Climate Crisis in our region

Alan Mongey: Galway City has experienced significant flooding in recent years, due to rising sea levels and the development of buildings on land previously used as a flood plane. We now have to put flood barriers in our city.&nbsp;

Back to <a href="bookcreator://page/1UarZcHqRiqBGH9IhvkNNg/left">Contents</a>

Greece, <a href="bookcreator://page/RS_AOGtwQjmD_r9tFoANNQ/right">page 7</a>

Ireland, <a href="bookcreator://page/-442XEe-SZq-K_nCETj5Cw/left">page 10</a>

Italy, <a href="bookcreator://page/R5stGHJPQVWT8SgKyj6n7A/left">page 20</a>

Germany, <a href="bookcreator://page/lXl23IcxRiKoHZz9xVr9ew/left">page 26</a>

Hungary, <a href="bookcreator://page/6rsBeQVERnCauquM731oZg/left">page 40</a>

Romania,<a href="bookcreator://page/pQiyKOrRQLujORJwdooqIA/left"> page 34</a>

Greece Eco Edu team Ireland -Brian Melia -Sean Connolly -Alan Mongy -Peadar O Shea Italy -Renzo Negroni -Luisa Bertocci -Rita Iacoviello -Paolo Michelotti Germany -Martina&nbsp;Middendorf -Claudia Sandner -Barbara Schotten Romania -Dragoș-Constantin Racu -Daniela Nour -Iulia Lupu -Loredana-Florentina Ciubotariu -Irina-Mihaela Siminiceanu -George Toma -Emilia Tipirigan Hungary -Krisztián Simkó

Climate Crisis in our region

Climate_Central_2023JulyRetrospective_AvgGlobal_copy

An e book created with the contribution of the participants of the Erasmus+ Course in Chania, Crete, Greece July 31 to August 4, 2023,

1. Extreme weather situations are becoming more frequent: - the number of rainy days decreases in summer - the drought period is getting longer and longer - more precipitation falls at the same time - the number of flash floods increases - the number of snowy days decreases - heat records are being broken more and more often 2. We deal with climate change in the lessons of all science subjects, and every year we also have a project related to it.&nbsp; In the school, we use renewable energy sources to a significant extent, we generate electricity with solar panels, hot water with solar collectors, and our heating works with a geothermal heat pump.&nbsp; In one part of the school, instead of mowing the grass, sheep graze the grass.

9. Use technology responsibly: Educate students about the environmental impact of technology use and promote responsible digital practices. 10. Be a role model: Demonstrate sustainable practices in daily life, leading by example for students and the community. Collectively, these actions can help instill a sense of responsibility and empower the younger generation to be active participants in combating the climate crisis. There are various organisations and stakeholders you could consider partnering with to implement actions against the climate crisis in your school and community. Some potential partners include: 1. Environmental Nonprofits: Local environmental organizations can provide expertise, resources, and guidance for climate-related projects and initiatives.

2. Government Agencies: Collaborate with local or regional environmental agencies that may have programs and initiatives focused on sustainability and climate action. 3. Universities and Research Institutions: Partner with academic institutions that conduct research on climate change and environmental issues, as they can provide valuable insights and expertise. 4. Businesses and Corporations: Some companies may have corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives or sustainability programs, and they might be willing to support environmental projects in your community. 5. Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs): Involve parents and caregivers through the PTA to mobilise support for climate-related activities and initiatives. 6. Municipal Authorities: Work with local city councils or municipalities to implement climate-friendly policies and projects.

GERMANY, Claudia Sandner and Barbara Schotten

Collecting water in winter to water fields in summer

1. During the last years there were more and more floods in our area because of extreme rainfall. There was an increase in temperature which means heatwaves without any rain in summer and hardly any snow in winter. Fields are dry and some kinds of tree species can't handle it and die.&nbsp;

2. Climate crisis is a topic in a lot of subjects and projects at school. Schools seperate waste...&nbsp; Many schools and buildings have solar panels, heatingsystems become changed into systems with green energy. Our municipal energy suplier produces green energy with biogas,&nbsp; solar collectors, power to gas and windcraft. Besides in Germany thete is bottledeposit for each bottle and tin (drinking). You don't get any plastic bags at shops that's why nearly everybody uses reusable bags or packaging. 3. It's the same as in the other countries. Third question: "The partners for this action should be public institutions that can decide what works to do on scholastic buildings and how to invest public money. Unfortunately the time they need to respond to requests like these is often too long".

