Download Introduction to climate change

Alasdair Lord
Keeping It Cool!
Learning about Climate Change in Thai Schools
Abstract
Keeping it Cool: A Teachers Guide to Climate Change is part of the British Council Thailand’s
commitment to Education for Sustainable Development with the focus on learning to enable
young people to make better decisions about climate change. It is co-produced by the British
Council Thailand, Field Studies Council (UK) and the National Science Museum, with the aim
of giving Thai science teachers user friendly and practical resources for use in empowering
students to both learn about and take action on climate change. It differs from similar packs in
that, whilst still examining individual choices, it also examines change at the systemic level
and how significant changes often require a change of thinking. This reflects a refocusing of
thinking from the individual to the system.
The pack consists of the Teacher’s Handbook on Climate Change and a series of five posters
on climate change. The handbook comes in four sections which are Introduction to Climate
Change; How to Teach About Climate Change; Climate Change Activities and Resources. The
activity and resources sections cover a wide range of activities including surveys, role plays,
experiments and creating posters/displays. This broad range of activities allows for varying
timeframes and also acknowledges different learner styles.
Partner logos
British Council
National Science Museum
Field Studies Council (UK)
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Introduction
Climate change is the biggest single issue facing us today. The scale far outweighs any environmental
crisis humans have faced. Climate change scientists are in agreement that climate change is increasing,
and human activity is pushing it to dangerous levels. Cuts in carbon emission of between 50-80% are
needed by 2050 if we are to stabilise climate change. Politicians and businesses are slowly catching up
too. But to avert climate change will require a huge shift in thinking.
“Keeping it Cool! A teachers guide to climate change” is part of the British Council Thailand’s three
year strategy to develop ESD in Thailand and assist the Thai ministry of education in integrating ESD
into the geography and science curriculum. In addition to the Thai language teachers’ pack and 5 Thai
language posters relating to climate change the British Council Thailand, in collaboration with the Field
Studies Council (FSC) and National Science Museum (NSM), conducted training sessions with NSM
staff and groups of Thai science and geography teachers. This training had a number of aims; to raise
the level of scientific awareness of climate change; to inculcate the notion that a change in thinking or
paradigm shift was necessary for tackling climate change; to have a greater awareness of
communicative teaching methods to use with their students; and to have participated in activities from
the resource pack in order to give them practical experience of how activities might be introduced and
staged in a classroom environment.
The teachers pack aims to enhance young people’s meaningful understanding of climate change and the
impact of their actions. By using the pack teachers can help students understand the root causes of
climate change, the likely effects it will have on ourselves and the planet and empower students so that
they can take positive action as groups and/or individuals to reduce the effects of climate change.
The British Council Thailand’s ESD programme
The British Council Thailand has a three year ESD programme of which the climate change teachers’
pack is one part. Some of the other projects the British Council are involved in are; Zero Carbon City;
Carbon Calculator and Ecological Footprint; Young Thai Science Journalist; NorthSouthEastWest
photographic competition. This paper only exams the climate change teachers’ pack (and the posters
and training associated with it), for more information on any of British Council Thailand’s ESD project
please refer to the BC website (www.britishcouncil.or.th).
How does this pack differ from current Thai education strategies for tackling climate
change?
The Climate Change teachers pack was written partly to deepen the teachers’ knowledge and
understanding of climate change, but primarily it was created to be used as a ‘hands-on’ practical
resource for teachers to use in the classroom with students. Therefore this paper both discusses the
aims and context of the climate change pack and includes a number of the activities from the
resources pack. As well as examining changes at the level of the individual the pack emphasises
the need for change in systems, thinking and strategies at the country, regional and global level.
Furthermore it emphasises possible solutions and mitigation strategies as well as discussing the
causes of climate change and its possible effects in the near future. The pack also exams the (often
misunderstood) relationship between society-economy-environment and encourages students and
teachers to ask more challenging questions about the causes and solutions of climate change.
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Structure of the climate change pack
The Pack consists of four sections, namely;
Part 1 – An introduction to climate change.
