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Find out why and how to spot signals of change with the Futures Centre.

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Find out why and how to spot signals of change with the Futures Centre.

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WHAT IS A SIGNAL OF CHANGE?

A signal of change is like a seed of a possible future – a development, idea or innovation that points to a future possibility which is different  to what we see as norm today.

https://www.thefuturescentre.org/become-a-signal-spotter/

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https://www.facebook.com/globallearningcentre

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Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

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Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier.

In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape.

Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.

Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull glacier

A modern web browser and internet connection are required to view the image slider

Drag the button to see how the glacier has changed over time

Images: Colin & Kieran Baxter/University of Dundee

It had dramatically retreated, with scientists estimating it had shrunk by about 400 square kilometres, which is about the size of the Isle of Wight, as a result of climate change.

"I grew up visiting these amazing places and inherited an understanding of the quiet power of these landscapes," said Dr Kieran Baxter, a lecturer at the University of Dundee.

"It is personally devastating to see them change so drastically in the past few decades.

"On surface appearances, the extent of the climate crisis often remains largely invisible but here we can see clearly the gravity of the situation that is affecting the entire globe," Dr Baxter observed.

Globally, the world's glaciers are considered to be among the most visual indicators of how the world's climate is warming.

According to US scientists, glaciers have - on average - lost the equivalent of a 24m-slice of ice since 1980.

Measuring the actual decline of glaciers is difficult on a global scale as there are a range of factors that affect the rate of melting, such as altitude, precipitation, exposure to the elements, like wind and sunlight.

Glaciers' ages also differ vastly. Some are just a few centuries old, whereas other have been in existence for hundreds of thousands of years.

The longevity of glaciers provide a valuable record of past climates, and how the current situation compares with past events.

Scientists drill into the glaciers' ice and extract a "core". These cores provide a continuous "proxy" year-by-year record of past climates.

By analysing components of the ice, such as trapped air bubbles within the ice, researchers can build up a picture of past atmospheric characteristics, such as how much CO2 was in the air, temperature variations, vegetation.

This allows scientists to build up a picture of past climates, how it has changed and what we can expect in the future.

The demise of glaciers around the world serves as a double whammy. Not only are regions losing vital sources of drinking water, and irrigation for agriculture, but the world is losing forever a valuable scientific history of the planet's climates.

Our Planet Now & Then is a monthly feature that shows how our planet is changing in a warming world, running until the UN's climate summit in Glasgow in December

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Now and then: Iceland's vanishing glaciers

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Iceland's Skaftafellsjokull is a spur from the nation's Vatnajokull ice cap, which is Europe's largest glacier. In 1989, photographer Colin Baxter visited the glacier during a family holiday and took a picture of the frozen landscape. Colin's son, Dr Kieran Baxter, returned to the exact location 30 years later.

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Join with friends or family, using the weblink below, generate a small climate change collage to illustrate causes and effects that you are interested in. Consder sharing thorough social media do include us Tw; @GLADECentre or Fb; @GlobalLearningCentre

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Have a look at this presentation to get you thinking about cause and effect of climate change.
Join with friends and/ or family  decide what causes and effects you are most interested in.
Which are more locally-based?
Are there any that are more global?
Why do these grab your interest?

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What 'message of change' would you like to communicate?  What causes and effects of climate change do you want to do something about?
It might be around reducing your school’s, 6th form, or college's carbon emissions or to getting people reducing consumption of red meat. Or maybe animal conservation or action against deforestation.
Visuals and words are powerful, and when delivered by someone with passion can influence and inspire many people.

Devise your own message of change in the form of the ' spoken word' . You could write and narrate a short speech (2 or 3 minutes is plenty long enough) or use creative writing  - poem, rap, song.
Decide how to get your message heard (e.g. college or 6th form newsletter/ screens in 6th form or college entry / website/ social media/ Instagram/ Twitter/ assemblies/ tutorial time/ canteen/ cafe or coffee space)
The following columns have some things to inspire you, pick and choose what you watch, read or listen.
Then write out your speech - join with friends or family, you can collaborate. Practice it and then when you're pleased with it, upload it to the end column "UPLOAD YOUR SPEECH /MESSAGE OF CHANGE"
or if you want to get your speech out there, influencing others out do include us in a tweet @GLADECentre or post  on fb @GlobalLearningCentre

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View this Presentation from Dr. Cat Scott, climate scientist at the University of Leeds. Discuss which parts of the presentation your found the most interesting and which the most disturbing….

