# data[].attributes.body
Nature of Science:

NoS3

NoS9

NoS5

Links to other strands:

BW5, PW10, CW10, ES6

# data[].attributes.body
Navigate Fidgets though a series of games outlining the impacts of climate game and its links to energy production. ( simplistic design with a strong message and explanations for students, makes learning fun)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Try this Renewable Energy interactive puzzle and see how much you know about green energy.

# data[].attributes.headline
6. peer reviewed papers: Stepping stones to keep fossil fuels in the ground: Insights for a global wind down from Ireland

# data[].attributes.subject
6. peer reviewed papers: Stepping stones to keep fossil fuels in the ground: Insights for a global wind down from Ireland

# data[].attributes.body
The abstract mentions Ireland's innovative climate initiatives, including bans on fossil fuel production. This can inspire students by showcasing how governments can take proactive steps to address environmental challenges.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
About ScienceDirect
Shopping cart
Contact and
supportTerms and
conditionsPrivacy policy

# data[].attributes.body
This article can be utilised to illustrate the practical application of climate change indicators. Students can engage in discussions and activities that use the information from the article to analyse and understand the specific environmental changes occurring in Ireland. This approach helps in bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications, enhancing the relevance and applicability of the lesson content.

# data[].attributes.headline
7. Climate Action Plan from the Government 

# data[].attributes.subject
7. Climate Action Plan from the Government 

# data[].attributes.body
Temperature Changes from 1950-2020

# data[].attributes.headline
7. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030

# data[].attributes.subject
7. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030

# data[].attributes.body
The greenhouse effect is the process through which heat is trapped near Earth's surface by substances known as 'greenhouse gases.' Imagine these gases as a cozy blanket enveloping our planet, helping to maintain a warmer temperature than it would have otherwise. Greenhouse gases consist of carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and water vapor. Water vapor, which reacts to temperature changes, is referred to as a 'feedback', because it amplifies the effect of forces that initially caused the warming.

# data[].attributes.body
Explains Global warming to kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Global Warming | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

# data[].attributes.body
key definitions all in one place for the kids. they will have to write them down into their notes copy

# data[].attributes.body
video explaining climate change

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Climate Change: How does it really work? | ClimateScience #1

# data[].attributes.body
what causes climate change and the effect it has on our planet.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Causes and Effects of Climate Change | National Geographic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Greta Thunberg to world leaders: 'How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood'

# data[].attributes.body
worksheet for kids to fill in. (formative assessment)

# data[].attributes.body
where is Ireland in relation to EU CO2 reduction targets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A host of countries have recently announced major commitments to significantly cut their carbon emissions, promising to reach "net zero" in the coming years. The term is becoming a global rallying cry, frequently cited as a necessary step to successfully beat back climate change, and the devastation it is causing.

What is net zero and why is it important?

Put simply, net zero means we are not adding new emissions to the atmosphere. Emissions will continue, but will be balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Practically every country has joined the Paris Agreement on climate change, which calls for keeping the global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial era levels. If we continue to pump out the emissions that cause climate change, however, temperatures will continue to rise well beyond 1.5, to levels that threaten the lives and livelihoods of people everywhere.

This is why a growing number of countries are making commitments to achieve carbon neutrality, or "net zero" emissions within the next few decades. It's a big task, requiring ambitious actions starting right now.

Net zero by 2050 is the goal. But countries also need to demonstrate how they will get there. Efforts to reach net-zero must be complemented with adaptation and resilience measures, and the mobilization of climate financing for developing countries.

So how can the world move toward net zero?

The good news is that the technology exists to reach net zero - and it is affordable.

A key element is powering economies with clean energy, replacing polluting coal - and gas and oil-fired power stations - with renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar farms. This would dramatically reduce carbon emissions. Plus, renewable energy is now not only cleaner, but often cheaper than fossil fuels.

