The Freshwater Habitats Trust says it wants to hear from us about the frog and toad spawn that we spot in garden, community and country ponds. The details of this year’s spawn survey are here and the survey runs until the end of May. Meanwhile, you can take a look at the 2018 records on the interactive map created by Merseyside Biobank.
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BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast show on New Year’s Day had the theme of #Green2019 . It featured teenagers from London who are passionate about protecting the environment. Claramae, 15, from Eltham Hill School in Greenwich and Sapura and Nana, 17, from School 21 in Newham talked about some of the projects that they are running at their schools, and how they are trying to influence others to tackle climate breakdown and protect the natural world. The work that School 21 does about the SDGs features in NAEE’s next journal.
The full show included an interview with Greta Thunberg, an inspirational young climate activist who spoke at the UN Climate Change Conference COP24 in Poland and has been striking from school every Friday outside the Swedish Parliament demanding meaningful action on climate change. It also featured Therese Coffey an environment minister who set out the government’s response to the crisis that we are facing.
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The Daily Telegraph reports a national study which shows that four in ten children in UK primary schools are breathing toxic air that breaches guidelines from the. The investigation indicates that some 3.7 million students are being exposed to high levels of pollution on a daily basis, with some of the worst findings among the youngest students. Experts warn the pollution levels are placing children at increased risk of lifelong conditions including asthma and other breathing difficulties. You can read more here c/o the Children & Nature Network.
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The Soil Association has welcomed a new report from the EAT-Lancet Commission which says that, agro-ecological (that is, organic) farming can feed the world. The report has recommendations to acheive a sustainable diet that protects the planet and delivers healthy diets for all by 2050. The SA says that the report’s conclusions ought be reflected in Government policy and it is calling on Public Health England to roll out the planetary health diet in schools. There’s more on the report here.
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WWF says that at the beginning of the 20th century there may have been 100,000 tigers in the wild. But today, the population has shrunk by over 95%, leaving about 3,900 tigers in the wild – the legacy of poaching and habitat loss. Tomorrow’s Tigers is a new fundraising project, devised by Artwise which aims to raise awareness in support of a global commitment to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022, the next Chinese year of the tiger.
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Treehugger reports on aluminium recycling in the USA finding that all is not as recyclers would have us believe. It’s the same in Europe, of course, with recycled metals eventually going to landfill – sometimes very quickly.
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Countryside Classroom says that World Heritage Site Fountains Abbey is offering more ecological and nature studies in 2019 than ever before.
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The 2019 Children & Nature conference (16–18 May) 7 strands that focus on strategic levers needed to increase nature access at the local, national and international levels. These are:
- CREATING NATURE-FILLED CITIES
- DEVELOPING NETWORKS OF COMMUNITY LEADERS
- IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES THROUGH NATURE-BASED LEARNING
- INTEGRATING SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING INTO NATURE PROGRAMS
- ADDRESSING HEALTH EQUITY THROUGH NATURE CONNECTION
- ENGAGING FAMILIES IN NATURE
- CREATING AN INCLUSIVE CHILDREN AND NATURE MOVEMENT
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There’s not long now to apply for the Cambridge Master’s in Sustainability Leadership. The university asks: are you eager to tackle critical sustainability challenges in your industry and beyond? Do you want to learn to lead positive change as part of the 10th cohort of students undertaking this interdisciplinary course? Applications close on 28 February and you can find our more here and apply.
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The latest science and environment features from National Geographic are here. NG says that new studies paint an alarming picture of the Himalaya’s seismic risk, and a report calls for radical changes in how we eat. And here is information about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award. Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum warns that greenhouse gases are bubbling up from Arctic lakes.