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Have a watch of some of these if you need inspiration

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At the moment, all around the world, people are being drawn together by their resolve to make a difference, through;
• Ending Extreme poverty
• Fighting inequality and injustice    • Protecting the planet

Governments and the general public alike are recognising that change is needed in the world, these changes have been grouped around 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

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Effective speeches can explore ideas and change the world. Throughout history, there have been many speeches that have inspired change and brought people together, to campaign, raise awareness, show solidarity. These inspirational speeches are not just from adults, and states-people. Teenagers have had a big impact on inspiring change and solidarity;

Greta Thunberg rose to prominence as a Swedish schoolgirl when she decided to miss school every Friday to stand outside the Swedish parliament to protest against lack of action over the climate crisis. This has led to an international movement, in which millions of other children, teenagers as well as adults around the world have followed her actions.

Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 2014, progressing from 'the girl who was shot by the Taliban' to Nobel Peace Prize winner.

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This is great to use where you can talk or chat online.  Put up the statements below and with friends or family,  decide which they and you identify the most with and why. Maybe use the up-vote /down-vote thumbs...After listening to each other, has anything you've heard changed your mind?

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1. Please make sure photos and films credit the author and /or weblink.
2. By uploading your message of change, you must have gained any permission you need to do this.
3.Think carefully abut where you will upload your 'message of change. Balance 'getting your message out there' with being safe.

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Inspiring new conversations on the climate crisis and supporting young people to take action.

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Inspiring new conversations on the climate crisis and supporting young people to take action.

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These resources and campaign aim to ignite a sense of optimism, tap into imagination and creativity, and inspire with positive and personal ways of engaging in climate action.

These materials are for use in a wide range of contexts, including in the classroom, during youth-work, with uniformed groups, Duke of Edinburgh, Youth Parliament meetings, Student council/ Student association/ Pupil council meetings, Youth Parliament and more.

https://globaldimension.org.uk/campaigns/how-will-you-reboot-the-future/

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Reboot the Future are calling on all educators of 14-18 year olds to ignite your students' sense of optimism, tap into their imagination and creativity, and inspire them with positive and personal ways of engaging in climate action.

The campaign features a series of short films - following the lives of five young people who, over the next five years, each play a role in rebooting the future. These films were inspired by Rise Up to Reboot the Future, written by environmental activist Jonathon Porritt, which is included as a resource, alongside a set of teaching guides to help you to support discussion in your classrooms.

And now you can order or download a free wall planner to accompany the resources, focusing on the 10 Big Shifts highlighted in Jonathon Porritt's Rise Up to Reboot the Future, with discussion questions, facts and ideas to inspire your students to Reboot the Future.

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How Will You Reboot the Future? | Global Dimension

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Reboot the Future are calling on all educators of 14-18 year olds to ignite your students' sense of optimism, tap into their imagination and creativity, and inspire them with positive and personal ways of engaging in climate action.

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https://twitter.com/GLADECentre

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Tweets by GLADECentre

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Educating girls 'key to tackling global warming'. Uganda

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Educating girls 'key to tackling global warming'. Uganda

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Educating girls is key element to fighting climate change, Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate has told the BBC's Newsday programme.

"When we educate girls it doesn't only benefit the individual but it cascades into her family and her community," Ms Nakate - who is the founder of Rise Up Africa - said.

"These are tomorrows leaders, campaigners and scientists, we have seen girls leading the climate change movement.

The fight against climate change is getting new impetus from the US, where President Joe Biden is determined to undo many of his predecessor's policies.

Ms Nakate is one of the best known of the new generation of campaigners against global warming.

Last year she made headlines around the world after she was cropped out of a photograph taken with her white peers, including Sweden's Greta Thunberg, in Davos. But she has also made news for her interventions at some of the world's most important climate conferences.

Ms Nakate told Newsday presenter James Copnall: "As young women and girls we are going to continue speaking up and talking about the solutions that are going to help save this world."

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Educating girls 'key to tackling global warming' - Uganda Mirror

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Educating girls is key element to fighting climate change, Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate has told the BBC's Newsday programme. "When we educate girls it doesn't only benefit the individual but it cascades into her family and her community," Ms Nakate - who is the founder of Rise Up Africa - said.

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Martin Luther King; "I have a dream" extract 2mins 55secs

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Martin Luther King; "I have a dream" extract 2mins 55secs

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BBC R4 Simon Armitage analyses how Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech is an example of great oratory which changed the mindset of a nation

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Simon Armitage analyses how Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech is an example of great oratory which changed the mindset of a nation. He focuses on how the use of metaphor, rhythm, intensity and pauses helped the speech to inspire action in people.