A wholesale switch to electric transport, powered by renewable energy, would also play a huge role in lowering emissions, with the added bonus of slashing air pollution in the world's major cities. Electric vehicles are rapidly becoming cheaper and more efficient, and many countries, including those committed to net zero, have proposed plans to phase out the sale of fossil-fuel powered cars.

Other harmful emissions come from agriculture (livestock produce significant levels of methane, a greenhouse gas). These could be reduced drastically if we eat less meat and more plant-based foods. Here again, the signs are promising, such as the rising popularity of "plant-based meats" now being sold in major international fast-food chains.

What will happen to remaining emissions?

Reducing emissions is extremely important. To get to net zero, we also need to find ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Here again, solutions are at hand. The most important have existed in nature for thousands of years.

These "nature-based solutions" include forests, peatbogs, mangroves, soil and even underground seaweed forests, which are all highly efficient at absorbing carbon. This is why huge efforts are being made around the world to save forests, plant trees, and rehabilitate peat and mangrove areas, as well as to improve farming techniques.

Who is responsible for getting to net zero?

We are all responsible as individuals, in terms of changing our habits and living in a way which is more sustainable, and which does less harm to the planet, making the kind of lifestyle changes which are highlighted in the UN's campaign.

The private sector also needs to get in on the act and it is doing so through the UN Global Compact, which helps businesses to align with the UN's environmental and societal goals.

It's clear, however, that the main driving force for change will be made at a national government level, such as through legislation and regulations to reduce emissions.

Many governments are now moving in the right direction. By early 2021, countries representing more than 65 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and more than 70 per cent of the world economy, will have made ambitious commitments to carbon neutrality.

The European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea, together with more than 110 other countries, have pledged carbon neutrality by 2050; China says it will do so before 2060.

Some climate facts:

The earth is now 1.1°C warmer than it was at the start of the industrial revolution. We are not on track to meet agreed targets in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change, which stipulated keeping global temperature increase well below 2 °C or at 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

2010-2019 is the warmest decade on record. On the current path of carbon dioxide emissions, the global temperature is expected to increase by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of century.

To avoid the worst of warming (maximum 1.5°C rise), the world will need to decrease fossil fuel production by roughly 6 per cent per year between 2020 and 2030. Countries are instead planning and projecting an average annual increase of 2 per cent.

Climate action is not a budget buster or economy-wrecker: In fact, shifting to a green economy will add jobs. It could yield a direct economic gain of US$26 trillion through to 2030 compared with business-as-usual. And this is likely to be a conservative estimate.

Are these commitments any more than just political statements?

These commitments are important signals of good intentions to reach the goal, but must be backed by rapid and ambitious action. One important step is to provide detailed plans for action in nationally determined contributions or NDCs. These define targets and actions to reduce emissions within the next 5 to 10 years. They are critical to guide the right investments and attract enough finance.

So far, 186 parties to the Paris Agreement have developed NDCs. This year, they are expected to submit new or updated plans demonstrating higher ambition and action. Click here to see the NDC registry.

Is net zero realistic?

Yes! Especially if every country, city, financial institution and company adopts realistic plans for transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050.

The COVID-19 pandemic recovery could be an important and positive turning point. When economic stimulus packages kick in, there will be a genuine opportunity to promote renewable energy investments, smart buildings, green and public transport, and a whole range of other interventions that will help to slow climate change.

But not all countries are in the same position to affect change, are they?

That's absolutely true. Major emitters, such as the G20 countries, which generate 80 per cent of carbon emissions, in particular, need to significantly increase their present levels of ambition and action.

Also, keep in mind that far greater efforts are needed to build resilience in vulnerable countries and for the most vulnerable people; they do the least to cause

climate change but bear the worst impacts. Resilience and adaptation action do not get the funding they need, however.

Even as they pursue net zero, developed countries must deliver on their commitment to provide $100 billion dollars a year for mitigation, adaptation and resilience in developing countries.

What is the UN doing promote climate action?