This e- book was created during the Erasmus+ Course "Outdoor Learning Activities in Cultural and Environmental Education", that took place between 31st of July and 4th of August 2023, in Chania, Crete, Greece. The Course was organised by Eco Edu and there were 19 participants from Romania, Italy, Ireland, Germany and Hungary. They were the ones to create the texts, find relative photos for the creation of this e-book, with the help of the team of Eco-Edu.

Frankie the Dinosaur has a message for Humanity

The second image shows what Galway City might look in 2035 if we do not do anything about this. The source is from chapter 2 of 2023-29 Galway City development plan.&nbsp;&nbsp; Chapter 2 covers climate action. <a href="https://consult.galwaycity.ie/en/consultation/draft-galway-city-development-plan-2023-2029/chapter/chapter-2-climate-action">https://consult.galwaycity.ie/en/consultation/draft-galway-city-development-plan-2023-2029/chapter/chapter-2-climate-action</a>

Our initial thoughts are that the climate crisis affects Galway, Ireland, and the west of Ireland in several ways. It may result in more frequent extreme weather events such as storms, heavy rainfall, or flooding. Rising sea levels could impact coastal areas, including Galway city. Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns might also affect agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystems in the region.&nbsp; Teachers play a crucial role in educating and empowering students and communities to take action against the climate crisis. Here are some actions they can take: 1. Incorporate climate change education into the curriculum: Integrate climate-related topics into various subjects to raise awareness and promote sustainable practices. 2. Organize workshops and events: Host seminars, workshops, and community events to educate students, parents, and community members about climate change and its impacts.

3. Promote sustainable practices: Encourage recycling, waste reduction, energy conservation, and other eco-friendly habits within the school and local community. 4. Advocate for green initiatives: Support policies and practices that promote sustainability and renewable energy in school and community settings. 5. Engage in climate-related projects: Encourage students to participate in environmental projects, like tree planting, beach cleanups, or local conservation efforts. 6. Foster critical thinking: Help students develop critical thinking skills to understand the complexity of climate issues and potential solutions. 7. Collaborate with local organisations: Partner with environmental groups or local authorities to organise joint initiatives and support broader community efforts. 8. Promote active transportation: Encourage walking, biking, or carpooling to reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation.

ITALY, Luisa Bertocci,&nbsp;Rita Iacoviello and Paolo Michelotti

Flood in Livorno, Italy. During the flood in Livorno, four people died in their house in the nightime. The youngest was four years old.

In our area there was a flood near Livorno, and extreme&nbsp;weather condition like tornado in Versilia. Generally .there has been an increase in temperature.. How to act? Local administration are monitoring constantly weather condition and instructing people how to deal with them. At school teachers deal with those issues in any subjects. We organised the Green days project : two days on sustainability&nbsp; and Agenda 2030 based on lab activities with the cooperation of public institutions and private local companies. One of our important objective is to involve families&nbsp; We are also creatina a green&nbsp; area with plants.&nbsp; Especially we are creating&nbsp; The Garden of the fair. It is garden&nbsp; dedicated to people committed on environment and respect for the world.

Emilia Romagna May 2023: huge rains and collapsed bridges, floods, landslides

First question: "At the end of May my region, Emilia Romagna, was afflicted by very heavy rains which caused floods and landslides. Many villages experienced problems such as power outages and many people had to temporarily leave their homes. More than ten people died. This was an unexpected and almost completely new phenomenon for us". Second question: "The first task of a teacher is obviously to promote his students' environmental awareness. As concrete actions, teachers and students could vigorously ask for public school buildings to be adapted in order to become environmentally sustainable. For example it could be useful to install photovoltaic systems or to thermally isolate the buildings themselves".

Climate change made July hotter for 4 out of 5 humans on Earth

The study also revealed the US cities that are suffering the most from climate change. Human-caused global warming made July hotter for four out of five people on Earth, with more than 2 billion people feeling climate change-boosted warmth daily. More than 6.5 billion people, or 81% of the world’s population, sweated through at least one day where climate change had a significant effect on the average daily temperature, according to a new report by Climate Central, a science non-profit. They have found a way to calculate how much climate change has affected daily weather. “We really are experiencing climate change just about everywhere,” said Climate Central Vice President for Science Andrew Pershing.

Climate change: This year’s July is the warmest for central and southern Greece since 2010

For most regions, it was the warmest July in the last 14 years, with the biggest deviations in temperatures recorded on the island of Crete, where average maximum temperatures were 2.8C higher than normal for the season.

https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/08/02/climate-change-made-july-hotter-for-4-out-of-5-humans-on-earth

2.a) The teacher's role is very important in helping students and even parents to become aware of the long-term effects of climate change, by using active-participative methods: critical thinking, experiential learning, projects, etc. The curriculum includes ecological activities, for those it was created a special program named Green Week.