1.1. Is climate changing?
1.2. Where do the extra degrees come from?
1.3. What might happen in the future?
1.4. How are the environment, society and the economy related?
1.5. What we can do to solve the problem of climate change
Part 2 – How to teach about climate change.
2.1. Why educate about the environment?
2.2. Communicating climate change
2.3. The student centred classroom
2.4. Managing debates and open-ended activities
Part 3 – Climate change activities
3.1. Which activity should I use?
3.2. Science
3.3. Surveys / Awareness raising
3.4. Debates / role plays / freer activities
3.5. Design / Create
Part 4 - resources
Activities and resources accompanying the pack
Accompanying the climate change pack are;
 5 Thai language posters
 Training sessions for National Science Museum staff
 Training sessions for Thai science and geography teachers
The Posters
The climate change posters, created by FSC, which accompany the pack were originally written in
English and translated into Russian to be used as part of an environmental Education project in
Central Asia. They were rewritten for use in a Thai context and translated by the British Council
Thailand. The posters are entitled
1.
Is climate changing?
2.
Why is the World getting hotter?
3.
What might happen in the future?
4.
Can we stop climate change?
5.
Solve the problem of climate change.
The posters were designed to be visually dynamic and engaging, so that they would be both
interesting and thought provoking for students. A number of the activities in the resource pack use
the posters as a teaching tool but most activities are independent of the posters.
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Training
With the principles of sustainability in mind, British Council Thailand and FSC conducted training
sessions with NSM staff so that after there involvement in the project was finished the project
would be continued with little or no support by NSM. The training focused both on factual
knowledge and on communicative teaching methods (learning by doing). NSM staff were then
expected to plan and lead training sessions with Thai Geography and Science teachers the
following month based on what they had learnt.
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Section 1: An introduction to climate change
In the climate change pack this section has three main purposes.
1. To give factually correct scientific information relating to climate change to the teacher
2. To raise awareness of how society-economy-environment relate to each other
3. To encourage new ways of thinking
Scientific facts
Although teachers of science and geography can be assumed to have good general knowledge of the natural
world and many of the component parts of climate change, it can not be assumed that they will have studied
(or taught) them as they relate specifically to climate change. The pack therefore outlines the scientific
evidence for past (natural) climate change and its consequences and addressed the evidence for current
climate change, its causes by human activity and possible ways to address the challenge of climate change.
Society-economy-environment awareness
If Thai students are to have a comprehensive understanding of climate change they must understand the
complex relationship between society-economy-environment. There are many commonly held
misconceptions about how these three areas relate to each other. Therefore, these complex ideas were
explained in some detail in section one of the pack and many of the activities relate to this very point. The
following two sections – “What we can do to solve the problem of climate change” and “How are the
environment, society and the economy related?” give some idea of how these ideas were examined.
How can we encourage Thai teachers to change the way they think?
Environmental sustainability is achievable but requires us to think in new ways. Einstein once said, “We
can not solve the problems of the future with the thinking that created them”. The relationship between
environment-society-economy is often poorly understood though it is critical to our understanding of
climate change and sustainable development. The planet’s resources are finite and that the environment
will ultimately be the final limiting factor in any given scenario. Teachers must understand this if they
are to teach effectively about climate change.
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The following diagrams are used in the teachers pack to help clarify the relationship between
environment, society and the economy.
The modern world view assumes that
resources from nature are free or at best their
costs are minimal. Another assumption is that
natural resources will not run out and that the
environment can be considered a free dump
for waste products. If consumption stays
within ecological limits we are fine, but
currently we have an increasing global
population and resources consumption and,
because of this, are moving beyond ecological
limits.
Economy
Society
Environment
The ecological world view places the
environment as a finite resource (on the
outside of the diagram). The economy
therefore sits in the middle and is limited by
the environments capacity to absorb harmful
economic effects such as pollution. The
ecological world view is the only one that is
sustainable.
The modern world view evolved from the scientific enlightenment and the industrial revolution. It views
the economy as a machine that is mediated through the market and progresses in a linear manner.
