Top tips - November 2007

By Bill Lynch, Sustainable Development Officer

The following points are intended for practising teachers including NQTs who wish to work with the newly produced Climate Change website and also for those individual teachers who wish to consider their own contribution to helping reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions.

The first point to make is - try not to be overwhelmed. Climate change is a huge problem that will require global political and economic intervention but we as individuals and collectively as school communities can take various actions that can make a difference.

There is overwhelming agreement amongst the scientific community that actively researches climate change that human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the probable cause of global warming.

Whilst global warming is the cause, climate change is the symptom. The prognosis for now is positive but this hinges on the dose and timing of the medicine taken. If we prevaricate and stall for any length of time then in the short term increasing numbers of unusual weather events and patterns are likely but we could enter unknown territory where feedback effects can alter our climate dramatically and threaten the very existence of the planet.

Globally, sustainable development is key to dealing with climate change. For if we are mindful of  the resources we use, the patterns of consumption and production that we and companies engage in, an equitable approach to sustaining communities around the globe, and supporting more renewable sources of energy, then we would see a huge reduction in the use of fossil fuels and comparative reduction in GHGs.

Whilst the global response following the Stern Review earlier this year (economic evaluation of climate change) and the forthcoming international climate change convention this December in Bali are likely to result in aspects of sustainable development being put in place globally and nationally, Scotland is itself to respond next year with its very own Climate Change Bill. The question for us is what can be done at the more local level?

How to deal with climate change in the classroom:

Every subject area and cross-curricular theme can be used to further the understanding of climate change. It is not just a topic for scientists or geographers but can touch every aspect of the curriculum.

Check out the LTS website to gain an understanding of the basic science and the moral aspects of climate change. Poorer countries are likely to be hit the hardest and will be less able to deal with the consequences of severe flooding, typhoons and hurricanes.

Talk about the issues with pupils. The site has been designed for senior pupils and we are suggesting that pupils who engage with climate change should reinforce their learning by sharing their understanding with younger age groups, with the whole school and/or with the wider community.

A favoured route for working with climate change is that of the PSHE module ‘working with others’ but teachers will work with climate change in ways they feel work best for them and their pupils.

The result of such initial engagement however is likely to be a demand for action. The response could be fairly wide-ranging but the advice would be to keep it simple and set realistic achievable targets, for example:

• Measure your school’s carbon footprint and put in place a plan to reduce it.
• Join the Eco Schools programme, carry out an environmental review and work towards tackling the school’s resource consumption including its energy use.
• Engage in a dialogue with local politicians at every level to determine the various political perspectives on climate change.
• Similarly, talk with local supermarkets and businesses so that pupils can gain a wider understanding of what is happening in your own area.
• Use any link school you have globally to find out their situation. You can also invite the development centres and agencies such as the British Council to talk to pupils about the global situation.

We are inviting you to record your actions so that these can be placed on the Climate Change website. We hope to build an interactive map of Scotland showing what is taking place throughout our secondary schools and beyond. The website has a number of guides available that can help with media presentations etc.

How to take personal action

There are numerous websites and agencies available to help you measure your carbon footprint, which is created by your current lifestyle. We need to change our individual behaviour and there are a number of obvious actions that we can take. The website lists a number of these which are summarised here:

Commit to green energy - by switching your electricity supply to a green tariff you will be using energy from a renewable source.

Reduce energy use - turn off lights when not required; turn down thermostats; purchase energy-efficient appliances when replacing white goods; purchase a more fuel-efficient car when buying new or replacing current model; cycle; walk more; use public transport. Recycle more.

Save energy - use energy-efficient lightbulbs; ensure television sets and computers are switched off and not left on standby; install loft and if possible wall insulation.

Produce energy - solar panels, wind turbines, ground-source heat-pumps, for individual properties and micro-hydro for small groups of householders etc, are all worth considering. Grants are available to assist with installation and savings on energy use and cost is fairly rewarding.