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BBC Four - Speeches that Shook the World, Speeches - Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech

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Simon Armitage analyses how Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech is an example of great oratory which changed the mindset of a nation. He focuses on how the use of metaphor, rhythm, intensity and pauses helped the speech to inspire action in people.

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Write a short speech to draw attention to  something around the climate crises you are passionate about such as
• an impact of climate change
• a cause of climate change
•  something local you want to see improved for climate action
• people you want to bring together

You might decide to start your speech with something to grab attention, such as a photo, a collage or a very short film or animation, or perhaps you want to include some creative writing, short story, rap, poem or quote to illustrate your points. You might decide to start or end with a short piece of music, you decide.
Then get your speech/ message of change out there - get your voice heard!

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But a new generation of young activists has proved that many teenagers are, in fact, deeply concerned with social, political and environmental issues - and they're fully prepared to do something about them.

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Five teens who changed the world - BBC Three

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Teenagers, including Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Emma Gonzalez and Jack Andraka, who have had a global impact

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This short film tells the story of Lahari, a prospective law student in Mumbai, who, as someone with asthma, uses her platform to influence the law on air pollution.

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https://glade.org/meet-the-team/

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Meet The Team | GLADE (Global Learning and Development Education)

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GLADE Centre is a registered charitable company (limited by guarantee) and is overseen by its Board of Trustees who are also Directors of the company. The day to day responsibility for GLADE Centre is devolved to our Programme Director who oversees all our project and contracted work, and liaises wi…

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Drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing

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Drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing

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Good news for the ozone layer: After a recent spike in CFC-11 pollution, emissions of this ozone-destroying chemical are on the decline.

Emissions of trichlorofluoromethane, or CFC-11, were supposed to taper off after the Montreal Protocol banned CFC-11 production in 2010 ( SN: 7/7/90). But 2014 to 2017 saw an unexpected bump. About half of that illegal pollution was pegged to eastern China ( SN: 5/22/19). Now, atmospheric data show that global CFC-11 emissions in 2019 were back down to the average levels seen from 2008 to 2012, and about 60 percent of that decline was due to reduced emissions in eastern China, two teams report online February 10 in Nature.

These findings suggest that the hole in Earth's ozone layer is still on track to close up within the next 50 years - rather than being delayed, as it would have been if CFC-11 emissions had remained at the levels seen from 2014 to 2017 ( SN: 12/14/16).

One group analyzed the concentration of CFC-11, used to make insulating foams for buildings and household appliances, in the air above atmospheric monitoring stations around the globe. The team found that the world emitted about 52,000 metric tons of CFC-11 in 2019 - a major drop from the annual average of 69,000 metric tons from 2014 to 2018. The 2019 emissions were comparable to the average annual emissions from 2008 to 2012, Stephen Montzka, an atmospheric chemist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo., and colleagues report.

Back on track

Atmospheric observations from Gosan, South Korea, and Hateruma, Japan, suggest that annual CFC-11 emissions in eastern China (measured in nanograms per meter squared per second) were higher on average from 2014 to 2017 (center) than they were from 2008 to 2012 (left), but dropped back down to pre-2013 levels in 2019 (right).

Changes in CFC-11 emissions over eastern China, 2008-2019

AGAGE/NASA Earth Observatory

AGAGE/NASA Earth Observatory

The new measurements imply that there has been a significant decrease in illicit CFC-11 production within the last couple of years, the researchers say, probably thanks to more rigorous regulation enforcement in China and elsewhere.

Another group confirmed that emissions from eastern China have diminished since 2018 by analyzing air samples from Hateruma, Japan, and Gosan, South Korea. The region emitted about 5,000 metric tons of CFC-11 in 2019, which was about 10,000 metric tons less than its average annual emissions from 2014 to 2017 and was similar to the 2008 to 2012 average. That analysis was led by Sunyoung Park, a geochemist at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea.

The recent downturn in CFC-11 pollution shows that "the Montreal Protocol is working," says A.R. "Ravi" Ravishankara, an atmospheric scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins not involved in either study. When someone violates the treaty, "atmospheric sleuthing" can uncover the culprits and spur countries to take action, he says. "China clearly took action, because you can see the result of that action in the atmosphere."

Montzka cautions that it might not always be so easy to point the finger at rogue emitters. "I think we got lucky this time," he says, because atmospheric monitoring sites in Asia were able to trace the bulk of illegal emissions to eastern China and monitor the situation over several years. Many places around the world, such as in Africa and South America, lack atmospheric monitoring stations - so it's still a mystery which countries besides China were responsible for the recent rise and fall of CFC-11 emissions.

Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at feedback@sciencenews.org

Maria Temming is the staff reporter for physical sciences, covering everything from chemistry to computer science and cosmology. She has bachelor's degrees in physics and English, and a master's in science writing.

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A drop in CFC emissions puts the hole in the ozone layer back on track to closing

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Good news for the ozone layer: After a recent spike in CFC-11 pollution, emissions of this ozone-destroying chemical are on the decline. Emissions of trichlorofluoromethane, or CFC-11, were supposed to taper off after the Montreal Protocol banned CFC-11 production in 2010 ( SN: 7/7/90). But 2014 to 2017 saw an unexpected bump.

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From Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty, or give me death" to FDR's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," we have selected nine of our favourite speeches that have changed the world:
Napoleon Bonaparte - "Farewell to the Old Guard"
After suffering several setbacks in the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne on April 6, 1814.

At the time of the abdication, he gave a speech praising his faithful soldiers and generals who had stuck by him:
"Soldiers of my Old Guard: I bid you farewell. For twenty years I have constantly accompanied you on the road to honor and glory. In these latter times, as in the days of our prosperity, you have invariably been models of courage and fidelity. With men such as you our cause could not be lost; but the war would have been interminable; it would have been civil war, and that would have entailed deeper misfortunes on France. I have sacrificed all of my interests to those of the country." Georges Jacques Danton - "Dare, Dare Again, Always Dare"
Given during the tumult of the French Revolution, Danton urged his fellow French citizens to mobilize in order to push back the invading Prussian forces.

The speech was inspiring, but also chilling, as Danton pushed for those not supporting the war efforts to be put to death:
"At such a moment this National Assembly becomes a veritable committee of war. We ask that you concur with us in directing this sublime movement of the people, by naming commissioners who will second us in these great measures. We ask that any one refusing to give personal service or to furnish arms shall be punished with death. We ask that a set of instructions be drawn up for the citizens to direct their movements. We ask that couriers be sent to all the departments to notify them of the decrees that you proclaim here. The tocsin we are about to ring is not an alarm signal; it sounds the charge on the enemies of our country. To conquer them we must dare, dare again, always dare, and France is saved!" Giuseppe Garibaldi - Speech to his Soldiers
In the mid 19th century, Giuseppe Garibaldi led a military movement to liberate the various Italian kingdoms from Austrian rule and create a unified modern nation of Italy.

Garibaldi gave this speech in 1860 to rally his troops for further action to unify the nation:
"To arms, then, all of you! all of you! And the oppressors and the mighty shall disappear like dust. You, too, women, cast away all the cowards from your embraces; they will give you only cowards for children, and you who are the daughters of the land of beauty must bear children who are noble and brave. Let timid doctrinaires depart from among us to carry their servility and their miserable fears elsewhere. This people is its own master. It wishes to be the brother of other peoples, but to look on the insolent with a proud glance, not to grovel before them imploring its own freedom. It will no longer follow in the trail of men whose hearts are foul. No! No! No!" Patrick Henry - "Liberty or Death"
On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry stood and delivered a riveting speech to the Constitutional Congress in Richmond, Virginia. The speech had the impact of causing a resolution to narrowly pass the Congress that led to Virginia joining the American Revolution:
"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, "Peace! Peace!" - but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!" Abraham Lincoln - "The Gettysburg Address"
Delivered on November 19, 1863, the address was delivered at the Gettysburg cemetery. The speech was given at a ceremony dedicating the cemetery as the National Cemetery:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this." Winston Churchill - "Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat"
Upon first entering the British House of Commons as the Prime Minister, Churchill gave a speech rallying the country to war against Nazi Germany.

Delivered on May 13, 1940, the speech was a call-to-arms aimed at uniting the British public against the threat of the Nazis:
"I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the government: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory; victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival." Franklin D. Roosevelt - First Inaugural Address
Roosevelt delivered his First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1933 at the heart of the Great Depression in the US.

Speaking to the concerns of Americans throughout the country, Roosevelt sought to ease the fears of his citizens and highlight what the country would do to resuscitate the economy:
"So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself-nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days." John F. Kennedy - Inaugural Address
When taking the oath of office on January 20, 1961, Kennedy uttered perhaps one of the most famous lines in US political history.