It supports a broader process of global consensus on climate goals through the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

It is a leading source of scientific findings and research on climate change.

Within developing countries, it assists governments with the practicalities of establishing and monitoring NDCs, and taking measures to adapt to climate change, such as by reducing disaster risks and establishing climate-smart agriculture.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The race to zero emissions, and why the world depends on it

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A host of countries have recently announced major commitments to significantly cut their carbon emissions, promising to reach "net zero" in the coming years. The term is becoming a global rallying cry, frequently cited as a necessary step to successfully beat back climate change, and the devastation it is causing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
​Fossil fuels such as Coal, Oil and Gas are some of the most important natural resources that we use everyday. These fossil fuels are all Hydrocarbons, they are compounds formed from only two elements, Carbon and Hydrogen.

Fossil fuels are used to produce energy; in the home they are burned to produce heat, in large power stations they are used to produce electricity and they are also used to power engines. The bonds between the Hydrogen and Carbon atoms store energy, by burning the compounds in the presence of Oxygen the bonds are broken and the stored energy is converted to heat energy, forming Carbon Dioxide (CO ₂) in the process.

Fossil fuels are non-renewable, this means that their supply is limited and they will eventually run out. Fossil fuels formed from the decomposition of plants and animals from millions of years ago this is why they are called fossil fuels.

How does each form?

Hundreds of millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs, there were huge plants and ferns that lived in swamp forests. When these plants and ferns died they decayed and formed layers at the bottom of the swamps. Water and soil built up on top of these layers and over thousands of years pressure and high temperatures would cause the decayed plants and ferns to undergo chemical and physical changes which pushed out the oxygen from the decaying layers. As the plants and ferns continued to decay in the absence of oxygen they formed coal.

Coal formation stage. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

The oil and gas we use today was formed by the decay of microscopic plants and animals that lived in the ocean millions of years ago. As these plants and animals died they fell to the bottom of the ocean and formed layer after layer of sediment covered by sand and mud. In some areas where there is little tidal movement such as lakes or seas the plants and animals begin to decay in the absence of oxygen. As the layers build up the weight increases and the sediment is pushed further down, this increases both the temperature and pressure. With all of these factors combined the decayed plants and animals form oil and gas deposits.

In some cases these deposits rise to the surface and seep out into soil and water. In other cases the oil and gas deposits are trapped under impermeable layers of rock and drilling is necessary.

Natural gas consists mainly of Methane (CH ₄) but can also contain other gases such as Butane and Propane.

Oil and gas formation stages. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Peat is a very young form of coal, if left for a long period of time peat will eventually form coal. Peat was formed by the decay of plants and in some cases trees. These plants accumulated and decayed over hundreds of thousands of years in waterlogged areas. Peat formed in areas where there was poor drainage. When the last ice-age ended and ice melted it left behind glacial features such as eskers and moraines. These features are evident in the topography of Ireland, especially the midlands, and lead to poor drainage of the soil. This poor drainage along with continual growth of vegetation, high levels of rainfall and a low levels of oxygen lead to the formation of peatlands..

How do we use fossil fuels?

Fossil fuels are burned to produce energy. In large power stations they are burned in the presence of oxygen. As the fuel burns the heat energy is used to heat water, as it is heated it produces steam which in turn rises and drives a turbine.

The energy conversion goes from chemical energy stored in the fuels, to heat energy as it burns which is converted to kinetic energy as it drives large turbines and finally this is converted to electrical energy.

The problem with burning fossil fuels is their effect on the environment. As mentioned fossil fuels are Hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are burned in the presence of oxygen they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas and is a leading cause of Global Warming.

Chemical reaction of Methane (Natural Gas) burning in the presence of Oxygen showing the production of Carbon dioxide (CO ₂)

Fossil fuels are also used in the petrochemicals industry, here the fossil fuels are used to make plastics, paints and even medication.