However, this is not a fact…only an idea! We need new ways of thinking…new ideas… before we take
action of we are to become a sustainable society that tackles climate change effectively. In other words
we need stars to steer by.
“If we do not change where we’re going, we may get there. If we want to go somewhere
else, we need stars to steer by. Perhaps the first step is to describe the sort of destination we
want to reach.”
(Amory Lovins (1999) Natural Capitalism ch 13)
“Theory determines what we observe.”
Albert Einstein
“The major problems in the world are the result of the difference between the way nature
works and the way man thinks.”
George Bateson, ecologist
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The climate change teachers pack seeks to raise the awareness of energy usage, individually, regionally
and globally, and how it impacts on climate change. It also seeks to show that there are practical and
feasible solutions rather than, the negative messaging of “Use less of everything” that has been
associated with the environmental movement in the past. Positive, practical and alternative thinking is
emphasised throughout the climate change pack. Many of the ideas in the pack are included as they are
issues that teachers and students would not normally consider because they are thinking purely on an
individual/local level and not considering the regional/global level. These include issues such as
 full cost accounting
 alternative and renewable energy sources
 the polluter pays principle
 increasing efficiency of energy consumption and production
 the use of subsidies
 using positive messages
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Methodologies and approaches
Guiding teachers to think in new ways
In addition to seeing the environment in different ways, teachers are also encouraged to take
different approaches to teaching, studying and learning. The section dealing with teaching
methodologies therefore encouraged

effective learning (emphasising learning by doing)

student empowerment

analysing causes, effects and solution

examining the larger picture (global/regional in addition to local/personal issues)
While it does talk about ESD, and mentions the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(DESD), the pack does not go into great details – rather it encourages teachers to explore the issue
if they wish to.
Effective teaching and learning
The Learning Pyramid was used to illustrate the effectiveness of different teaching and learning
techniques in the retention of knowledge. Many people are surprised when they see who ineffective
some ‘traditional’ teaching and learning methods
BOX The Learning Pyramid
are – only 5% on average for listening. The
activities with less that 50% retention are passive
and do not actively engage the student, they are
teacher centred. The activities with greater that
List
enin
50% retention are active and engage the learner,
g
5%
Reading 5they are student centred. This is not to say that
15%
all teacher centred learning is bad…not at all.
Watching and listening
(audio-visual)
But there needs to be a good mix in any one
20%
Demonstration 30%
lesson to ensure effective learning takes place.
Debating 55%
Doing / creating 75%
Teaching others / immediate use 90%
Ideas and techniques on teaching using this
pack
Students need more than just a scientific
understanding of climate change; they need to
feel like active participants in a challenging area
where their actions can make a real difference.
They also need to feel confident that they can
educate others and that what they say will be
listened to and valued by their peers, their family
and society at large.
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3. Activities for students
All of the activities that follow have been used in schools in the UK with British students aged 7-16, and
in some cases with students in Asia. These activities were adapted for Thailand, both so that the data is
Thai relevant and with cultural/learning differences in mind.
Most of the activities in the pack are aimed at 12-16 year old students, activities are arranged by type.




Science
Surveys and Awareness raising
Debates, role plays and freer activities
Designing and creating
To give the reader a flavour of the pack, a number of the activities have been included. Resources
related to the activities are contained in the appendix.
Science
Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect
Purpose: To determine the effect of
increased levels of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere.
You will need: Two plastic 2-litre pop
bottles, two thermometers, one 150-watt
spotlight, two full litre sized bottles of cola.
Background
CO2 is the main greenhouse gas causing
climate change. It acts as a barrier trapping
heat in the atmosphere. This experiment
mimics this process demonstrating how
global warming works.
In the classroom.
Open one of the soft drink bottles the day
before the experiment so that is goes flat.
Do not open the second bottle until just
before the experiment begins and ensure
both are at room temperature.
punch a small hole in the side of each
bottle.
Fill one bottle with the flat cola and the
other with the fresh frizzy cola. Let both
containers stand for about 30-60 minutes.
