Fred Sato is a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow with the Innovation and Education Programme at UNU‑IAS.
In this role, he contributes to advancing research on climate change education and training. His work focuses on strengthening climate change literacy across diverse groups, including the general public, learners, teachers, heritage stakeholders and communities affected by conflict. His current research examines how climate change literacy can be integrated into environmental peacebuilding frameworks and projects, particularly within post‑conflict settings in developing nations.
Fred holds a PhD in Sustainability Science from UNU‑IAS, where his dissertation explored climate change literacy assessment and its relationship to climate action, with a specific focus on the adoption of pro‑environmental behaviours. Before joining UNU‑IAS, Fred worked with international development organizations, academic institutions and community‑based initiatives in Ethiopia, Japan, Malawi and South Africa. In these roles, he contributed to and led projects on infant literacy, climate change education, net-zero strategies, heritage adaptation, teacher capacity building and classroom teaching.
Fred remains committed to bridging research and practice by supporting community‑driven approaches to climate adaptation and promoting the integration of climate change knowledge into global sustainability agendas.
Research Interests
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change literacy
- Climate security
- Education for Sustainable Development
- Environmental peacebuilding
- Heritage adaptation