Teach the Future’s open letter to the Chancellor calling for fiscal stimulus to be spent on retrofitting schools to net-zero, was signed by 53 environmental and educational NGOs and trade unions. The letter is here along with a blog. NAEE was pleased to support this. ∫∫∫
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The government announced plans to invest £1bn into a ten-year school retrofit and rebuilding plan. Teach the Future, which has been pushing for a Green Recovery for Education, and a much more ambitious 10-year retrofit plan, welcomed the announcement but called on the government to increase this investment to almost £30bn, to cover the £6.7bn needed for repairs, and the £23bn required to retrofit the entire education estate to net-zero emissions. You can read more here. ∫∫∫
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educate, the NEU in-house magazine has a feature article on Teach the Future: Climate change activists carry on during corona. ∫∫∫
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The British Ecological Society has launched a learning with nature competition for under 16s ( in three age categories: Under 7s, 7 – 10 and 11 – 16 ) that focuses on how they have used nature to learn during lockdown. BES want to see stories, diary entries, drawings, collages, photos, poems – the more creative the better! The deadline is 1000 on Monday 13 July and guidelines must be read by a parent/guardian before entering. ∫∫∫
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AimHi is a global online school for students to learn, interact and be inspired by charismatic role models and exceptional teachers, for free. Today, there’s a session on fossil fuels, and on July 13th, one on radical climate change solutions. ∫∫∫
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Here is a link to the videos of the National Youth Climate Summit held on 22nd of April, organised by Carlisle’s Robert Ferguson Primary School, in partnership with Transform our World. This event provided a chance for students and teachers to dive into the planet’s most pressing climate issues, offering grassroots suggestions on how we can avoid ecological collapse and looking at what we as individuals can do to help. The summit was chaired by Graham Frost, head of Robert Ferguson Primary school and an NAEE trustee. ∫∫∫
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A wildlife app launched today by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust gives users a new view of bumblebees through an augmented reality 3D function. The free ‘What’s That Bumblebee’ app lets you engage with nature in a different way by bringing a three-dimensional bumblebee to virtual life, for studying in detail and with the option of capturing images to send to family and friends. The app also makes it easy for bumblebee-beginners to identify which of the UK’s most common eight species of these important pollinating insects may be buzzing around their garden or local park. More detail here. ∫∫∫
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DfT data show that annual nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from vans soared by 43% to 99,300 tonnes between 2007 and 2017. Total NOx emissions from all cars, buses and HGVs fell over the same period. It’s reported that vans caused 25% of NOx road transport emissions in 2017 – more than three times the amount from HGVs. This period has seen a steady rise in e-commerce and the white vans that it seems to necessitate. Data such as these are being used to justify a tax on e-commerce. This would make a good case study for older students to investigate. ∫∫∫
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The Economist has a graphic showing where all the world’s CO2 is produced (in gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent). Unsurprisingly, the oil and gas sector, and utilities, are the biggest sources. ∫∫∫
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Yale Environment 360 reports that the South Pole has warmed at a rate three times the global average over the last three decades, according to a study in the journal Nature Climate Change. Temperatures at the Amundsen-Scott research station in Antarctica rose by 1.8 degrees Celsius between 1989 and 2018. For comparison, global temperatures rose a total 0.5 to 0.6 degrees C during the same 30-year period. More detail here. ∫∫∫
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At the other end of the Earth beavers are reshaping the Arctic landscape. Satellite images show them moving into new areas as warmer temperatures allow vegetation to move into the Arctic tundra. Once in place, their dam-building looks likely to accelerate the thawing of permafrost. The report was published in Environmental Research Letters. Click here to follow the story. ∫∫∫
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A UK company Frugalpac has developed a paper wine bottle that it says is six times better for the environment than the glass equivalent. The 75cl bottle is made from 94 % recycled paperboard with a food-grade liner to hold the wine. It can be refrigerated and keeps the liquid cooler for longer, the manufacturer says. ∫∫∫