Fossil fuels and Ireland

Ireland has a history of coal mining in areas of Leinster including Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois. The Arigna coal mine in Co. Roscommon opened in the late 18th century and ran up as far as the 1990's. Today Ireland imports most of its coal from areas such as Poland. The use of coal for production of electricity is decreasing as shale gas becomes more available.

Natural gas is widely used in Ireland with supplies coming from both Irish sources and imports. There are a number of gas fields in operation off the coast of Ireland including Kinsale Head, Ballycotton and the Seven Heads fields all located off the coast of County Cork. In recent years a new gas field located at Corrib off the west coast has been exploited. Having come on stream in late 2015 it is expected that it will meet 40% of the country's gas needs in its first two years before production starts to decline.

Oil is one of the world's most valuable commodities. In Ireland oil is no longer used for the production of electricity but is heavily relied on for transport and home heating. Ireland has no domestic oil production and depends entirely on imports.

In Ireland Peat has two main uses, generating electricity and home heating. Ireland has many raised bogs across the midlands. Bord na Móna is a commercial semi state company that is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat in Ireland. To prevent the destruction of Ireland's peatlands and their ecosystems many raised bogs and blanket bogs have been given legal protection and restrictions to peat harvesting have been put in place.

Related processes

There are several steps an energy source must go through before it becomes useful

First the energy source must be found, geologists are constantly studying areas and their rocks to determine if deposits or wells are likely to occur.

Once a source is located it then needs to be removed from the Earth. Extraction processes can vary from mining for coal, mechanical harvesting of peat and drilling for oil and gas.

Processing can take the form of crushing, grinding and milling. Coal is broken into smaller usable lumps for use in domestic settings and peat is often milled and compressed into briquettes for use in the home.

The oil that is pumped from the earth is extracted in the form of crude oil. This oil must be sent to a refinery where the different mixtures of fuels are separated by a processes called fractional distillation. The oil is separated into its different components such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, and residue. These components can be processed further to make plastics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
​Fossil fuels such as Coal, Oil and Gas are some of the most important natural resources that we use everyday. These fossil fuels are all Hydrocarbons, they are compounds formed from only two elements, Carbon and Hydrogen.

# data[].attributes.headline
issue with sticking with fossil fuels despite what we know about them

# data[].attributes.subject
issue with sticking with fossil fuels despite what we know about them

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A global deal on ending the use of fossil fuels was mired in division as U.N. climate talks opened on Thursday in Dubai, with major polluters and the oil-rich host country signaling they weren't on board.

Deciding how to describe the shift away from coal, oil and gas - the primary drivers of climate change - is one of the top political issues at this year's talks known as COP28. The debate largely fixates on whether to phase those fuels "out" versus "down," whether the word choice makes a practical difference, and whether nations should set deadlines for ditching their polluting energy sources.

Some take the argument a step further: Does a phaseout mean eliminating all fossil fuels, or just those whose planet-warming pollution isn't being captured before it hits the atmosphere?

The European Union and an alliance of vulnerable countries have staked the success of the conference on a deal to "phase out" fossil fuels, ending centuries of reliance on them.

"Words matter. And it sends signals," EU special climate envoy Anthony Agotha said in November at an event at Chatham House in London. "It sends signals to people. It sends signals to markets."

U.N. climate chief Simon Steill offered a warning at the opening of the conference on Thursday.

"If we do not signal the terminal decline of the fossil fuel era as we know it, we welcome our own terminal decline. And we choose to pay with people's lives," he said.

But United Arab Emirates' conference officials have warned it may be diplomatically impractical to call for the complete end of fossil fuel use from the almost 200 countries present - including major oil and gas producers like the UAE. Some observers warned that such a push could expend much-needed political capital in a fight over wording that may not actually compel nations to do anything differently. What matters is the actions countries take outside the conference, they say.

"I know there are strong views about including language on fossil fuels. ... We collectively have the power to do something unprecedented," COP28 President Sultan al-Jaber, the Emirati official who also heads the UAE's state-run oil company, said at the opening of the conference. "I ask you all to work together. Be flexible. Find common ground."

