The PM at COP28 – Click here to read a transcript of the PM’s address to COP28. Here are some comments: SKY News – The Guardian – BBC – Independent.
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COP HUB – The Ministry of Education of the UAE, in collaboration with the Greening Education Partnership and its secretariat at UNESCO, will launch the first ever Greening Education Hub. The hub will host more than 200 side events, emphasizing the pivotal role of education in addressing the climate emergency. Operating over 12 days, the hub will align with the thematic programme established by the COP28 Presidency and will be structured around green schools, curriculum, teacher training and education systems capacities, and communities. Discover the programme here.
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Yes Minister – Click here to read what Jonathan Slater (lately the Permanent Secretary at the DfE) has to say on the Public Policy Design blog about the interaction of ministers, civil servants and the public. It includes this:
“If you become the Secretary of State for education (for example), you typically don’t know anything about education other than your own experience, and suddenly you’re responsible for, well, everyone’s education. The only way for such a system to work is if the civil servants working for you have got a lot of expertise in the subject. As a new minister you can triangulate this official advice with the conversations with the public in your constituency surgery, for example. But in my experience, ministers are normally rather disappointed when they ask to have a conversation with the relevant policy team and find the officials don’t actually know nearly as much as they might have imagined: particularly the more senior ones. You wonder, what it is that got these people promoted? You know it is clearly not their expertise in the subject matter. It’s not necessarily even their managerial experience. What’s got them promoted, more than anything else, is their ability to sound convincing. This is a very odd notion indeed, and it doesn’t serve the minister well at all.”
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Talking of the DfE – Click here to read the DfE’s December Climate in Education Snapshot. There are details of:
- COP28
- National Education Nature Park Webinars
- Free CPD from University College London
- Introducing Energy Heroes: Empower Your School Energy Journeys
- Empowering Future Leaders through Sustainable Learning
- Our World, Our Futures: Children’s global citizenship for sustainability using arts and digital practices in schools in the UK and the Maldives
- Sheffield’s Sustainable Schools Network
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Commonwealth Ocean Demands – Youth leaders representing the Commonwealth’s 56 countries have urged leaders at COP28 to move beyond speeches and deliver concrete action to safeguard the planet. Their call is at the heart of a new report launched on 8th December during an intergenerational dialogue organised by the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network (CYCN) and the Commonwealth Secretariat. Ibiso Ikiroma-Owiye, Chair of the Commonwealth Ocean Youth Working Group said: “Young people deserve a seat at the table and should not have to struggle to finance the implementation of innovative projects for our shared and sustainable future.” The dialogue was part of a series of events being hosted this year to mark 2023/4 as the Year of Youth. The Commonwealth Youth Policy Recommendations on Climate Change report was produced by the Commonwealth Youth Climate Change Network, with the Secretariat’s support.
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Transforming Playgrounds – The West Midlands Combined Authority organises Natural Environment Awards. These award schemes recognise and celebrate projects and/or organisations who are restoring, creating and protecting greenspaces and waterways. Last year projects were awarded, from transforming playgrounds into wildlife havens to creating a garden for veterans who suffer with post-traumatic stress disorder. All businesses, community groups, educational institutions and public sector organisations in the West Midlands area are eligible to apply. Applications are open until the 15th January, and you can apply on the WMCA’s website.
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EfS 101 – The Ministry of Eco-Education has video content on its Youtube Channel including its new Education for Sustainability 101 series.
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National Landscapes – The Inkcap Journal notes that from now on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty will be known as National Landscapes in a move to “reflect their national importance”. The 46 designated areas cover 14% of England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England, said that AONBs had helped protect the beauty of landscapes for decades, but today “we need so much more from these wonderful places”, from adapting to climate change to restoring depleted wildlife and producing food. The new name also comes with a set of ambitious aims, including the creation of 10,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat outside of SSSIs, and the planting or regeneration of 36,000 hectares of woodland. There’s more detail c/o BBC Countryfile and ENDS Report.
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All a Flutter – The Inkcap journal also reports that there has been a 35% increase in the number of butterflies in Scotland over the last 40 years. NatureScot’s latest Biodiversity Indicator report analysed the long-term trends for 20 species of butterfly, and found that nine species had increased significantly, including the red admiral, orange-tip and peacock butterflies. Although the overall trend is positive, researchers note that the increase is at least partly due to species moving further northward due to climate change. Meanwhile, three of the 20 species are showing declines, with populations of the small copper almost halving in number. Simon Foster, an analyst for NatureScot, said that while the overall long-term trend is “reassuring”, in the case of some individual species, “habitat and food loss appear to be major factors in their declines so we’re working hard to support them.”
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Empowerment through Nature – An on-line event: Empowering teachers and young people through nature, outdoor learning and environmental sustainability education is being organised by BERA. On February 28th (1600 to 1730). There’s a charge for non-BERA members. You can find out more here.
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Dr Who and Climate Change – In their The Conversation article, Marc Hudson, University of Sussex, Marcus Harmes, University of Southern Queensland, and Richard Douglas, Goldsmiths, University of London say that their study of five episodes across its 60 years shows Doctor Who has failed to support the idea that people should be able to advance their own climate interests.
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Preventable Causes – It’s a gloomy topic at the best of times and especially at this time of year, but it’s a vital one. Our World in Data says that most children die from preventable causes, and to make progress against child mortality, we need to know what children are dying from. In the chart, you can see global estimates from the publication of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in 2019. The size of each box corresponds to the number of children under five years old who die from each cause.
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Whale Reserve – The island nation of Dominica in the Caribbean will create the world’s first sperm whale reserve, spanning almost 800 km2 off the island’s west coast. Commercial fishing and large ships will be banned from the area that is a key nursing and feeding ground for around 200 of the endangered mammals. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said: “Their ancestors likely inhabited Dominica before humans arrived. We want to ensure these majestic and highly intelligent animals are safe from harm and continue keeping our waters and our climate healthy.” The BBC has details.