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The first London Climate Action Week will take place from today to July 8th.  Climate Action is launching a Climate Innovation Forum at Hilton Tower Hill on July 3rd.  This will bring together 350 leading policymakers, investors, business and sustainability leaders, cleantech start-ups, think-tanks and NGO’s from the UK and across Europe, creating insight, sharing failures and successes, facilitating partnerships, building capacity and identifying new market opportunities for investors.

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On July 3rd, as part of climate action week, Green Schools Project, School 21, and WE will bring together 200 young people aged 9-17 from 10 schools, academics, climate scientists and politicians to discuss what is required from the education sector to respond to the climate crisis: #changethedebate

The day will feature experts in climate change, the social psychology of climate change, and those who are already making a difference.  Students will come out with new skills and knowledge to communicate about climate change.  They will create action plans for showing leadership in their schools and communities to change the debate, and develop ideas for what an appropriate response to being in a climate and ecological emergency means for schools.

Young people have demonstrated their power to change the debate. This conference, held at UCL, is designed to provide rigorous knowledge, skills and motivation to allow young people to change the debate in their schools and local communities.

Remember:  “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change is talk about it.”  Professor Katherine Hayhoe

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Morgan Phillips, the UK Co-Director of the Glacier Trust and NAEE trustee, argues on medium.com that, if net zero by 2030 is not possible, funding for adaptation is a moral imperative.  He writes: “…

“… we need to persuade [our politicians ] that they have a moral responsibility to fund climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and compensation for the losses and damage caused by the climate breakdown our fossil fuel addiction is fueling. …”

You can read the rest here here.

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The TES has an article on a school head, Neill Lunnon, who encouraged his students in a London prep school to join the Friday climate strikes.  It includes this passage:

As a headteacher, I believe passionately that every day is important, with a myriad of opportunities to learn, explore and develop. I don’t want my pupils to miss a single day. However, when some of the girls asked permission to miss school to attend one of the recent student marches, I did not hesitate to offer my support. In the words of David Attenborough, their “outrage is justified”.

We will take the same approach every time a strike is organised.  Some of our children are still too young to take easily to the streets. Others may on occasion have exams or commitments they can’t miss.  Otherwise, they are welcome to go, and to invite their parents to go with them. It’s less “take your child to work” and more “bring your parent out on strike“.  …”

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Click here to read the latest BEEHIVE magazine from MEEN – the Manchester Environmental Education Network.  This highlights the partnership work MEEN has been doing on Climate Change, gives details about the next Eco Schools Green Teach Meet, provides opportunities to learn about sustainable farming, gives details of the GM Fire Service, shares stories from a forest school and the Mayor’s Green Summit, and has updates from the school strikes 4 Climate.

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Watch the RSA debate: How can democracy enable the scale of change required to tackle the climate challenge?

The climate crisis requires radical interventions in the economy, especially in challenging expectations of exponential growth and adds another layer of complexity to challenges facing democracy.  Caroline Lucas MP is joined by Professor David Runciman to explore the range of approaches needed to confront this multifaceted concern, and whether deliberative processes can offer a practical way forward to engage citizens more directly in political decision-making and strengthen representative democracy.

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The BBC has launched a Gardenwatch  – a citizen science project working with the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and The Open University   This aims to map the resources available for wildlife in gardens up and down the country, and find out which wildlife species are attracted.  “Gardens can be precious wildlife havens in an ever increasing concrete jungle” says presenter Michaela Strachan. “Make your garden the best it can be for our challenged British birds, mammals & insects.”

More detail here.

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DEFRA has created 41 new marine conservation zones expanding England’s ‘blue belt’.  Stretching from Cornwall to Northumberland, the new protections safeguard 12,000 square kilometres of marine habitat, an area about eight times the size of Greater London.  These ‘blue belts’ will protect species such as rare stalked jellyfish, short-snouted seahorses and blue mussel beds.

The UK now has 355 Marine Protected Areas, and Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

“The UK is already leading the rest of the world by protecting over 30% of our ocean – but we know there is more to do. Establishing this latest round of Marine Conservation Zones in this Year of Green Action is another big step in the right direction, extending our blue belt to safeguard precious and diverse sea life for future generations to come.”

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All About Trees is a networking Day organised by LEEF (London Environmental Educators’ Forum), bgen (Botanic Gardens Education Network) and BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International), and The Royal Parks.  It takes place on Friday 19th July in Hyde Park, London.

The day will celebrate the tree as an infinite resource to understand the natural world, and the role trees play in improving people’s wellbeing.  The Day is an annual opportunity to bring together  members as well as other practitioners who work in outdoor education and engagement in London and beyond.  You can book a place here.

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