The Climate Emergency:
How can our school be part of the solution?
Environmental Crises
What is the difference between them?
Our planet is facing a number of environmental crises. Whilst they are all connected, in order to best tackle them we need to understand the difference between them.
The
Climate Crisis
The Ecological Crisis
Plastic Pollution
Environmental Crises
Whilst it is important that we tackle all the environmental crises, Climate Friendly School focuses on The Climate Crisis.
The
Climate Crisis
The Ecological Crisis
Plastic Pollution
What is the Climate Emergency?
Climate change is a complicated and serious subject. To understand it better, let’s look at it in terms of cause and effect.
CAUSE
EFFECT
What is the Climate Emergency?
Think: What do you already know about what is causing the climate to change on Earth?
Causes of Climate Change
Greenhouse gases hold heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, keeping our planet warm.
Causes of Climate Change
Burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) pollutes the atmosphere with more greenhouse gases.
Causes of Climate Change
Added greenhouse gases in the atmosphere trap more heat, causing the Earth’s climate to change.
Using cars
Factories
polluting air
Using airplanes
Heating buildings
Making electricity
Causes of Climate Change
Deforestation and intensive agriculture damage the Earth’s ability to balance greenhouse gas levels.
Causes of Climate Change
Causes of Climate Change
Scientists have been gathering evidence of climate change for many years.
Climate Change Evidence
Effects of Climate Change
Causes and Effects
Big picture – connecting causes and effects
Global heating
Habitat
loss
Sea level rising
Glaciers melting
Human
migration
Coastal flooding
Loss of housing and farmland
Crisis and conflict
Increased
atmospheric
CO2
Burning
fossil fuels
Extinction
Where in this flow can we make a difference?
This is why our situation is being called a climate emergency.
Effects of Climate Change
Climate Change Solutions
Climate Friendly Schools
Let’s make our school more climate friendly!
The climate emergency is everyone’s problem to solve. Working together as a school we can be a much bigger part of the solution.
Becoming a Climate Friendly School
Climate Action Plan
Climate Action Team
School
Climate Audit
Climate ACTION
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3
2
4
Miss Coulson, Miss Brown, Alice Evans (OASES), The Climate Friendly Action Team
Buildings
Heating a large school building requires burning a lot of gas.
How does our school building stay warm?
How can we keep our building warm on cold days?
Food
What did you eat for lunch today?
Where does the food we eat at school come from?
Energy
40% of our power is still made by burning fossil fuels.
What can we do to save energy at school?
Grounds
How do we care for the Earth on our school grounds?
Can we make our school grounds better?
Water
Where does our water come from?
How can we conserve water at school?
Transport
Does it matter how we travel?
How do we get to school?
Consumption
What do we recycle?
What goes in the bin in our class?
Moving Forward
Clearly, there are a lot of things that we could work on to make our school more climate friendly.
Where should we start?
Talk to a partner. Make a plan.
We can do this.