Calls for a fossil fuel phaseout put the UAE in a tough spot - left to choose between going against its own interests and being seen as undercutting the talks.

Al-Jaber refused to join the EU in calling for a "phaseout" of fossil fuels during a bilateral meeting in Brussels this month, according to a European Commission official who was granted anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Talking points ostensibly prepared for al-Jaber, which the BBC and the Centre for Climate Reporting published this week, suggested the COP28 presidency supports a "phase-down" instead. "Phase down gives us greater scope to align climate policy with real-world inclusive policy, finance and technology solutions," the document says. Al-Jaber called the documents "false" in a press briefing Wednesday, saying, "Never, ever did I see these talking points."

Out vs. down

The pressure is on countries to emerge from COP28 with a roadmap of actions to set the world on a safer course. Current national policies doom the planet to warm well beyond the limit that all governments agreed to in Paris in 2015 - no more than 2 degrees Celsius, and if possible less than 1.5 degrees. (The planet has already warmed by around 1.3 degrees.)

One option, calling to phase out fossil fuels, would be a historic first. Climate talks have generally steered away from mentioning the fuels that are primarily responsible for the problem. The first mention was only in 2021, when talks in Glasgow ended with an agreement to phase "down" coal.

A phasing out of fossil fuels indicates a shift away from coal, oil and gas until their use is eliminated. Other countries have suggested using the term "phasing down," which they understand to mean a reduction in use but not a complete end.

An official from Spain, the country that will head the EU's negotiating team at this conference, described getting language on fossil fuels into the final COP decision as "the most important battle," but also the "trickiest aspect," acknowledging: "We know we need to negotiate."

The official, who held a briefing with reporters last Friday on the condition that they not be named, contended that as of last week, more than 80 countries had expressed support for the EU's three-target approach: tripling renewable energy capacity, doubling energy efficiency and phasing out fossil fuels.

The "phaseout" language was already expected to face stiff opposition from economies dependent on fossil fuel production, such as Russia and Saudi Arabia - these countries typically filibuster and obfuscate at climate talks, watering down commitments to a lower bar. But it has also drawn criticism from China, the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter and a pivotal actor at the climate talks.

China's climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, said in September that "completely eliminating fossil energy is not realistic." A submission to the U.N. that same month indicates China's support for increasing the world's share of non-fossil energy while recognizing "the significant role of fossil fuels in ensuring energy supply security" - a major sticking point for Beijing as it seeks to meet rising energy demands.

For China, a secure transition away from fossil fuels means building the new before ditching the old, said Li Shuo, director of the China Climate Hub at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

"What we need at the COP may not necessarily be the perfect language but we need language that can trigger the best possible national response," said Shuo. "How [do] you craft that language so it speaks to the national capitals? One way you do that is to make sure you have phase-in first and then you do the phaseout."

The US-UK special relationship

The United States and United Kingdom - major greenhouse gas producers and traditional EU allies - have questioned whether the "phaseout" wording is worth the diplomatic effort.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry told reporters on the eve of the talks that he unequivocally supported "language requiring the phaseout of unabated fossil fuels." (In climate circles, "unabated" means pollution that isn't captured and removed from the atmosphere.)

Kerry also noted: "We still have people who have not signed up to that. They are, some of them, among the major producers of fossil fuel and they need to immediately step up and be part of the solution."

But a senior State Department official told reporters earlier this month not to put too much weight on whether to call it a phasedown or a phaseout. And the U.S., the world's top oil and gas producer, does not deem it necessary to provide an expiration date for oil and gas as long as any final text makes it clear the world must hit net-zero emissions by 2050.

The official suggested that more creative language might be needed to come up with something all countries could agree to. A deal between the U.S. and China in November showed a potentially different path. The two powers agreed to increase renewable energy deployment to "accelerate substitution" of fossil fuels.

