Thursday, April 4, 2013

Victoria's Green Matters - 4th April 2013



Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury

Climate change is the biggest challenge that faces us today and will face our children in the future. To read last week that there are plans to remove it from the school curriculum along with sustainable development seems like absolute madness and a huge backward step.

We know that there are still those who deny climate change out there, all around the world, despite the evidence that has built up over the years that shows us that our production of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is accelerating changes in the climate which will mean disaster for many nations.

It would seem that teachers will have the choice whether to teach students about climate change as part of the geography syllabus and with the continuing pressures of education could well opt to leave it out. The reference to climate change in the chemistry syllabus is only about the production of carbon dioxide. Sustainable development seems to have fallen foul to political interference.

The world is facing a low carbon future; fossil fuels will run out and continuing carbon dioxide production will cause further climate warming. Students need to know about the options that face them; about the chance to live a more sustainable and better life rather than to rely on the possible development of scientific solutions.

While our government turns away from renewables and gives encouragement to damaging technologies, we need future generations that can learn about, debate and combat the effects of climate change.

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