Kennedy's speech was intended to inspire his audience and unite the USA against the threat of Communism:
"In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Martin Luther King Jr - "I Have a Dream"
Speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, King gave one of the most famous speeches in US history on August 28, 1963. Imploring the nation to abandon its racial hatred, King shared in the speech his dream of the future of the nation:
"I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

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Nine influential speeches that changed the world

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From Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty, or give me death" to FDR's "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself," we have selected nine of our favourite speeches that have changed the world: Napoleon Bonaparte - "Farewell to the Old Guard" After suffering several setbacks in the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon was forced to abdicate his throne on April 6, 1814.

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To Reflect on your own attitudes to the climate crises

To Make a personal response to a presentation by a climate scientist

To Be able to name connections between the causes and consequences of climate change

Create a message of change and think about how and where to communicate it

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For most people the teenage years are filled with standard challenges. Exams. Dating. The usual.

These 10 teens, however, are changing the world. Check them out.

Autumn Peltier, 17 | Clean Water Activist

Canada's Autumn Peltier is an indigenous "water warrior" who has spoken at the UN about the destruction of the water resources in her native Canada and beyond.

She wants everyone to have long term access to clean drinking water and reliable water resources.

Greta Thunberg, 18 | Environmental Activist

The world's most famous teen activist. Greta Thunberg dropped out of school to spread her environmental message and has appeared at the UN and on the news in nearly every country on earth.

Shana Grant, 19 | Anti-Violence Activism

Shana took up her anti-violence mantle when her friend Zaire died from a shooting in which a teenager tried to rob him.

She was just 17 when that happened and though she has spent her time working on breaking the school to prison pipeline and that makes her one of our teens changing the world - she is off to college soon in Atlanta, Georgia to become a doctor.

She says she's not going to stop being an activist, though.

Kaua Rodolfo, 13 - Environmental Activism

He's only 13 years old, not quite a teenager though he will soon be one of our teens changing the world, but this Brazilian kid has been spearheading a tree planting initiative in the city of Curtiba and they've planted over 1 million trees.

He's also now the ambassador of Plant-for-the-Planet a charitable awareness campaign to encourage others to do similar things.

Maimouna Ndiaye, 15 | Women's Education Activist

Maimouna is from Mali where she works tirelessly to get other women to take up programming and to join her on the national robotics team!

One of her first projects was to translate Bambara, the local language, into both English and French.

For fun, she also studies artificial intelligence!

She says that women in her country need to understand the opportunity that programming can bring.

William Winslow, 15 | Hunger Activist

William wants to put an end to childhood hunger and he's ready to do whatever it takes to make that a reality.

His life changed the day that he learned nearly 20% of kids in his home state of North Carolina were at risk for going hungry including his classmates.

Since then he's raised over $60,000 and collected thousands of pounds of food to prevent others from going hungry.

We suspect he will be a long stayer on our teens changing the world list.

Haaziq Kazi, 13 | Ocean Environmental Activist

Haaziq watched a program on whales where a dead whale was washed ashore, and its stomach was found to be full of plastic.

At the age of 9, he designed a system to clean the world's oceans and has already built a prototype!

He also runs the ERVIS Foundation to try and teach others to respect the seas before they are gone.

Genesis Butler, 14 | Animal Rights Activism

Genesis went vegetarian at 3 and vegan at 6.

She's been working tirelessly to persuade everyone she knows to join her.

She also runs a non-profit the Genesis For Animals that supports animal shelters.

She gives talks about animal welfare and has even managed to talk her local city council into passing animal-friendly ordinances!

No wonder she's on our teens changing the world top 10.

Sidney Keys, 15 | Literacy Activist

Sidney has always loved to read but he was shocked to learn that many of his peers couldn't read.

So, he started Books n Bros a reading club that is aimed at supporting boys to read which is focused on African American literature.

Milena Radoytseva, 18 | Bullying Activist

Milena set up Safenet's youth panel which is dedicated to eliminating bullying online and to help them to better communicate with each other.

She's from Bulgaria but regularly talks on this subject in both French and English!

If you enjoyed this article you may also enjoy our piece on activists models.

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10 Teens Changing The World In 2021 | Whole People

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For most people the teenage years are filled with standard challenges. Exams. Dating. The usual. These 10 teens, however, are changing the world. Check them out. Canada's Autumn Peltier is an indigenous "water warrior" who has spoken at the UN about the destruction of the water resources in her native Canada and beyond.

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Short film tells the story of Erin, a teenager who is passionately protesting about the climate crisis as she watches her grandfather’s rural Norfolk home crumble into the sea.

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Where are we on climate change in 2021 - charts

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Where are we on climate change in 2021 - charts

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From unprecedented wildfires across the US to the extraordinary heat of Siberia, the impacts of climate change were felt in every corner of the world in 2020. We have come to a "moment of truth", United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in his State of the Planet speech in December. "Covid and climate have brought us to a threshold."

