by Susanne Courtney | 11 Mar 2022 | Educators' Catalog, Environment, Politics, Ukraine, World
The Arctic has long been a region of peace. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is jeopardizing cooperation in the vast zone threatened by climate change. An Inuit family in Quinhagak, Alaska, 2015 (Photo by Brian Adams, courtesy of the Inuit Circumpolar Council)...
War in Ukraine has unleashed a tsunami of ink – about geopolitics, military alliances, weaponry, diplomacy, history. A relatively little noticed but hugely important angle is the future of the Arctic, which has eight nations, including two nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, staking a claim to portions of the vast region. Susanne Courtney introduces us to the relatively little known Arctic Council, which is sure to assume more and more importance as global warming opens up new shipping routes and facilitates the extraction of valuable natural resources. It’s never too early to be ahead of the news curve.
Exercise: Ask your students to debate the resolution: “Seven member states of the Arctic Council acted unwisely in boycotting talks with Moscow after Russia invaded Ukraine.”
by Isabel Fontan Ireland and Oliver Sanchez de Leon Tuomi | 9 Mar 2022 | Educators' Catalog, Environment, European School Brussels, Podcasts, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Some consider them a nuisance, but bees are critically important. Our podcast, “Plan Bee,” explains how climate change and humans put bees at risk. News Decoder · There's no Plan Bee if our friends the bees perish Bees are a vital part of our...
Climate change is affecting our planet in so many ways that the disruptions can feel overwhelming. Two students at the European School Brussels II train their sights on bees, which play a critical role in protecting our environment. In their 10-minute podcast, Isabel Fontan Ireland and Oliver Sanchez de Leon Tuomi explain why we all should fret over the fate of bees. Their conversation is an excellent example for students interested in audio as a platform for expression.
Exercise: Divide your students into teams of two and have them record a five-minute conversation about a complicated topic that they have researched. The challenge is to make it simple, understandable and engaging.
by Betty Wong | 19 Jan 2022 | Decoders, Economy, Environment
Companies are paying greater heed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) matters — their social credit score. Does it make a difference? Business investment concept (Elnur/Canva) In 1970, prominent American economist Milton Friedman argued that the social...
by Anthony Jones | 9 Dec 2021 | Contest winners, Environment, Personal Reflections, St. Andrew's, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Students at my U.S. school played what they thought was a harmless prank. They found out that actions have consequences and biodiversity is fragile. The car full of Styrofoam peanuts parked on campus in October. (Photo by Chris Shiepis) This story was runner-up in...
by Stuart Grudgings | 7 Dec 2021 | Decoders, Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, Technology
They can fluctuate wildly in value. They can be hard to spend. They devour energy. But crypto currencies are here to stay and will surely bring changes. Photo by STRF/STAR MAX/IPx 2021 1/21/21, courtesy of AP Photos In the past few weeks, an iconic Los Angeles sports...
News Decoder is committed to explaining, in simple terms, complicated stories that appear over and over on front pages and in news broadcasts. For lack of time, money and space, most mainstream news organizations don’t take the trouble to explain the background to complicated issues and assume readers and viewers understand why the story matters. How many of us say to ourselves when running across a story on crypto currencies: “I need to educate myself about these things because they are not going away.” In his decoder, Stuart Grudgings explains how crypto currencies emerged, how they work and why they are with us to stay.
Exercise: Ask students to debate whether crypto currencies will eventually replace traditional money.
by Tereza Epps, Maya Blenkinsop and Esther Le Bot Gautier | 26 Nov 2021 | Environment, European School Brussels, Student Posts, Technology, Youth Voices
Humans were once on track to destroy Earth’s ozone shield. Collective action averted disaster. Global warming demands the same global cooperation. We’re all frustrated at the inability of governments to take necessary measures to tackle climate change. Drastic...
by Malcolm Davidson | 23 Nov 2021 | Environment, World
The COP26 climate summit offered scant relief to developing nations. If political will for a grand bargain is lacking, can solutions emerge to save Earth? A man wades through a flooded area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, 10 August 2020. (EPA-EFE/MONIRUL ALAM) Wildfires, floods...
by Simikka Dueholm Jensen, Oluf Maersk-Moller and Ann Hansen | 19 Nov 2021 | Environment, Europe, Herlufsholm, Student Posts, Youth Voices
On a trip to Greenland, we camped on an ice cap, saw towering icebergs and witnessed the effects of climate change on the world’s biggest island. In August, six students from the Herlufsholm School spent 10 days in Greenland to study the effects of climate...
by Nelson Graves | 12 Nov 2021 | African Leadership Academy, Environment, European School Brussels, Podcasts, Politics, Thacher School, World, Youth Voices
Four students express frustration, anger and disappointment over climate change and urge world leaders to listen to youth before it’s too late. News Decoder · Youth speak out about climate change Frustrated. Angry. Disappointed. Climate change inspires a mix of...
by Tara Heidger | 10 Nov 2021 | Economy, Educators' Catalog, Environment, World
Clothing, especially from fast fashion, is a major contributor to global warming and pollution. Mountains of discarded garments end up in West Africa. (Photo courtesy of Dead White Man’s Clothes, a multimedia research project exploring the secondhand clothing trade in...
Recycling is not always the environmentally friendly thing to do. In 2012, 84% of recycled clothing ended up in landfills, often traveling thousands of miles to get there. Correspondent Tara Heidger shines a light on the relentless overproduction and overconsumption of cheap clothing and the disproportionate impact on countries like Ghana in the Global South, where the majority of discarded fashions end up. Beyond government policies and programs, individual consumption patterns must change.
Exercise: Ask students to consider how their own consumption might contribute to global warming, then use the four ‘R’s’ — repair, resale, reuse and rental — to create a schoolwide awareness campaign to help divert unwanted fashions from the wastestream.
