kinrade is a graduate hydrologist at Mott MacDonald.