7. Community Centers: Partner with community centers and other local organizations to reach a broader audience and engage the community in climate action. 8. Faith-Based Organizations: Religious and faith-based groups often have a focus on stewardship of the environment and may be interested in collaborating on climate-related projects. 9. Youth Organisations: Engage with youth-led organisations focused on environmental issues, as they can provide enthusiasm and fresh perspectives. 10. Media Outlets: Collaborate with local newspapers, radio stations, or online platforms to raise awareness about climate issues and your initiatives.

Irish group: -Brian Melia -Sean Connolly -Alan Mongy -Peadar O Shea

Individual tree species can't handle clima crises

Biogas plant produces electricity waste heat, heats the gardening an own windmill produces electricity

The biggest upward deviation in temperature in the country was recorded between 13-27 July, with the maximum values deviation exceeding 10C. For Thessaly, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Crete and the islands of the Aegean, it was the warmest July since 2010. For northern Greece and Epirus, it was the second-warmest month in the last 14 years. In Athens, the average monthly deviation of the maximum temperatures was 1.9C, with 23 of the 31 days of July being hotter than normal for the season. In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, 18 days in July were hotter than the average for 2010-2019, with the average maximum temperatures being 0.7C above normal levels for the season. The town of Livadia had the largest number of days with above-average temperatures (30), followed by Amfiklia and Rethymno with 29 days each. Source: www.in.gr

Sourse of the picture: https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/wildfires-mediterranean-monitoring-impact-helping-response-2023-07-28_en

3. There are some foundations that we can work with, they usually organize lectures for us.&nbsp; Two years ago, one of the foundations helped equip the school with automatic tap water dispensers.&nbsp; Each of our students received a reusable water bottle, so we do not use pet bottles at our school. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE2kgAERNkw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE2kgAERNkw</a> Sources: <a href="http://www.agrarszektor.hu/">www.agrarszektor.hu</a> <a href="http://www.masfelok.hu/">www.masfelok.hu</a>

Third question: "The partners for this action should be public institutions that can decide what works to do on scholastic buildings and how to invest public money. Unfortunately the time they need to respond to requests like these is often too long".

2. We, the teachers, shouldn‘t stop telling our students to take care of our nature and our environment but we should also be a role model for them to show them how to do so. We should make sure that f.e. the light is tuned off and that we close the windows when leaving the classroom. We should find out possibilities of sustainability f.e. in the school cafeteria to offer vegetables and fruits of the season and support local producers. 3. In my case, it is important to have the mayor and local politicians or whoever is the school board as a partner because there need to be some&nbsp; changes with the heating installation. Then of course we need the parents as a partner and tell them how they can support us (more than that: we could alsochange their way of thinking and acting).

b) There is a growing interest among young people in Romania in climate change and environmental education and we notice an increasing participation of young people in actions related to climate change prevention. In addition, commitments have been made to broaden access to environmental and climate change education through the organisation of extra-curricular programmes such as Green Week. At the same time, changes have been made to the National Education Act to include environmental competences among the key competences.

3. For a global problem the solution can’t be local or regional. So the efforts must be of all of us, of the entire society. This means that the future project should put together all major actors who can contribute to the expected change. Possible partners could be the government, local authorities, nongovernmental organisations, companies or even parents organisations.

Martina&nbsp;Middendorf 1. In the last three years summers were hot and there was only little rain so for examples the farmers had problems with poor harvest. Last year I remember that I realized that especially the corn was sere and so were the grasslands. In my region people weren‘t allowed to sprinkle their lawn and inthe news they talked about water shortage during summer. Our winters were very rainy and wet. This year it’s completely different. There is lot of rain (morethan I can remember) and only few sunny days with isn‘t suitable for localplants as the hot summer of the last few years. Again farmed for example areconfronted with problems related to their harvest.

Romanian group: -Dragoș-Constantin Racu -Daniela Nour -Iulia Lupu -Loredana-Florentina Ciubotariu -Irina-Mihaela Siminiceanu -George Toma -Emilia Tipirigan

1. a) Increasingly hot summer temperatures are starting to generate a lot of problems in the area where we live. Added to this is reduced rainfall, whichincreases the risk of drought and leads to increased energy demand. Theintensity and frequency of river floods in winter and spring (in the NE region of Romania) are increasing due to the abundance of winter rainfall. Climate change is already causing greater variation in crop production. In consequence, in time, it will become a social problem too because of the pressure on limited resources from the region. b) In north eastern part of Romania, the climate crisis comes with excessive heat that has the effect of drought or rarely heavy rains, electrical discharges and strong winds that have the effect of natural and material damage.

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