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We’re facing our gravest threat in thousands of years’ – these were the words of David Attenborough opening his recent TV programme on climate change for the BBC. Attenborough has a reputation for moderation and calm restraint, so we really should be taking notice of what he says.
In the wake of a series of major reports on climate change and biodiversity crises, on 1 May the UK Parliament also followed the example of the Welsh and Scottish Assemblies to declare a national climate change emergency. The action demonstrates a clear recognition that legislative action so far has been insufficient.
The recent IPCC Special Reporton the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C suggested that while it was still considered possible to hold global warming to the 1.5 threshold, this would require ‘deep emission reductions’ and ‘rapid far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society’.
The UN Global Assessment Report says the biomass of wild mammals has fallen by 82 per cent, natural ecosystems have lost about half their area and a million species are now at risk of extinction. There are serious implications in all of this for our food production, which depends on insects and other animals for pollination, pest control and soil renewal.
Extreme weather events also threaten food and water supplies and may lead to civil unrest and migration. There are also implications for global health, and as the United Nations Environment Programme has reported: ‘From long-standing hazards to emerging ones, environmental factors are estimated to contribute up to 25 per cent of death and disease globally reaching nearly 35 per cent in some African regions. Children are most vulnerable to the impact of harmful conditions and account for 66 per cent of the victims of environment-induced illnesses.’
Unsurprisingly the response of many people to such stressful news has been to deny the evidence, or their personal ability to make the required changes. Despite the historical evidence, some even find comfort in blaming others. Fortunately, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2015-2030 are set and the UK Government is taking action, and while there will be many who will consider these actions insufficient, there are changes in our day-to-day lives that we can all make to help mitigate the problems facing ourselves and future generations.
CITIZENS OF THE FUTURE
Change is always stressful – and when it involves our day-to-day habits and patterns of consumption, even more so; but for the young children in our pre-schools, this is not so much an experience of change but one of beginning. Our primary role as educators and carers must be to provide for their well-being, and to support them in their development as the optimistic and forward-looking sustainable citizens of the future.
Sustainable development is widely understood as a form of development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland, 1987). It is in their earliest years that children develop caring attitudes towards each other, the environment and natural world, when they learn about prudence, empathy, equity and social justice, all of the qualities that are required for sustainable citizenship. Technology has brought us the means for them to communicate with children in other countries, and for them to see that their efforts in caring for their environment and community are a part of global efforts in the same direction.
OMEP-UK, a partner in the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education, has recently launched the Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Citizenship Passport Award Scheme. It has been developed to support a wide range of early childhood providers including childminders, pre-schools and nurseries who are working with parents in supporting the objectives of Education for Sustainable Development in early childhood.
The scheme is organised around an ‘ESC Passport’ that is provided for each child. This document summarises the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), and defines Sustainable Citizenship as a life-long emergent capability. The passport also provides discounted entry to wildlife conservation parks and other related community resources and services. Each child is able to collect up to 15 award stickers for entry into their passport, and these show their ESC achievements at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.
To be awarded each sticker, parents and pre-school practitioners work together to support the child in completing educational activities that range from the identification of three wild birds and of wildlife habitats to the recycling of waste materials and the recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity.
MORE INFORMATION
UNESCO Global Action Programme, https://en.unesco.org/gap
See: http://www.omep.org.uk/omep-uk-early-childhood-sustainable-citizenship-award or contact: escomepuk@gmail.com
