Further resources

Government Policy

Department for Education – Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy

The DfE published their main strategy in April 2022.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategyLink opens in a new window

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Green Schools Project

Response in the form of a blog to the DfE strategy on climate change, published April 22.

https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk/2022/02/18/green-schools-projects-response-to-the-dfe-draft-sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/Link opens in a new window

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Department for Education – videos for teachers

Details of the National Park and Climate Leaders Award.

https://www.youtube.com/user/educationgovuk/search?query=Climate%20changeLink opens in a new window

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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – website

Brief video about the youth realising the Sustainable Development Goals through policy change:

Youth realizing the Sustainable Development Goals - YouTubeLink opens in a new window

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United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Webpage introducing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development (un.org)Link opens in a new window

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UN Climate Change Learn Teacher Portal

Introduction to online courses for teachers.

https://unccelearn.org/educcate/Link opens in a new window

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UN IPCC Climate Change 23

This report from a community of scientists is a call to urgent global action, published 20/3/23.

https://www.unep.org/resources/report/climate-change-2023-synthesis-report

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Green Queen

Article summarising 10 key points from the IPCC Report 23.

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-2023-ipcc-climate-report/Link opens in a new window

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Guardian article summarising IPCC report on Climate Change 23

Why does this report matter?

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/19/what-is-the-ipcc-ar6-synthesis-report-and-why-does-it-matterLink opens in a new window

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UN Climate Change - podcast

Patricia Espinosa is the Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change - responsible for steering 197 countries toward tackling the greatest challenge facing humanity. Podcast lasting 25 minutes.

https://unfccc.int/news/it-s-possible-podcast-episode-2-with-patricia-espinosaLink opens in a new window

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Green School Networks

Eco Schools – part of Keep Britain Tidy

Eco-Schools in more than 70 countries around the world follow the same Seven Step framework, which has been designed to place young people in control of environmental actions in their school, local community and beyond.

https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/primary-pathway/seven-steps/Link opens in a new window

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Green Schools Project

Green Schools Project supports schools to develop an adequate response to the climate and ecological crisis. We help students to lead projects, we deliver teacher training sessions, and we support schools to reduce their carbon emissions with a focus on the learning opportunities provided by this process.

https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk/Link opens in a new window

Let’s Go Zero

Schools working together to be zero carbon by 2030 including excellent case studies.

https://letsgozero.org/Link opens in a new window

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Teach the Future

Teach the Future is a youth-led campaign to urgently repurpose the entire education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis.

https://www.teachthefuture.uk/englandLink opens in a new window

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UK School Sustainability Network (UKSSN)

The networks provide students and staff with a way to connect with peers, share ideas and resources, collaborate on local, national and international initiatives, and develop personal, social and workplace skills.

UK Schools Sustainability Network (transform-our-world.org)Link opens in a new window

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University resources

Sustainability + You

Warwick University has a number of initiatives to support staff and students to live and work more sustainably. Explore a range of groups, initiatives and resources here:

https://warwick.ac.uk/sustainability/environment/gettinginvolved/Link opens in a new window

Eco-anxiety

Part of the Sustainability section of the university website focusses specifically upon eco-anxiety, something which increasingly affects many people, especially young people.

https://warwick.ac.uk/sustainability/environment/takeaction/ecoanxiety/Link opens in a new window

Voice of Children and Young People

Eco-anxiety – Climate Psychology Alliance

A talk by from members of the Climate Psychology Alliance at the Primary Climate Science Symposium (November 21) on why climate psychology is essential in climate education.

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Teach the Teacher

Young people talk about climate change education as part of COP26 – video (1 hour).

