Category: actions

English UK turns green

English UK is the national association of English Language centres in the UK. The association has just published an environmental action plan for UK ELT. Acknowledging the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency, the plan aims to ’embed sustainability into practice, from classroom to canteen to conference’.

“Green UK ELT will help students understand interdependence and sustainability, experience the natural world and feel empowered to address the biodiversity and climate crises. English UK will lead by example through thoughtful and ambitious action. We will focus on working together, positive campaigning and collective action.”

This is a hugely positive and hopeful document, one that promises to fully embed environmental responsibility into UK ELT. Congratulations English UK!

Read Turning green: an environmental action plan for the UK ELT sector here.

actions climate change COP26 youth

Act Now

Today is Friday and for many young people around the world that means Fridays for Future, the youth movement started by a young girl sitting alone outside the Swedish parliament. Greta was soon joined by others and today let’s celebrate youth activists at COP 26 and everywhere who have courageously stepped up to hold their elders to account for the future of the planet: people like Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Dominika Lasota and Vanessa Nakate.

You can support them right now by joining the nearly 1.7 million people who have signed their Emergency Appeal for Climate Action.

But don’t stop there! You can make changes in your daily life that, multiplied by millions of other people, will add up to a huge difference. You can also help influence your family, your school, your community or – like ELT Footprint UK – your profession.

As Greta says, “As citizens across the planet, we urge you to face up to the climate emergency. Not next year. Not next month. Now”

actions climate change COP26

We are Watching

As COP26 enters another day, there has already been an agreement by over 100 countries to reduce methane emissions, an international agreement on deforestation that includes Brazil and Russia and $8.5 billion dollars to help South Africa – a major emitter of greenhouse gases – end its reliance on coal. Over 40 world leaders have also pledged to fund clean technology around the world. And India came forward with a promise to reach net zero by 2070 – 20 years too late but still a big step forward.

The methane agreement looks particularly promising as rapid reductions in production of this potent greenhouse gas could have an almost immediate effect on global warming.

But we have been here before and grand words have failed to meet their full promise: see Climate Tracker. Greta Thunberg calls this “blah, blah, blah” and she is often right – for example she was one of the first to call out the UK for not counting the greenhouse gases it produces from international aviation, shipping and imports. Already the UK’s COP26 promise to become the world’s first net zero finance centre looks wishy washy without being enshrined in law.

But if we are to address the Earth emergency there really is no alternative to global meetings, agreements and government actions. And it is getting easier to hold countries to account on their promises: big data from satellites for example can now show us immediately where methane is being emitted and forest are being cleared.

The British Prime Minister left COP26 expressing ‘cautious optimism’ to the outcome of the meeting. Maybe he believes his own words, but the UK can hardly expect to be counted a world leader on climate change or lecture others when it reduces tariffs on domestic flights and prevaricates on new coal mines and oil fields. Still, if populist leaders really do see the need to catch up with public opinion – and can be held to account – that might be a good thing.

Whatever the outcome of COP26 we will all continue to do what we can in our own lives, communities and professional spheres of influence. And we will all be watching. Expectations have been raised and governments will fail to meet them at their peril.

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“It is unequivocal”

The latest IPCC report confirms what we already know. The climate crisis is caused by human activities and is affecting every corner of the planet’s land, air and sea already. So we all need to act now to achieve net zero. Follow the science and the advice at ELT Fooprint UK to do what you can to help in the crucial global effort to achieve net zero.

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Thunberg on #ForNature

Amazing that it still takes a teenager to join the dots, clearly setting out the problems and the solutions in a way that our political leaders generally fail to do:

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Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Post author By Christopher Etchells
Post date 12 February 2021
No Comments on Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Here’s a really simple and clear explanation about the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. It’s a great chance to build consensus both inside and outside parliament on a road map to an environmentally sustainable future. In a year when the UK Government seeks to persuade the rest of the world that it is serious about the Climate and Ecological Emergency, the least you can expect from your MP is that they support the bill. Here’s a letter I wrote to mine:

Dear Laurence Robertson,

As one of your constituents I am writing to ask you to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill – see https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57374/climate-and-ecological-emergency-bill.

Scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm as to the inadequacy of governmental response to this real and urgent problem. I am deeply concerned for the future of our planet and the wellbeing of my children and grandchildren.

In a year when the UK Government seeks to show the rest of the world at COP 26 that it is serious about the climate and ecological emergency, the least I can expect from you as my MP is that you support this bill.

By so doing you will help to propel action and signal to the increasing number of environmentally concerned people in this constituency that you care about their future.

Yours sincerely
Christopher Etchells

Writing to your MP is easy: just enter your postcode at https://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp then follow the simple instructions. MPs really do listen to this kind of thing, so please take a few minutes out of your day to let your MP know how you feel on this vital issue.

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Climate hypocrisy

Derived from Greek actors who used to ‘interpret from underneath’ a mask, the word hypocrisy today has a more general meaning referring to “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.”

It is the right term to use for a government which, in 2021, seeks to show the rest of the world at COP 26 that it is serious about the climate and ecological emergency while simultaneously allowing the opening of a new coal mine in Cumbria.

The mine is projected to increase UK emissions by 0.4Mt (megatonnes) of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year – greater than the level of annual emissions projected from all open UK coal mines to 2050 (by which time the UK government will supposedly have reached net zero carbon emissions) – more info here.

The UK government has the power to stop the mine, but has argued it is a local issue. This is patently absurd as the emissions will form part of the overall production of greenhouse gases which threaten us all. The decision sends a very poor signal at a time when we are all trying to transition to a green economy.

A top climate scientist has today warned that the decision shows “contemptuous disregard for the future of young people”.

If enough people protest this decision, the government will have to listen or risk further accusations of hypocrisy. Please use your voice to ask the government to rethink. Sign the petition here.

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Language Teaching for the Planet

Post author By Christopher Etchells
Post date 1 February 2021

Do you incorporate climate change into your lessons? Do your course books have enough environmental content? Do you ever experience resistance from students? Please take a few minutes to complete this British Council survey for English Teachers. It aims to find out how English teachers are integrating climate change issues into their teaching, raise awareness of good practice and help support the development of new initiatives to help tackle the climate crisis. Take the survey here (takes 5 – 10 minutes to complete).

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UK Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Post author By Christopher Etchells
Post date 25 January 2021

Congratulations to the 95 Members of the UK Parliament who have already expressed their support for the UK’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. This is a cross-party bill written by scientists, lawyers and activists. It aims to persuade government of its overriding responsibility to take action on climate change. This year the UK government wants to prove its environmental credentials to the world at COP 26 in Glasgow so this is a good time to gather support for real action. Please tell your MP how important the climate and ecological emergency is to you and ask your MP to support the bill.

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London Greenground Map

Post author By Christopher Etchells
Post date 15 January 2021

Inspired by the iconic London Tube map, a graphic designer has produced a similar map joining London’s parks and nature spots. Greenground Map “aims to change (the) perception of how we see cities, when walking and cycling longer distances become regular ways to get around.” It’s a great idea that is likely to be adopted by other towns and cities attempting to get people out of their cars and connecting better with nature. Why not ask your students to make a similar green spaces map for where they live? Read more here.