[✔️] August 31, 2023- Global Warming News Digest | Gentle messaging, Adult message from Jeff Goodell, AMOC tipping?, Jared Diamond classic, Poison Ivy, 1988 Bush spoke
Richard Pauli
Richard at CredoandScreed.com
Thu Aug 31 09:17:56 EDT 2023
/*August*//*31, 2023*/
/[ Giving information to children ]/
*‘I tend to be very gentle’: how teachers are navigating climate change
in the classroom*
August 29, 2023
Kim Beasy, Chloe Lucas, and Gretta Pecl at the University of Tasmania
Climate change education is increasingly seen as an essential part of
schooling.
The main international test of 15-year-olds’ progress (which Australia
participates in) has just announced the next round of testing will
include environmental knowledge alongside English, maths and science
literacy.
Australia’s national curriculum (updated last year under the Morrison
government) barely mentions climate change. But as a signatory to the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement, we
have committed to develop climate change education policies.
Regardless of what policies or curricula say, our climate is changing.
As scientists keep reminding us, urgent action is required.
In our new research, we interviewed nine primary and high school
teachers about how they include climate change in their teaching.
We found teachers are becoming the bearers of bad news in the classroom
as young people learn about the climate crisis, and they need better
training and more support.
‘I wouldn’t say I’m a scientist’
Climate change is a complex social, political, economic and
environmental problem. But it is often presented as an issue that
requires scientific interpretation and technological solutions.
This means teachers of non-science subjects may feel out of their depth
trying to teach it. A number of teachers expressed a lack of confidence
speaking in depth about climate change. As one told us:
I am definitely not weak, but I wouldn’t say I’m like a scientist.
But teachers who felt confident with the scientific “facts” of climate
change, often felt less equipped to respond to student enquiries about
social and emotional dimensions of climate change. This included
feelings of sadness or feeling unsupported by older generations.
‘What can the world do?’
Teachers emphasised the importance of moving between the local and
global, and individual and societal scales of climate problems and
solutions. They described this as a way to support constructive
conversations and positive feelings.
As one teacher told us:
Instead of the children feeling like they have the weight of what can
they do as individuals, which we’ve discussed […] we’re going to talk
about ‘what can the world do?’ As a global citizen, what can everybody
do? And working together as a bigger part of the whole, so they’re not
feeling that weight on their own shoulders as much, but more what the
world is doing [through] solutions-based technology.
Teachers spoke of the importance of pre-designed learning units, the
role of community experts and videos and podcasts to engage students and
support teachers. As one teacher explained the value of a guest speaker:
I think the kids after a while get a little bit, ‘You’re [a teacher]
just a piece of the furniture,’ and they don’t always switch on and
listen to you.
‘I try and speak hopefully’
Teachers also talked about the challenge of finding materials that
present the “right amount of information that will prompt action as
opposed to feeling sad”.
Teachers said they had to be very tuned in to the mood of the class.
If they’re starting to ask questions that potentially sound worried or
concerned, that’s usually an indicator that you might need to soften
what you’ve delivered.
Teachers in our study were doing their very best to maintain a hopeful
and positive message for students, but this often conflicted with their
own feelings. As one teacher told us:
Personally, what I have to do is to try and make sure that I speak
hopefully, even though it is not hopeful in my opinion […] I try and use
language that will encourage students to feel empowered and want to make
a change and fight for action […] as opposed to just knowing for the
sake of knowing and then feeling sad about it.
Another teacher spoke of the need to be sensitive when talking about
looming environmental disasters.
I tend to be very gentle and very careful or I’m very focused on hope.
What is needed?
Teachers need professional development to support their understandings
of different aspects of climate change, from the scientific to the
economic and social.
Uncertainty over how to talk to children about climate change in a way
that is honest but remains hopeful rather than overwhelming is an
ongoing challenge for teachers and parents alike.
Students need opportunities to talk about the future in ways that
empower them to ask questions and get involved. This can be done via
programs such as Curious Climate Schools a free resource, which we have
developed for schools in Tasmania.
Specific professional learning is also needed to ensure teachers are
able to support themselves and their students in grappling with the
emotions that can surface when learning about climate change.
In schools, we need teaching about climate change to be integrated
across science and humanities subjects. Climate change needs to be
better represented across the curriculum so that teachers have more
opportunities to include it in their very busy timetables. Finally, we
need innovation from policy makers and school leadership so crucial
climate change education is consistently available for all students.