This allows time for the CO2 to leave the
liquid and gather in the air space in the
bottles (CO2 is heavier than air so will not
escape).
Put the thermometers through side holes in
each bottle so that their ends are in the
middle. Place the bottles at equal distances
from the spotlight (about 25cm), and record
the temperature.
Turn on the light. Observe and record the
temperature every minute for 10 minutes.
What happens?
Explanation – as the experiment begins and
the CO2 warms up the gas will become
lighter and leave the container. However,
before this happens students should notice
the temperature rise as much as 5oC in the
CO2 rich environment.
_________________________________________
Cut the tops of the empty bottles to make
two containers about 20cm tall. Using a
ruler mark a line about 8cm from the
bottom of each bottle (the height to which
you will fill the bottle, and 5cm above this
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Surveys and awareness raising
Background to surveys
Surveys are a great way to enable students to explore issues for themselves. But to be
successful they need to be carefully planned. It is best if students write their own survey
questions. This way they think about what the most important issues are for themselves and
can practice writing good questions (but we have given you some examples below to help).
Problem-Cause-Solution Matrix
Purpose. To demonstrate how issues are
inter-related and how we need to
understand the problem and their causes
before we can arrive at solutions.
You will need. Copies of appendix 1 and
2.
Background
Climate change is not due to a single issue
or cause. Often many factors influence
each other. We need to understand this if
we are to find solutions to the climate
change. In the example given it is clear that
air pollution in Bangkok is due to multiple
causes, if we only address one of them we
will not solve the problem.
In the classroom.
Give students resource 8a. Explain that this
is a diagram showing the causes and
solution for air pollution in Bangkok.
Some answers are given in the resources.
Although other answers might be possible,
use the answers below to create a clear
example.
1. Too many cars
2 / 3. Reduce the number of cars / Use
clean technology to reduce emissions
6. Make the skytrain cheaper
4 / 5. Reduce factory emissions / Move factories
out of Bangkok
7. Put a tax on factories which pollute in
Bangkok
Ask students then add two more ideas to the last
two boxes
Brainstorm and discuss in small groups
other environmental problems which affect
Thailand. Examples could include; flooding,
drought, water pollution, destruction of
environmentally sensitive areas (mangrove
swamp in Samut Prakan) or loss of rain
forest. Then in small groups students choose
one problem and then complete in their note
books the blank copy of the matrix (resource
8b).
There are many possible follow up
activities. Students could use the
information to form the basis of a discussion
(although more research might be needed).
They could use the problem trees to look at
other issues. They could use the
environmental business or design a poster
activity related to the issues that they looked
at.
_________________________________________
10
Cars – Choice Matters
Purpose. For students to think about how
advertisers ‘push’ their products. Students
then analyse how environmentally friendly
products (in this case cars) could be
marketed.
You will need. Some pictures of car
adverts.
Background
Cars are an everyday symbol of affluence
and convenience. Many of us have cars and
those that do not often want to buy one.
However, they are also a significant
contributor to climate change. Persuading
people to not use cars or use more public
transport seldom seems to work. So, can we
have cars and not pollute the environment.
This activity explores the options.
In the classroom.
Ask pupils to research some of the new,
more
‘environmentally
friendly’
technologies and make up lists of the
advantages and disadvantages of each.
There is lots of information on the internet.
Now look at the collection of car
advertisements. Identify the key selling
points with the class and write them up on
the chalkboard. What do car manufacturers
appear to think people want? (power,
comfort, room, smart, fashion, value for
money?) Make a list of headings that cover
these ’wants’. How much does ‘impact on
the environment’ feature in the adverts?
With the class, group the adverts under
these different headings. Do the adverts
reflect what people really want cars for?
Discuss with the students what could be
done to encourage sales of cars featuring
more
environmentally
friendly
technologies? Whose responsibility is it?
The government? Car manufacturers?
Individuals?
As an extension, children could be invited
to choose the new car technology they
think has the most advantages and compose
an advert to promote its ‘sustainable’
selling points.
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So what can I do?