BBC Future brings you our round-up of where we are on climate change at the start of 2021, according to five crucial measures of climate health.
1. CO2 levels
The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2020, hitting 417 parts per million in May. The last time CO2 levels exceeded 400 parts per million was around four million years ago, during the Pliocene era, when global temperatures were 2-4C warmer and sea levels were 10-25 metres (33-82 feet) higher than they are now.

"We are seeing record levels every year," says Ralph Keeling, head of the CO2 programme at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which has been tracking CO2 concentrations from the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii since 1958. "We saw record levels again this year despite Covid."
Read more on the solutions:
The effect of lockdowns on concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere was so small that it registers as a "blip", hardly distinguishable from the year-to-year fluctuations of the carbon cycle, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and has had a negligible impact on the overall curve of rising CO2 levels.

"We have put 100ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere in the last 60 years," says Martin Siegert, co-director of the Grantham Institute for climate change and the environment at Imperial College London. That is 100 times faster than previous natural increases, such as those that occurred towards the end of the last ice age more than 10,000 years ago.

"If we keep tracking the worst-case scenario, by the end of this century levels of CO2 will be 800ppm. We haven't had that for 55 million years. There was no ice on the planet then and it was 12C warmer," says Siegert.

3. Arctic ice
Nowhere is that increase in heat more keenly felt than in the Arctic. In June 2020, the temperature reached 38 C in eastern Siberia, the hottest ever recorded within the Arctic Circle. The heatwave accelerated the melting of sea ice in the East Siberian and Laptev seas and delayed the usual Arctic freeze by almost two months.

"You definitely saw the impact of those warm temperatures," says Julienne Stroeve, a polar scientist from University College London. On the Eurasian side of the Arctic Circle, the ice did not freeze until the end of October, which is unusually late. The summer of 2020 saw sea ice area at its second lowest on record, and sea ice extent (a larger measure, which includes ocean areas where at least 15% ice appears) also at its second lowest.

As well as being a symptom of climate change, the loss of ice is also a driver of it. Bright white sea ice plays an important role in reflecting heat from the Sun back out into space, a bit like a reflective jacket. But the Arctic is heating twice as quickly as the rest of the world - and as less ice makes it through the warm summer months, we lose its reflective protection. In its place, large areas of open dark water absorb more heat, fueling global warming further.

Multi-year ice is also thicker and more reflective than the thin, dark seasonal ice that is increasingly taking its place. Between 1979-2018, the proportion of Arctic sea ice that is at least five years old declined from 30% to 2%, according to the IPCC.

"White ice reflects a lot of energy from the Sun and helps slow the rate of global warming," says Michael Meredith, a polar researcher at the British Antarctic Survey. "We are accelerating global warming by reducing the amount of Arctic sea ice."

The loss of ice is believed to be disrupting weather patterns around the world already. According to the Grantham Institute, it is possible - though not conclusively shown - that 2018 Arctic conditions provoked the "Beast from the East" winter storm in Europe in 2018 by altering the jet stream, a current of air high in the atmosphere.

"Temperature difference between the equator and poles drives a lot of our large-scale weather systems, including the jet stream," says Stroeve. And because the Arctic is warming faster than lower latitudes, there is a weakening of the jet stream.

"Everything is interconnected. If one part of the climate system changes, the rest of the system will respond," says Stroeve.

4. Permafrost
Across the northern hemisphere, permafrost - the ground that remains frozen year-round for two or more years - is warming rapidly. When air temperatures reached 38C (100F) in Siberia in the summer of 2020, land temperatures in several parts of the Arctic Circle hit a record 45C (113F), accelerating the thawing of permafrost in the region. Both continuous permafrost (long, uninterrupted stretches of permafrost) and discontinuous (a more fragmented kind) are in decline.

Permafrost contains a huge amount of greenhouse gases, including CO2 and methane, which are released into the atmosphere as it thaws. Soils in the permafrost region, which spans around 23 million square kilometres (8.9 million square miles) across Siberia, Greenland, Canada and the Arctic, hold twice as much carbon as the atmosphere does - almost 1,600 billion tonnes. Much of that carbon is stored in the form of methane, a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming impact 84 times higher than CO2.

"Permafrost is doing us a big favour by keeping that carbon locked away from the atmosphere," says Meredith.

Thawing permafrost also damages existing infrastructure and destroys the livelihoods of the indigenous communities who rely on the frozen ground to move around and hunt. It is thought to have contributed to the collapse of a huge fuel tank in the Russian Arctic in May, which leaked 20,000 tonnes of diesel into a river.