Dr Gabi Mocatta, Dr Rachel Kelly, Charlotte Jones and Deniz Yildiz
contributed to the research on which this article is based.
https://theconversation.com/i-tend-to-be-very-gentle-how-teachers-are-navigating-climate-change-in-the-classroom-212370
- -
[ academic videos ]
*Curious Climate Schools*
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC63sv65EVyDnogRMiFAkNHQ
///[ Very adult message - interview with the author - YouTube
https://youtu.be/mzjdzQcQySE?si=rRmUV9kghwiTaJx5 ]/
*Jeff Goodell - The Heat Will Kill You First*
Commonwealth Club of California
Aug 10, 2023 SAN FRANCISCO
The world is waking up to a new reality: wildfires are now seasonal in
California, the Northeast is getting less and less snow each winter, and
the ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctica are melting fast. Heat is
the first-order threat that drives all other impacts of the climate
crisis. As the temperature rises, it is revealing fault lines in our
governments, our politics, our economy and our values. Journalist Jeff
Goodall says the basic science is not complicated: Stop burning fossil
fuels tomorrow, and the global temperature will stop rising tomorrow.
Stop burning fossil fuels in 50 years, and the temperature will keep
rising for 50 years, making parts of our planet virtually uninhabitable.
The hotter it gets, the deeper and wider our fault lines will open.
Goodell's book The Heat Will Kill You First is about the extreme ways in
which our planet is already changing. It is about why spring is coming a
few weeks earlier and fall is coming a few weeks later—and the impact
that will have on everything from our food supply to disease outbreaks.
It is about what will happen to our lives and our communities when
typical summer days in Chicago or Boston go from 90 degrees Fahrenheit
to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. A heatwave, Goodell explains, is a predatory
event, one that culls the most vulnerable people; but that is
changing—as heatwaves become more intense and more common, they will
become more democratic.
As an award-winning journalist who has been at the forefront of
environmental journalism for decades, Goodell might be his most
provocative yet, explaining how extreme heat will dramatically change
the world as we know it.
- -
August 7, 2023
Speakers
Jeff Goodell
Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone ; Author, The Heat Will Kill You
First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet and The Water Will Come:
Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized ;
Twitter @jeffgodell
Andrew Dudley
Co-host and Producer, Earth Live; Chair, People & Nature Member-led
Forum, The Commonwealth Club of California—Moderator
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzjdzQcQySE
/[ since 2004 RealClimate.org has been a popular site for climate
science discussions ] /
*The AMOC: tipping this century, or not?*
25 AUG 2023 BY STEFAN
A few weeks ago, a study by Copenhagen University researchers Peter and
Susanne Ditlevsen concluded that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning
Circulation (AMOC) is likely to pass a tipping point already this
century, most probably around mid-century. Given the catastrophic
consequences of an AMOC breakdown, the study made quite a few headlines
but also met some skepticism. Now that the dust has settled, here some
thoughts on the criticisms that have been raised about this study...
- -
Stefan says
26 AUG 2023
Sea ice melt certainly can weaken the overturning circulation in two
ways: by releasing fresh water (we estimated this to be a non-negligible
contribution, I think it was in the 2015 AMOC paper) and also by warming
the surface waters as a result of the albedo change -> much more solar
radiation absorbed.
If sea ice is lost fast, that surely is a concern also for possible
ocean circulation impacts...
- -
It is correct that ice melt and sea level rise will not stop for
centuries after we stopped the rise in global temperature.
https://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2023/08/the-amoc-tipping-this-century-or-not/
/[ Classic 2008 video on the subject of collapse "Why do groups make
bad decisions?" ]/
*Jared Diamond*
University of California Television (UCTV)
Feb 7, 2008
Jared Diamond is the author of "Guns, Germs and Steel" and the current
New York Times' best selling "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or
Succeed." This lecture examines the factors that caused great
civilizations of the past to collapse and what we can learn from their
fates. Series: "Voices" [4/2005] [Humanities] [Show ID: 9390]
1. Environmental impacts
2. Climate Changes
3. Relations with enemies
4. Relations with friendly neighbors
5. Political, economic, and social factors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc4bXIg8JDk
/[ More CO2 means everything grows faster, especially poison ivy - some
deep advice in text and audio ]/
*Why poison ivy loves climate change*
August 30, 2023
Heard on Morning Edition FROM WBUR
By Gabrielle Emanuel
https://ondemand.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/me/2023/08/20230830_me_why_poison_ivy_loves_climate_change.mp3?d=251&size=4024574&e=1196712560&t=progseg&seg=7&sc=siteplayer&aw_0_1st.playerid=siteplayer
Climate change appears to be making poison ivy thrive, with the plant
growing faster, larger and more potent
https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196712560/why-poison-ivy-loves-climate-change
- -
/[ Practical help for all who touch plant and soil ]/
*How to Kill Poison Ivy in 5 Steps*
Last Updated June 12th, 2023 by Amy
*Poison Ivy’s Niche in the Ecosystem*
This native plant fills two important ecological roles: (1) It provides
food for wildlife, and (2) It helps protect the edges of forest.
