[LUM#23] Sarah, age 8: We talk about climate change at school—why?
So first of all, if your teacher brings this up in class, it’s because climate change
is real! Sure, we don’t always see it, but ask around
to find out what changes have been visible over the past fifty years. They’re clearly visible in
vulnerable areas like coastal regions and mountains. It’s not just
rising temperatures, but also an increase in
extreme events such as storms, heat waves, and floods. Climate change
makes life difficult for many people, especially the most
vulnerable.
And it was predictable: as early as 1889, Arrhenius, a Swedish scientist, having observed that
more and more coal was being burned, had determined the influence of the gas
produced by this combustion on the properties of the atmosphere. Today, scientific
are building models to understand the complexity of the climate system
. What you need to know at your age is that climate science is
a collective endeavor.
Another thing you need to know is that this change is caused by human activity
: the growth of consumption, transportation, agriculture
, industrialization, and digital technology has accelerated greenhouse gas emissions
since the 1950s. Those who have consumed the most have contributed the most to this
phenomenon. Some people hide this information because it challenges
their habits, their way of life, or their power. It may seem hard
to understand, but we’ve seen people claiming to be climate scientists just to spread
false scientific information!
Ultimately, these changes will require many adjustments. Some are
easier to implement: building shade structures, insulating buildings,
greening cities, preparing emergency kits, or even adapting our
lifestyles. What will be more difficult is questioning our needs and lifestyles—
which place a burden on part of the world’s population—in order to build climate justice
. The challenge is to work together to find ways to transform these realities so that we can
“live with” them and lead a good life for everyone.
Anne-Françoise Gibert and Jean-Marc Lange, researchers at the Lirdef, an interdisciplinary research laboratory in didactics, education, and training.
An article in partnership with The Conversation.
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