5. Forests
Since 1990 the world has lost 178 million hectares of forest (690,000 square miles) - an area the size of Libya. Over the past three decades, the rate of deforestation has slowed but experts say it isn't fast enough, given the vital role forests play in curbing global warming. In 2015-20 the annual deforestation rate was 10 million hectares (39,000 square miles, or about the size of Iceland), compared to 12 million hectares (46,000 square miles) in the previous five years.

"Globally forest areas continue to decline," says Bonnie Waring, senior lecturer at the Grantham Institute, noting that there are big regional differences. "We are losing a lot of tropical forests in South America and Africa [and] regaining temperate forests through tree planting or natural regeneration in Europe and Asia."

Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Indonesia are the countries losing forest cover most rapidly. In 2020, deforestation of the Amazon rainforest surged to a 12-year high.

An estimated 45% of all carbon on land is stored in trees and forest soil. "Soils globally contain more carbon than all plants and atmosphere put together," says Waring. When forests are cut down or burned, the soil is disturbed and carbon dioxide is released.
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The World Economic Forum launched a campaign this year to plant one trillion trees to absorb carbon. While planting trees might help cancel out the last 10 years of CO2 emissions, it cannot solve the climate crisis on its own, according to Waring.

"Protecting existing forests is even more important than planting new ones. Every time an ecosystem is disturbed, you see carbon lost," she says.

Allowing forests to regrow naturally and rewilding huge areas of land, a process known as natural regeneration, is the most cost-effective and productive way to capture CO2 and boost overall biodiversity, according to Waring.

As well as showing how much the climate has changed already, these five climate indicators also point the way to the solutions that can curb global warming to safer levels by the end of the century.

As Guterres noted in his December State of the Planet speech, "Let's be clear: Human activities are at the root of our descent towards chaos. But that means human action can help solve it."

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With data research by Miriam Quick.
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After the turbulent year of 2020, BBC Future takes stock on the state of the climate at the beginning of 2021.

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Speeches - how do you persuade your audience (film 4mins 14secs)

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Speeches - how do you persuade your audience (film 4mins 14secs)

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Poet Simon Armitage explores key features of persuasive speeches using some of the greatest examples from the last hundred years. Short extracts from influential figures such as Martin Luther King, Ghandi and Nelson Mandela reinforce how powerful speeches can inspire change in public consciousness, culture and even laws. Advice on how to persuade is linked to Aristotle's 2,000 year-old principles of logos, ethos and pathos.

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BBC Four - Speeches that Shook the World - Clips

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Clips from Speeches that Shook the World

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18-year-old young British-Bangladeshi Dr Mya-Rose Craig AKA Birdgirl from the Chew Valley near Bristol is a prominent birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, race activist, writer, speaker and broadcaster, writing the Birdgirl Blog since January 2014
https://www.birdgirluk.com/

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short film tells the story of Jamal, a school student in inner-city London with a love of growing and cooking his own food, and a dream of becoming a chef

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Climate change: Ozone layer 'healing and back on track'

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Climate change: Ozone layer 'healing and back on track'

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The amount of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere is steadily declining, according to scientists, meaning that the ozone layer is starting to heal.

The ozone layer is a thin part of the Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

It comes after a study in 2018 found CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) production occurring in Eastern China, which could have slowed the healing of Earth's protective ozone layer.

However, stopping that production appears to have helped and researchers say the recovery of the ozone layer is now "back on track".

What are CFC gases?

CFC stands for chlorofluorocarbons.

This family of chemicals has seen widespread use in refrigeration and in aerosol cans. Their role in destroying the ozone layer has been known since the 1980s.

Almost every country banned the production of CFCs from 2010.

Why does the ozone layer matter?

The ozone layer is a thin part of the Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

When it is damaged, more of this UV radiation can reach the surface - causing potential harm to humans and other living things.

Ultraviolet rays can damage DNA and cause sunburn, increasing the long-term risk of problems such as skin cancer.

What did the scientists discover?

Two studies in the journal Nature have been published based on work carried out over several years by an international team of researchers.

The first paper reveals that global emissions - of one particular type of CFC, trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) - decreased in 2019. This decline was not surprising as it corresponds with a global ban on CFC production.

That ban was put in place by the 1987 Montreal Protocol - an environmental agreement signed by almost every country that banned the production of CFCs from 2010.

"Things seemed to be going to plan," explained Dr Luke Western, an atmospheric scientist from the University of Bristol.

But in 2018, a study revealed that "the concentration of CFCs in the atmosphere wasn't falling as quickly as we would expect".

