The most important text – Last week, Greta Thunberg wrote this on Twitter: “This is one of the most important and informative texts I have ever read on the climate- and ecological crises. It’s quite long, but worth every second of reading. Please republish and share wherever possible.” The text in question was an article in The Conversation: Climate scientists: concept of net zero is a dangerous trap. It’s written by James Dyke, Robert Watson, and Wolfgang Knorr. This is how it begins: “Collectively we three authors of this article must have spent more than 80 years thinking about climate change. Why has it taken us so long to speak out about the obvious dangers of the concept of net zero? In our defence, the premise of net zero is deceptively simple – and we admit that it deceived us.” We draw attention to it here, not because we agree with what the article says about climate change policy (that’s not our role), or because Greta supports it, but simply because we think that the arguments rehearsed in the article are the sort of ideas that schools should be making their students aware of and enabling them to discuss.
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Youth Action Group for Future Proof Parks – Groundwork UK is working with the National Youth Agency to develop a national media campaign focused on the use of parks to promote social connection and social action. They are looking for young people (age 16-25) to join a new Youth Action Group shaping the media campaign whilst learning new skills, making new friends, and connecting with the area they live in. You can find out more here and join the programme launch Thursday 13th May, 1800-1915. The guest speaker, is zoologist, Megan McCubbin, who will be sharing her journey into conservation and giving tips on engaging people in nature. You can join the Youth Action Group here.
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Projecting Scotland – There was a Teach the Future week of action across Scotland in April. There were banner drops in Glasgow, Glenfarg, Perth and Inverness with projections on the Royal Mile, People Makes Glasgow, and Barras Markets. You can see the photos on Instagram @ttf.scot
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EE Projects – NAAEE says that its 30 Under 30 Changemakers are using environmental education to address social and environmental issues, reconnect communities with nature and their land, and build critical skills and environmental literacy in children and adults around the world. A group of twelve of these changemakers will receive small grants, professional development, and a community of support to boost their impact as they implement projects that build low-carbon economies, create resilient communities, and protect and restore ecosystems across eight countries. Their projects include reconnecting indigenous communities to traditional land-based practices, empowering youth to inform national climate policies, and creating inclusive and culturally relevant E-STEM education kits for at-home learning. More detail here.
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People and Biodiversity – Last week, negotiators from 196 countries under the Convention on Biological Diversity met virtually to discuss the new Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A new guide offers negotiators practical steps for embedding equity in the new global biodiversity framework given that previous conservation efforts have often failed to treat people fairly and undermined the sustainability. You can find out more in the blog by Ebony Holland and Dilys Roe.
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50% Oxygen – Abigail McQuatters-Gollop is Associate Professor in Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth and the managing director of Ecosystem Approaches, Ltd. Click here to read an article she has contributed to The Conversation on the crucial role of phytoplankton play in the world’s production of at least 50% of the Earth’s oxygen, and in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels.
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Wasting Food – Every year it’s estimated that 1.3 billion tonnes of food goes to waste. This amounts to about one third of all the food produced in the world. At the same time, it’s estimated that about 10% of the global population suffers from chronic undernourishment. A BBC World Service radio programme explores these issues and what we might do – particularly when in 30 years time there will be another two billion people on the planet?
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COP Research – Climate Exp0 is a conference involving the University of Bath’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR). It is the first virtual conference from the COP26 Universities Network and the Italian University Network for Sustainable Development. It runs from 17 to 21 May. The programme “features the latest thinking and most relevant international climate change and policy research across five themes including Green Recovery; Nature-based Solutions; Mitigation Solutions; Adaptation and Resilience; and Finance and Regulation”. Addressing one theme each day, the conference has over 200 international speakers and contributors.
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Carbon to Carbide – Salk News has a report on transforming atmospheric carbon into a valuable material in the electronics industry. The report begins: “Plants are unparalleled in their ability to capture CO2 from the air, but this benefit is temporary, as leftover crops release carbon back into the atmosphere, mostly through decomposition. Researchers have proposed a more permanent, and even useful, fate for this captured carbon by turning plants into a valuable industrial material called silicon carbide (SiC) – offering a strategy to turn an atmospheric greenhouse gas into an economically and industrially valuable material.”
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@carbonchoicesuk – Neil Kitching, author of Climate Choices, has now published a short guide to COP26.
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Environmental Racism – Our two most recent blog posts have been on the theme of environmental justice. Here is a link to a contemporary view of the issues from California. It traces the impacts of slavery through California’s history, and explores local organization responses to environmental racism. Instead of labelling it ‘environmental, “they consider their work to be about health, poverty, and social justice”.
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Teacher Education – In tomorrow’s NAEE blog, Paul Vare of the University of Gloucestershire writes about the forthcoming changes to teacher education and the possible opportunities this may provide for environmental education.
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Every Child Every Day – The next Outdoor Classroom Day is on May 20th. Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to make time outdoors part of every child’s day.
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More Days and Dates – No Mow May – throughout May / Mental Health Week – 10-16 May / World Bee Day – 20 May / Walk to School Week – 17-21 May / Great British Spring Clean – 28 May – 13 June / World Environment Day – 5 June / Oceans Day – 8 June / Clean Air Day – 17 June / Let It Bloom & 30 Days Wild – throughout June.