Purpose. To introduce students to choices
in taking effective action to combat climate
change and the idea that acting alone is not
enough.
What you will need. Appendix 3.
Background
One of the core discussions of
environmental education is around 'action'.
Personal? Collective ? Consumer? Citizen?
A traditional climate change activity might
be focussed on the individual and their
choices. It would often revolve around an
issue (energy, transport, food etc) and the
personal response. Some educators argue
for a change of emphasis.
In the Classroom
Ask students to read the article by GRIST's
Assistant Editor Dave Roberts contained in
the appendix. GRIST is a US based website
that challenges conventional thinking on
sustainable development issues including
climate change.
Introduce students to the idea that the key
note from the article might be "What
matters is that we, as a culture, make things
more thoughtfully, distribute them more
thoughtfully, and consume them more
thoughtfully." Do your students agree with
this?
Lead a discussion on the benefits of the
approach to reducing environmental impact
as outlined in resource 12a. You might like
to focus your discussion using the examples
below.
Discussion: Should all products be
designed to minimise product packaging
and for disassembly and future use? How
could this be encouraged?
Discussion: Campaign to force Apple
Computers to take back their computers at
the end of their life. Apple is an example of
a heavily branded company who may be
sensitive to this sort of campaigning. What
other companies are open to pressure to
clean up?
Discussion: Solar roofs have worked in
Germany and Japan, so why not sunny
Thailand? Substantial government grants
and support to build up a benign society
might work.
Conclusion - Citizen action through
effective lobbying and better design are
effective solutions or is ‘going out of your
way’ altruism better? It relates to the adage
that sustainability will come from better
design – it’s a system issue. Use resource
12b to review these ideas with your
students.
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Debates, role plays and freer activities
Developing the Future and Climate Change: World Climate Change Conference
Purpose. To enable students to view
climate change issues from a number of
different perspectives and improve their
debating and negotiating skills.
What you need. Appendix 4.
Background
The conference will be run as a role play
that mirrors the negations countries
undertake at UN meetings. Teams of
students will play the role of national
governments, NGOs, community groups
and the international community in climate
change negotiations. The aim will be for
the students develop an agreed strategy for
action on climate change.
The process will involve students in
negotiation,
decision-making
and
presentation skills as they work with other
groups to reach agreement on how to tackle
climate change. Each group will have to
conduct their research and then make a
presentation to each other about the data
they have discovered.
In the classroom.
Students are allocated groups and role play
scenarios (e.g. developed and developing
nations, climate change scientists, NGO,
business groups, media, etc) from resource
15. Each scenario includes some basic
information about the group and their
position on climate change, and some
guidelines as to what they wish to gain
from the conference.
The Conference
 Opening addresses by Chair
 Ground rules agreed.
 Presentations (1) – each group prepares
and then makes a short 2 minute
presentation to the conference outlining
their positions and their proposal for
reducing the impacts of climate change.
Their proposals should be written on
flipchart paper for all to see. Questions
from other delegates will be allowed
after each presentation – maximum of 2
minutes for each group.
 Negotiations (1) – each group will have
time to hold talks with other groups to
develop joint proposals, form alliances
and promote their point of view.
 Presentations (2) – each group will
present their redrafted proposals.
 Vote (1) – delegates will vote on the
proposals. The top 3 proposals will be
adopted for further debate. All other
proposals are eliminated.
 Negotiations (2) – each group will have
more talks with other groups to
redevelop proposals, form alliances and
promote their point of view. Groups
whose proposal have been eliminated
will have to negotiate with other groups
to get their points included.
 Presentations (3) – groups present their
redrafted proposals.
 Final Vote – delegates will vote for the
final proposal. A way forward for the
planet is decided upon.
_________________________________________
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Starting an environmental business
Purpose. To show students that economics
and the environment are linked
You will need. Newspaper stories of well
known
Thai
entrepreneurs.
Some
knowledge of renewable energy options
and other environmentally friendly options.
In the classroom.
Students discuss Thai and global
entrepreneurs, how they got their ideas,
how they got funding, how their product
filled a niche.