"That's where it all started - we wanted to know what was happening," said Dr Western. "The work I was involved in showed that this [extra CFC-11] was primarily coming from East China."

Later this century we should see recovery of the ozone layer back to levels that we saw in 1980

Dr Luke Western, Atmospheric scientist, University of Bristol

How did they know where the chemicals were coming from?

Dr Western and his colleagues used data from air monitoring stations in South Korea and Japan to find out the source of the chemical.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and environmental journalists then found that it was being used by companies in the region to make polyurethane insulation foam - which is a material put inside the walls of buildings to keep them warm.

"First we noticed that the pollution spikes in the region were falling, so likely the nearby polluters were stopping, or at least reducing, their emissions. And then we saw that, in 2019, emissions had really fallen back to the levels we hadn't seen since before 2013, which is when we first saw this uptick," Dr Western added.

The scientists say that while the scale of this illegal production may never be revealed in full, the combination of chemistry, investigative journalism and enforcement of the Montreal Protocol has avoided significant delays to the healing of the ozone layer.

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Climate change: Ozone layer 'healing and back on track' - CBBC Newsround

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The amount of harmful chemicals being released into the atmosphere is steadily declining, according to scientists, meaning that the ozone layer is starting to heal. The ozone layer is a thin part of the Earth's atmosphere that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun.

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A short film tells the story of Jay, a teenager whose various approaches to speaking up and acting on the climate crisis are each effective in their own way.

The accompanying activity guide offers discussion questions, activity suggestions, connections to Jonathon Porritt's e-book, as well as links to other relevant resources.

https://globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-jay/

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Short film tells the story of four young climate activists being interviewed by Tyler, a journalist reporting in 2025 from a climate summit. In the interviews, they each give advice to their younger selves.

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These films were inspired by e-book Rise Up to Reboot the Future, written by environmental activist Jonathon Porritt, which is included as a resource, alongside a set of activity guides to help support discussion in youth settings/ classrooms
https://globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-book/.

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Rise Up to Reboot the Future tells the story of the next five years, with a particular focus on the Climate Emergency, and how young people can play a role in transforming the world into a fairer and more sustainable place.

Jonathon Porritt describes it as: "A just about plausible imagining of how the world finally gets to grips with the Climate Emergency by 2025 - largely thanks to the courage and creativity of young people".
Companion Guide
The accompanying companion guide is designed to support groups reading Rise Up to Reboot the Future. It can also be a useful companion for solo readers who want to dive deeper into the topics and themes that emerge.

Part of the "How Will You Reboot the Future?" Campaign

This e-book and companion guide are designed to help teachers begin to introduce conversations about climate action into the classroom in a way that is positive, empowering, and adaptable to suit the needs of individual teachers and students as they navigate the transition back to school.

They sit alongside a series of 5 short films, each with an accompanying teaching guide. These resources flexibly slot into tutor group sessions or any gaps in the timetable, allowing teachers to spark conversations with their students and find space in the day to stop and consider how our actions now can make a real difference in the future.

These materials are also suitable outside of classroom contexts, including youthwork, uniformed groups, Duke of Edinburgh, Youth Parliament meetings, Student council/ Pupil council meetings and more.

Topics

Arts, Culture and Religion, Child Rights, Compassionate Values, Environment and Sustainability, Equality, Globalisation and Interdependence, Health and Well-being, Industry and Economy, Media, Internet and Technology, Peace, Conflict and Justice, Politics and Government, Production and Consumption, Social Justice

Age Ranges

KS4: ages 14-16, KS5: ages 16+

Subjects

Citizenship, Philosophy / P4C / Critical thinking, PSHE / PSE / PSED, Climate Campaign, Clubs and extra-curricular, Remote learning, Spiritual, moral, social, cultural (SMSC)

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Rise Up to Reboot the Future - e-book and companion guide | Global Dimension

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Rise Up to Reboot the Future - an e-book by Jonathon Porritt Rise Up to Reboot the Future tells the story of the next five years, with a particular focus on the Climate Emergency, and how young people can play a role in transforming the world into...

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15 yo Tells It How It Is! School Student Gives Chilling Speech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiIG29pFrJI

source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_YMMcvP8Tk

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Advice about Staying safe on the Internet from the UK Safer Internet Centre

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Advice about Staying safe on the Internet from the UK Safer Internet Centre

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https://saferinternet.org.uk/guide-and-resource

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Guide and Resources Archive - UK Safer Internet Centre

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Copyright © 2022 UK Safer Internet Centre - All Rights Reserved