*#1: Poison Ivy Berries are for the Birds*
We might see the poisonous berries of the poison ivy plant and think,
“Danger!”. But to songbirds — most notably bluebirds, goldfinches,
warblers and woodpeckers — these grayish-white berries are an important
food source.
*#2: Poison Ivy Protects the Forest*
The edge of forest is an especially vulnerable place. It’s where wind
can drift in with seeds of potentially dubious plants that could alter
the makeup of the forest. The hot sun can threaten to “bake” the soil
and change its soil composition to make it less viable for forest.
As such, a healthy forest relies on having a healthy thicket at its edge
to capture and buffer threats from the outside.
A healthy forest edge can also make way for forest expansion, which
doesn’t happen very often in modern times where humans see forests as
commodities with development potential.
In general, poison ivy thrives on the edge of the forest: It loves the
full sun in front of it, yet it also loves the moist ground from the
forest shade behind it.
Thickets, i.e. the edges of the forest, are usually full of brambles and
their thorns, too. So brambles and poison ivy are the protectors of the
forest — they form a thick wall as if to say, ‘This is a healing forest
area: Keep out’.
Poison ivy deters entrance to an area and as a ground cover, it protects
the soil to retain nutrients and minimize erosion.
When we eradicate poison ivy, we are both removing a wildlife food
source and removing one of nature’s solutions for forest conservation.
The Poison Ivy 5-Step Eradication Plan
*Step 1: **Define the area afflicted by poison ivy and decide if
eradication is necessary.*
Look at where the poison ivy is growing and determine if eradication is
actually necessary and worthwhile. Since eradicating it takes quite a
bit of effort, trying to remove it from a large area is not realistic.
If it’s in a forested area, can it be left there?
Stick to the areas that humans frequently use.
Is it getting in your way? Only seek to eradicate that which is directly
encroaching on a walking path or other well-used area.
*Step 2: Eradicating Poison Ivy*
Although I literally do not use chemical herbicide for any other
purpose, I do encourage using it on poison ivy that is posing a human
threat. That’s because other poison ivy removal strategies aren’t very
effective. They require frequent exposure to the plant to keep it at
bay. More exposure = greater chance of developing the miserable rash!
Apply the chemical herbicide (such as glyphosate) directly to the
foliage at the highest ‘safe concentration’ directed on the container.
This maximizes its effectiveness while minimizing repeat applications.
*Step 3: Sheet Mulch*
Sheet mulching after step 2 is a fail-proof way to ensure that the
poison ivy doesn’t return. It also improves the soil and prepares it to
be planted with something of your choosing.
Sheet mulching consists of covering an area with a couple layers of
cardboard, then topping it with one to two feet of wood chips. Let it
sit for a season. This method uses the sun to smother and solarize any
remaining live poison ivy roots.
The deep layer of wood chips serves a dual purpose:
It helps to smother the poison ivy, as well as to rejuvenate the soil
after the application of herbicide (chemical or natural) in preparation
for planting something desirable.
*Step 4: Place Physical Barriers*
If poison ivy creeps into your living spaces from a forest edge,
installing a physical barrier between the two ensures that the poison
ivy doesn’t creep back in.
In Edible Forest Gardens, Dave Jacke lists some barrier ideas: Try a
pond, section of pavement, or a constant mowed area between the
encroaching poison ivy and your yard/garden. Or consider burying a
rhizome weed barrier.
Jacke prefers solutions that permanently or semi-permanently get the job
done without the need for constant management. After all, the goal in
permaculture is to be smart about the work you create for yourself.
*Step 5: Replace Poison Ivy with other plants*
Once you’re sure that the poison ivy is dead and that you won’t have to
treat the area again, it’s time to replace the poison ivy with more
desirable plants.
Remember that poison ivy fills two ecological niches that we know of:
Feeding songbirds with fall berries and protecting the soil as a ground
cover.
Seek out plants that fill these niches...
https://www.tenthacrefarm.com/how-to-kill-poison-ivy/
/[The news archive - looking back at example of empty political speech
by George H. W. Bush ]/
/*August 31, 1988*/
August 31, 1988: Vice President and GOP presidential candidate George H.
W. Bush declares that those who think people are powerless to combat the
"greenhouse effect" are forgetting about "the White House effect."
(Twenty-one years later, James Hansen would note in his book "Storms of
My Grandchildren" that Bush's chief of staff, John Sununu, tried to have
him fired from NASA.)
http://c-spanvideo.org/x1mc/
http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-01/news/mn-4551_1_george-bush
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