Here is NAEE’s latest round-up of news;
We include this important report again this week in case you missed it last time. The report, commissioned by the UK National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE), explores effective practices in delivering environmental, sustainability and climate education in schools across the United Kingdom. Drawing on a comprehensive review of academic and grey literature, as well as relevant case studies, the report identifies key factors that contribute to high-quality educational experiences for young people in the UK.
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News and in the papers
‘We lost’: How COP29 ended with a deal that made the whole world unhappy: Outcomes in Baku left diplomats unhappy, with the resulting New Collective Quantified Goal far from the $1.3 trillion goal. Negotiations demonstrated the power of richer nations, failing developing countries and, in particular, smaller island-states.
Regenvanu writes the shortcomings of COP29 highlight the urgency for the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion on the legal obligations of states in respect to climate harm, as small island states are being hit by superstorms exacerbated by climate change. The ICJ case, brought about by a large coalition of UN member states, began on the 2nd of December, with the aim of grounding climate commitments within the rule of law and to bridge the gap in COP29 finance agreements.
Black Friday – great for the consumer, not so great for the planet. In this article, Population Matters ‘unpack’ some of the environmental impacts of mass consumption over a short, annual period of time.
Carbon Choices Blog: Interested in climate issues, policy solutions and what you can do at home? Here’s a catalogue of Neil Kitching’s short climate blogs, all in one place.
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News about schools, FE, HE and I/TE
It was announced this week that the proposed Natural History GCSE has been put on hold and possibly permanently shelved. It is seen as an initiative of the last government and needing further substantial reassessment. This will be a significant disappointment to many including Mary Colwell, a passionate advocate, supported by the likes of Tim Oates and Caroline Lucas. Others have been more ambivalent about it fearing it may be practised in only a few schools and become elitist, especially without related foundational learning in Primary and Early Years.
Teach the Future have announced a Youth Shadow Panel and Open Call for Evidence something that they have pulled together with leading Youth organisations. They want to get news about it out to as many young people as possible – whether that is via teachers/ youth networks/ parents/ key contacts.
The youth-led Shadow Curriculum and Assessment Review, is uniting youth organisations to ensure youth perspectives are included in the official governments Curriculum and Assessment Review. From 2 December until 12 January, they will be gathering views from children and young people about their experiences in school and college. They are being asked to share:
- What they like about education
- What needs to change
- What could be better
Teach the Future invite your views here as soon as possible: www.shadowpanel.uk/get-involved/share-your-views and ahead of the Youth Panel roundtable with Becky Francis and the Official Review panel in two weeks. The results of this review will be brought together in an interim report, feeding into the official Review key themes and plan to have further significant touch points with the official panel throughout the year to ensure youth perspectives are incorporated. The team at Teach the Future have put together draft wording and graphics for the above which you can access in this document.
The Harmony Project will be running a science leaders’ webinar on embedding Sustainability and Climate Change Education (SCCE) in the curriculum. They will be sharing resources and demonstrating ways in which the curriculum incorporates the themes of sustainability and nature. The webinar will be held on the 6th February online.
Harmony have also made available the Science subject leader handbook which is being used in schools to develop the science curriculum. You can download a free copy here.
If you would like more information about the Harmony Project, email: info@theharmonyproject.org.uk
You can register for the webinar on the 6th February here.
Looking for ideas for embedding SCCE in the classroom? SEEd recommends using ideas from Project Drawdown. They say that ‘COP29 may have brought little in the way of climate solutions, with much less finance being offered by developed countries to support poorer nations in tackling and coping with climate change, but that doesn’t mean we should stop taking action! Project Drawdown, a resource of climate solutions, has compiled a list of 10 ways you can bring climate change solutions into your classroom. Read more… ‘
Compassion fatigue in teachers: A significant part of teaching involves providing emotional support to students. But with many young people facing mental health and trauma issues, teachers in Australia are reporting compassion fatigue, outlined in this article by Glenys Oberg. Indeed, this may be a widespread phenomenon; take a look and see if you recognise any parallels.
Podcast series: The UN Sustainable Development Goals and Educational Research
In 2015, United Nations Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, framed around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN describes these goals as “an urgent call for action by all countries,” emphasising the importance of global partnerships.
BERA (British Educational Research Association) has produced a podcast series exploring the intersections of Higher Education (HE) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The series delves into how HE can respond to the urgent call for action set out in The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The series invites academics, practitioners, and policymakers to examine the intersections of HE with personal, social, ecological, and resource needs, including poverty eradication, sustainable cities, clean energy, and justice.
There are 7 podcasts in the series and you can click here to find out more.
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Some exciting job opportunities available:
Head of School of Earth and Environment– University of Leeds (deadline 15th December)
NBMP Surveys and Training Support Officer – Bat Conservation Trust, Battersea, London (deadline 16th December)
River Educator – Wessex River Trust, Isle of Wight (deadline 2nd January)
Senior Garden and Youth Programmes Coordinator – Global Generation, Southwark (deadline 6th January)
For a wide range of further opportunities, do look at:
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And to wrap it up…
The Guardian ran an incredible series of photos of sink-holes, after one appeared in a quiet Welsh village last week. Sink-holes seem to be appearing more frequently, and are believed to related to climate change: ‘for every 0.1 degrees Celsius increase in global temperature, sinkhole occurrences increase by 1 to 3 per cent’ (Stephen Chua, Singapore)
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Please do share our news round-up with colleagues who might be interested. If someone has shared it with you and you would like to join NAEE to support our work, you can do so here.
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National Association for Environmental Education (UK)
Email: info@naee.org.uk Web: http://naee.org.uk