"You can't have 1.5 [degrees] without addressing fossil [fuels], and the Pacific doesn't have the future we need without 1.5," said Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, one of many island nations threatened by rising seas. "So whatever creative language might emerge, it can't be so creative that it doesn't get to the heart of the issue, which is that you need to address the production of fossil fuels."

The U.K. is formally backing the same broad "phaseout of unabated fossil fuels" language that the EU advocates. But its positioning at COP28 was called into question when the head of the country's delegation, Energy Minister Graham Stuart, suggested to a parliamentary committee that he wasn't fixated on the precise terminology.

"Our belief is that we should focus on phasing down, phasing out - whatever it does, as long as it translates into real action - of unabated fossil fuels," Stuart told MPs less than a month before the summit.

The U.K. under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to "max out" its domestic North Sea fossil fuel resources - leaving it in a weak position to argue for "phaseout" regardless, said former energy minister Chris Skidmore, a lawmaker from Sunak's Conservative party.

"The fate of the world is resting on a distinction between phaseout and phase-down," Skidmore said. "But the U.K. finds itself now [unable] to argue for phaseout because it's joined the phase-down club."

Could we just grab the carbon?

Another wrinkle in the discussions is whether the deal includes the "unabated" caveat.

Major fossil fuel producers, including the U.S., argue that the continued use of fossil fuels is possible and necessary as long as the carbon pollution is captured - or "abated." But the term has gained growing attention and criticism because it lacks a precise definition and the carbon capture technology often associated with it remains expensive and largely unproven. Many scientists and vulnerable countries worry it distracts from the actual work of slashing emissions and gives countries cover to keep polluting.

But some officials and negotiators argue that action matters most, not the precise verbiage. Others say that without a timetable, "phaseout" and "phase-down" ultimately amount to the same thing. Officials from some European countries have also indicated they want national climate plans to target every sector of the economy - less sexy than a global deal on fossil fuels perhaps, but more concrete.

Even climate advocates note that nations routinely disregard the nonbinding agreements they make at climate talks. The U.K. expended significant diplomatic effort cementing language calling for a phase-down of coal power when it hosted the 2021 talks in Glasgow, Scotland, said Kaveh Guilanpour, who has led negotiating teams at climate talks from the EU, U.K. and island nations. Weeks later, the U.K. government opened a coal mine. The world this year burned more coal than ever before.

"I worry that a lot of negotiating capital will be used and negotiating time to try to get that signal without looking at the bigger picture of actually how do you operationalize and make something like that accountable," said Guilanpour, who is now vice president for international strategies at the think tank Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

With a consensus to aggressively eliminate fossil fuels increasingly difficult to reach, coalitions on specific aims have proliferated, said Paul Bodnar, a former State Department climate official during the Obama administration.

Such efforts began with the High Ambition Coalition at the 2015 Paris talks, which called on nations to shoot for 1.5 degrees Celsius ― the target the U.S., UAE and EU all now aim for. Members of that coalition, including France, Denmark, Chile, Kenya and many small islands, are now calling for an unequivocal fossil fuel phaseout.

The Powering Past Coal Alliance is built around getting governments and companies to commit to phasing out coal-fired power on a timeline. It now has 50 country members, including Mexico, Canada and the U.K., which pledged to end coal power by 2025.

"People are hungering for progress on issues like fossil fuel phaseout, even if it can't be done in the consensus COP process," said Bodnar, who is now director of sustainable finance, industry, and diplomacy at the Bezos Earth Fund. "Most of the progress in recent years has been made in coalitions of the willing and there is a risk that the COP becomes a lagging indicator rather than a leading indicator."
Sara Schonhardt and Zack Colman reported from Washington D.C. Zia Weise reported from Dubai. Karl Mathiesen and Charlie Cooper reported from London.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Global deal to phase out fossil fuels is in trouble

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
UAE officials running the talks are warning it may be impractical to call for the complete death of fossil fuels - infuriating activists and vulnerable countries.