6th IPCC Report – Last Monday, the latest report on the physical science of climate change was published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This gave world leaders the most up-to-date information about climate change to inform their policies and decisions around COP26. It is the outcome of a five-year review by more than two hundred scientists from over 60 countries. This IPCC report is the sixth – the 5th was in 2013. The IPCC was first established in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization in order to provide policymakers with assessments on climate change. The reports are required to be policy-relevant but to remain policy-neutral. Although they contain findings, and state the confidence with which the finding is made, they do not recommend action. You can access the report’s summary for policymakers here and read about the background to the process in The Conversation.
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IPCC Policy Makers Summary – This is a key quote from the 6th reports summary for policy-makers: “Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least the mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered. Global warming of 1.5C and 2C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades. … In the best-case scenario, the global average temperature would rise to 1.6C but by 2100 would have fallen back to 1.4C above the level seen between 1850 and 1900. On our current trajectory, the temperature will increase to between 2.7C and 3.6C above pre-industrial levels, and under the worst case scenario may rise 4.4C by the end of the century.”
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The Missing NDCs – Only 118 out of 197 countries have submitted new or updated nationally determined contributions (NDCs) by the end of July – the deadline set to enable preparation for COP26. NDCs set out national plans designed by each country to address climate change. Taken together, they provide the most comprehensive and accurate record of global climate action. Submissions allows the UN to carry out reviewing, quantifying and summarizing activities before presenting the results to the governments and the public. China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Australia are among the countries yet to forward plans. There’s more detail here.
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Environmental Educators of Tomorrow – The British Ecological Society has been awarded £248,700 from the UK’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. to improve nature connection in schools in County Durham and North East England. The Connecting schools to nature in North East England project will see BES work with citizen science organisation MammalWeb and engagement charity SMASH-UK, and primary school pupils and teachers to deliver a green transformation to 50 schools in disadvantaged areas of the North East of England. 50 early career ecologists will become Environmental Educators in Residence, collaborating with teachers to develop practical workshops and deliver biodiversity enhancements to school grounds. The project will run until March 2023. For opportunities to get involved in the project, you can follow the Newsletter and social media @BritishEcolSoc. There are more details here.
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Competences and Goals – The Rounder Sense of Purpose (RSP) website offers 192 activities that link its 12 competences with 16 of the Sustainable Development Goals. On the Home Page, click on the SDG wheel or the RSP palette and then select the SDG or competence to find the activities. There are ideas that would apply to science, business, engineering, or any other kind of student. For the most part these are classroom activities that can be deepened (or lightened) to suit the age/phase of most students whether adults or children.
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The Climate Challenge Cup – This is an international competition to showcase transformative civic research partnerships between research bodies, civic organisations and local communities to combat climate change. It brings together knowledge and experience from across the UK and USA to help affected communities adapt to climate change or achieve net zero. There will be a showcase and award ceremony during COP26. It is supported by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and by the City of Glasgow, and is being delivered by The Young Foundation and MetroLab Network. Supporters also include the UK’s Science and Innovation Network, Innovate UK and The University of Glasgow. To find out more and register your interest click here.
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Promoting International Climate Education – The Global Climate Education Network (GCEN) was launched on 17 August. It is a network of youth-led campaigns that are pushing for their governments to implement climate education that prepares students for the climate crisis, and empowers them to contribute to the solutions. It brings together climate education groups all around the world. Teach the Future has been a key part of the network and it is looking forward to seeing it grow and support climate education internationally.
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Policies a Cambo – As Scottish schools go back in the next few weeks a significant wicked problem has emerged for them to raise with their students: should the Cambo oil field off Shetland be developed or should the oil be left in the ground? Climate activists say, let it be – “think of the planet” – but exploiting the field will help the Scottish economy as fewer expensive oil imports will be needed as we work our way to net-zero – and then there’s all those Scottish jobs. Cambo is estimated to contain more than 800 million barrels of oil. An exploration licence was granted in 2001, but the Oil and Gas Authority is still considering whether to give approval for extraction. The BBC reports that drilling could begin as soon as 2022 and continue for around 25 years. The Scottish government has not committed itself either way with a spokesperson saying that the government was “fully committed to becoming a net-zero economy by 2045”, and that the oil and gas sector “can play a positive role in Scotland’s energy transition”. Discuss …
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C C (U) S – In the light of the current Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is likely to be promoted as one of the tools for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but not everyone is keen on this idea. As the Waterkeeper Alliance reports, in an open letter sent to leaders in the United States and Canada, more than 500 US, Canadian, and international organizations called on policymakers to reject CCS (and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage, CCUS) as dangerous distractions and to end what they termed the “carbon capture of climate policy.” This is another of those (many climate) issues that schools surely ought to be helping their students to learn about, and encouraging them to have an informed view of the pros and cons.
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Alice in Wonderland – Parcel carrier DHL has ordered 12 fully electric Alice eCargo planes from Eviation for delivery in 2024. Alice can be flown by a single pilot and will carry 1,200 kg of freight. It will require 30 minutes to charge per flight hour and have a maximum range of up to 815 km.
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Betting on Hedges – How much do you know about the UK’s hedges? Click here to take a brief quiz from CPRE to find out. CPRE also has a campaign to protect hedhges. Details here.
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Queen of Spain Fritillary – Filmmaker Stephen Lowenstein and Dr Richard Fox for Butterfly Conservation have produced a short drama about a young boy who stumbles across a Queen of Spain Fritillary butterfly (one of the rarest butterflies ever to be glimpsed in the British Isles) on the eve of WW1. The film, which won best short film at the London International Short Film Festival, can be purchased for £1, with profits going to Butterfly Conservation. Click here to watch (it will cost you £1). You should note that the film reflects collection practices which were current at the time but which are not used today.
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World Lion Day – This began in 2013 to raise awareness about lions and to mobilise support for their protection and conservation. It is celebrated on August 10th each year. This is how the Hindustan Times saw it, and here is a view from the Born Free organisation.
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Bush Meat off the Menu – A decision support tool has been produced to provide step-by-step guidance for conservation practitioners on how to design projects to reduce the consumption of wild meat by promoting alternative sources of protein. The tool was developed by IIED, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science at the University of Oxford, Fondation Camerounaise Terre Vivante and The Conservation Foundation. It was based on research conducted through the Darwin Initiative–funded project ‘Why Eat Wild Meat: developing .