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International Climate Change Conference
Target: Upper primary/lower secondary [Year 6/7]

Numeracy (NNS)/ Literacy (NLS) or other curriculum area focus/reference:

This activity meets many of the requirements of the KS2 Programme of study for English:

  • Speaking and listening
  • Group discussions and interaction
  • Drama

Resources needed:

  • Role cards
  • Place labels
Objectives:
  • To consolidate and develop previous knowledge on global warming
  • To relate the science of global warming to the politics
  • To understand a current issue and provoke curiosity
  • To generate interest in following news items on an issue
  • To experience the complexities of such issues and the difficulties of reaching decisions in debates where different stakeholders have different interests and motives
  • To appreciate who has a voice and the power to influence decisions and who does not
  • To appreciate the sorts of deals that can be made, who makes the decisions, and who they affect.
Length: 1 - 1.5 hours

Description of Activity
1. This is a follow on activity from previous work on global warming; it does not 'stand alone' as there is complicated vocabulary and complex concepts that need to be understood first.
2. Introduce the idea of a conference on global warming. Explain that several of these conferences have occurred in real life. Provide children with a bit of background to this conference - what has gone before and what is the hoped-for outcome by the UN who have called the conference. Focus particularly on the Kyoto protocol.3. 4. 5. 6.7. 8.
3. Divide children into groups that will take on the roles of different countries or lobby groups at the conference.
4. Hand out role cards and place labels to the groups (countries: Japan, UK, USA, Germany and a delegation from the developing countries, oil companies, the United Nations Climate Committee and environmental groups). Allow them plenty of time to read, understand, decide as a group what they want out of the talks, noting down the major points they want to make in the discussions.
5. In the role of chairperson (from the UN) call the conference to order to start session 1. Get each of the countries to introduce themselves and lay out their main aims for the conference. The observers are not allowed to speak in the session.
6. At the end of session 1 allow the observers (oil companies, environmental networks and developing countries) to go and meet with anyone they feel they would like to make points to which they hope will get raised in session 2. (allow 5 ­ 10 minutes.)
7. Session 2 ­ Allow the countries to further debate and develop their arguments giving the observers the chance to see whether their input/lobbying has had any effect.
8. Allow at least 5 minutes at the end for the children to come out of role. Allow those children who were observers to have a chance to speak and for everyone to comment on the process. Reflect on how successful such a process is in real life: is it fair? Are there winners and losers? Who is most/least powerful?
   
Areas of Oxfam Curriculum for Global Citizenship addressed by activity
Knowledge and Understanding
Skills
Values and Attitudes
Social justice and equity Critical thinking Sense of identity and self-esteem
Diversity Ability to argue effectively Empathy and sense of common humanity
Globalisation and Interdependence Ability to challenge injustice & inequalities Commitment to social justice and equity
Sustainable development Respect for people and things Valuing and respecting diversity*
Peace and conflict Co-operation and conflict resolution Concern for the environment and commitment to sustainable development
Belief that people can make a difference

 

Follow-up/Further ideas/Homework
  • Postscript: In July 2001, developed nations signed up to the Kyoto protocol at the Bonn climate conference. America was the only nation that refused to sign, despite being the world's greatest polluter. The Bush administration continues to take no action over climate change and global warming. Everyone at the conference seemed to celebrate the signing of the protocol, including environmental groups. Some have argued however that the agreement reached has resulted in a watering down of the original targets of the Kyoto protocol. Others think we need an 80-90% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions to halt and reverse climate change. The Kyoto protocol will deliver, at best, only about 5% reductions. This information could be shared with the children and they could compare their own outcome with the real-life outcome of the Bonn conference.
  • Children could consider how they personally could reduce their own CO2 emissions or make a list of ideas/draw up an action plan for how the school could reduce its CO2 emissions.
Background information to the conference

The Kyoto Protocol
This was an agreement to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions which was made in 1997 between the richest countries of the world at a climate change conference like this one, but held in Kyoto in Japan.

Kyoto targets
At the conference the industrialised countries promised to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions by 5% from the 1990 level of emissions by the year 2012. This agreement covered six greenhouse gases, one important one being Carbon Dioxide. There were individual targets for each country, depending on what their level of greenhouse gas emissions were and how possible it was for them to cut down. For example the European Union promised to cut down by 8% overall, and within that overall target, different countries had different targets. For example, Germany promised to cut down by 21%, while the UK promised 12.5%.

Will the targets be achieved?
Very few countries are on course to achieve these targets. The UK and Germany are about the only two which are. While all the countries signed up to these promises at Kyoto, none of the richest countries in the world have so far passed the Kyoto Protocol as law, and now they are arguing about what exactly it meant and how it should be implemented.

This conference.
That is what this conference is about - should the richest countries stick to what they agreed at Kyoto and do their best to achieve their targets, should they throw it out and start again, or should they even decide that global warming is such a terrible prospect that they need to do even more than they promised at Kyoto?

YOU DECIDE!

 

Resources

NB: for more accurate printing, the resources are available on separate pages -

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