Students decide on an environmentally
friendly product that they think would have
a market e.g. portable solar panel for
charging a laptop, mobile phone, electric
motorbike etc.
Students consider how they might get
funding for their product; family, existing
business, large company, government
funding etc. Who is the product going to be
marketed to? Is it a low cost or high cost
product?
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Designing and creating
Sending the Right Message
Purpose. To think about how they can
present messages that Thai people will
respond to in a positive manner.
You will need. Information about common
consumer products or access to sources of
information for students (e.g. the internet).
In the classroom.
Ask pupils to imagine that they are
members of a design team in a locallybased advertising company. They have
been tasked with producing a poster to
promote a new environmentally friendly
mobile phone (or other consumer good) to
different groups in their local community.
In groups students will need to:
 research the issues
 work out the main messages that they
want to put across; these should be clear,
simple and non-threatening
 find a few statistics that they think will
interest people;
 look for pictures or other visual images
to illustrate their poster – they could try
looking online or in magazines or
newspapers;
 think of a catchy phrase that puts across
their main message;
 carefully plan the design of their poster
so that it is clear and easy to read but also
most likely to catch people’s attention.
When they have finished their posters
display them in an exhibition around the
room, getting each group to explain what
they have done and the other groups to ask
questions.
_________________________________________
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Appendix 1
Challenge:
Air pollution in Bangkok
Causes :
1.
Factory emissions
Solutions:
2.
3.
Solutions:
4.
5.
How can we do it?
6.
How can we do it?
7.
Put the phrases in the correct boxes.
Reduce the number of cars
Move factories out of Bangkok
Reduce factory emissions
Make the skytrain cheaper
Put a tax on factories which pollute
Too many cars
Use clean technology to reduce emissions
Add 2 more ideas to both of the last 2 boxes.
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Appendix 2
Challenge:
Causes:
Solutions:
Solutions:
How can we do it?
How can we do it?
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Appendix 3
Here is an article from GRIST's Assistant Editor Dave Roberts (GRIST is a US based website
challenging ideas on sustainable development).
‘My thoughts on the matter are captured by this excellent comment from a reader...
So, while you are spending an hour agonizing whether or not you should by the chlorine free
office paper, the 100% post-consumer content paper, the kenaf-based, hemp-based, or
whatever based paper, consider instead spending that hour meeting with the store manager to
ask why the store doesn't offer more green products; or, working with your office manager to
institute a greener procurement policy at work; or, working with your city council member to
adopt a greener purchasing policy for the city. Or, setting up a meeting with your state
representative to discuss a sustainable forestry initiative in your state.
Exactly.
A humane, sustainable human society is not an individual undertaking. It cannot succeed solely
through individual willpower. Already our culture works to atomize us, to make us feel like
islands of consumer desire whose sole function is to accumulate as much as possible. It
discourages us from thinking of ourselves as involved in communities that impose obligations
and responsibilities. But if it is to mean anything substantial, a new ethic of sustainability must
be collective. It's going to be about community, about our mutual bonds and mutual care.
Whether or not you recycle your plastic makes not one tiny iota of difference in the grand
scheme of things -- really, it doesn't. If our society's survival rests on individuals' ability to
refrain from easily-available ecological sins, we are screwed. It's the infrastructure that matters:
the laws, the economic relationships, the physical structures we inhabit. To use some righteous
hippie language, it's the system that's gotta change, man. We have to establish a system in
which it's easy and natural for people to live sustainably.
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Appendix 4
Roles for World Climate Change Conference.
The role play scenarios need to be cut up and handed out so that each groups does not know
the scenario of the others.
Chair of the World Conference
Your job is to remain neutral and to try and find an agreement on how to tackle climate change.
Make sure everyone gets heard and that people don’t start talking over each other.
The Climate Change Scientists – Tyndall Centre (UK)
You are representatives from the Tyndall Centre in the UK. You work within the field of
climate change, researching and studying data from around the world. Your job is to convince
the conference that Climate Change is happening, that it has serious consequences and that we
need to act now. We need to minimise the impact CO2, and to do this we need to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions by a minimum of 60% by 2050. As scientists you believe in the
‘precautionary principle’ and that it is most important to stop CO2 emissions now.