COP26 Teach the Teacher broadcastLink opens in a new window

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Teach the Future – website – young people campaign for climate education

Teach the Future is an inclusive, well organised and persistent campaign by secondary and tertiary education students to greatly improve education on the climate emergency and ecological crisis in the UK.

https://www.teachthefuture.uk/visionLink opens in a new window

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Fridays for Future

A youth-led global climate strike movement, initiated in 2018 by Greta Thunberg – website.

https://fridaysforfuture.org/Link opens in a new window

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Unicef

What does climate change mean to children around the world?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqVIWGknd24Link opens in a new window

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UNICEF

Alexandria Villaseñor, a 14 year old climate advocate, makes an opening speech at a UNICEF meeting in 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWLCiXyptdMLink opens in a new window

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Climate Change through our eyes

Children in Year 5 and 6 from All Saints Primary School in Emscote, Warwick, discuss climate change with their teacher Liz Garrett on 10.3.22 (audio recording 19 minutes).

See MP4 file below:

00:00

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UNICEF (UK) – 9 out of 10 Children are worried about climate change

A recent report from UNICEF on climate anxiety.

https://www.unicef.org.uk/press-releases/9-in-10-children-are-worried-about-climate-change-finds-new-report-from-votesforschools-and-uk-committee-for-unicef-unicef-uk-2/Link opens in a new window

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UNICEF

Fact sheet article on children and climate change.

https://reliefweb.int/report/world/fact-sheet-cop26-children-and-climate-changeLink opens in a new window

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Scientific American

Children change their parents’ minds about climate change.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/children-change-their-parents-minds-about-climate-change/Link opens in a new window

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TEDX Stockholm

Greta Thunberg gives an 11 minute Ted Talk in 2018.

https://www.ted.com/talks/greta_thunberg_school_strike_for_climate_save_the_world_by_changing_the_rules/transcript?language=enLink opens in a new window

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MOCK COP

An international youth led organisation amplifying young people’s voices.

https://www.mockcop.org/about-us/Link opens in a new window

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Climate Psychology

Green Space 2022

Welcome to Green Space, a website designed to enable all PGCE trainees at Warwick, across all phases, to address climate change and sustainability in their teaching. Climate change is the social issue of our time, one that affects us all globally, with potentially most impact upon the lives of children. It is our responsibility as teachers (whichever phase or subject) to develop “climate literacy”, model positive action and enable our pupils to move from eco-anxiety to eco engagement.

The first Green Space Day took place online in March 2022 and this participatory conference is now established as an annual feature of the PGCE programme for Early Years, Primary and Secondary trainees. These days provide opportunities to hear from and engage with expert practitioners, discuss issues with peers and explore a range of current resources. This website, set up partly to support these online events, is structured around six different thematic “zones” and we have archived the presentations from Green Space 2022, along with relevant resources, in these zones. The next Green Space Day is on 24 April 2023 and this website will be developed to support this event, whilst serving as a resource for you and your colleagues to use at any time.

If you are a Green Space Alumni currently in your first year of teaching, or a current PGCE trainee, I warmly invite you to become involved in helping to shape the next Green Space Day, so please email me for details of how you can share your work or get involved.

Jake Lever

Assistant Professor (Subject Lead for Art and Design – Secondary PGCE)

Email: J dot R dot Lever at warwick dot ac dot uk

Introduction

Each of the zones contains information about the speaker for that topic and resources for you to consider and use.

The arts zone provides examples of how the arts can help us engage imaginatively with the issue of climate justice, and how arts practice can become a form of “beautiful protest.”

The children + young people zone includes a range of resources focussing upon the perspectives of children and young people. It includes reflections upon how to address eco-anxiety and how to develop children’s agency and positive engagement.

The curriculum zone offers a range of curriculum resources designed to enable teachers across all subjects and phases to address aspects of climate justice and sustainability.

The Government + UN zone contains recent policy documents from the UK Government and the United Nations in relation to climate education, and responses to them.

The science zone contains resources designed to introduce you to the basic facts of climate change according to climate scientists.

The sustainability zone offers resources around the wider field of sustainability, with frameworks and strategies for developing sustainable schools, and sustainable lives.

We would really like to keep in touch with trainees who intend to develop teaching around climate change and sustainability, across phases and subjects. To do this, please click on the Green Space Alumni image above and complete the form on the page.