Love the Planet
You are an Environmental Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). You believe that the only
solution to Climate Change is to ban all our environmental damaging activities e.g. ban cars
and walk or use public transport. You need to convince the other participants that we must
consume less and have a simpler lifestyle. Your motto is: “There is enough for everyone’s
need, but not for everyone’s greed.”
Pollute and Plunder Inc.
You are a major multinational business that uses natural resources for its business. You
believe that economic growth is the most important thing for quality of life and to satisfy
peoples need for consumption. You do not believe that climate change is caused by human
activity, and you do not agree with taxes and targets for reducing greenhouse gases.
The Design Council (UK)
Your organisation aims to strengthen and support the economy and society by demonstrating
and promoting the vital role of design in making businesses more competitive and public
services more effective. You believe that through better design of products we can reduce
climate change and improve quality of life. But this will require time and investment. The
timescale for this is up to 30 years. (But even then it may not work if businesses do not buy
into the idea!)
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Airline Company
You represent a major airline company. Due to cheap oil and increasing affluence your
business have grown significantly. You feel that “If people want to fly half way across the
world for the weekend why shouldn’t they? I’m pleased that air journeys are so cheap – why
should we pay tax on airline fuel? This is about consumer choice and freedom to do what you
want when you want.”
United Kingdom Government
You are one of the world’s leading economies and a leading polluter of greenhouse gases.
Your climate change policies are clear – you aim to cut greenhouse emissions by 20% by 2010.
However, you are under internal and external pressure to do more. Your position is that you
need to preserve the British standard of life and ensure the economy continues to grow,
appease your critics - and you are nervous setting strict targets for reduction.
Thailand Government
You are a rapidly developing economy and a key player in regional politics. Your CO2
emissions are rising and there is a massive demand in your country for a more consumer based
lifestyle. However, you realise that to keep developing your economy and high quality of life
for your citizens you need to move away from an oil based economy. You want to find
positive solutions which enable you to grow economically and also reduce the use of fossil
fuels and therefore greenhouse gases.
Bangladesh Government
You are a poor country that relies on cheap labour and the manufacture of cheap goods for
export, to enable you to survive. To be competitive you have minimum of environmental
regulations. You are a low lying country and due to rising sea levels, you predict that by 2020,
5 million people in your country will lose their homes and have to relocate. Your position is
that climate change must be stopped now, that it is everyone else’s fault because you produce
so few carbon emissions and that you need help to sort out the problem in your country.
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Bibliography
FUTERRA Sustainability Communications Ltd. (2005)
The Rules of the Game: Principles of Climate Change Communications
citizED. (2004)
Briefing Paper for Trainee Teachers of Citizenship Education: Teaching Controversial
Issues
Friends of the Earth. (2005)
Shout about Climate Change
Field Studies Council (UK). (2005)
Climate Change Posters
Hawken, P. Lovins, A. & and Lovins, L. (1999)
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.
Little, Brown
Jucker, R. (2002)
Our Common Illiteracy. Education as if the Earth and People Mattered.
Peter Lang.
McDonough, W. & Braungart, M (2003)
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
Rodale Books.
McKeown, R. 2002
Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit
University of Tennessee
Porritt, J. (2005)
Capitalism as if the World Matter.
Earthscan.
Weizsacker, E (1998)
Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use.
Earthscan Publications Ltd
Webster, K. (2004)
Rethink, Refuse, Reduce…Education for sustainability in a changing world.
Field Studies Council.
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Economy
About the Author
Alasdair Lord currently works for British Council Thailand where he is an EFL teacher and former
Education for Sustainable Development coordinator. He holds a BA (Hons) Latin American Studies
from the University of Portsmouth and an MSc Water and Environmental Management from Water
Engineering Development Centre (WEDC), Loughborough University. He has lived, worked and/or
studied in Holland, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Thailand; and speaks fluent Spanish and good Thai.
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