UNICEF and Children's Rights

Global Environment

KIDPROJ UNICEF09 ---------------- From W.J.Parks@durham.ac.uk Mon Dec 20 03:19:04 1993 ====================================================================== WEEK 9: The Global Environment. Aim: to encourage children to discuss and understand the links between environment issues locally and in other parts of the world. 'It only remains for me, who have so wasted My life, to beg you Heed no order that Issue from our rotten mouths and Accept no advice from those who Have failed so badly, but Determine for yourselves what Is good for you and what will Help you cultivate the land we let go to ruin and Help to make inhabitable The cities which we polluted.' (From: The Dying Poet's Address to Young People by Bertholt Brecht). 'There is hope, we can sort it out if we try and just get the adults to listen to us - because we're the ones who are going to end up with the world aren't we? We're the ones who are going to inherit in a few years and we're going to be left with the mess to sort out.' (A young girl's words from the 'When the Bough Breaks' TV Documentary). - - - - - - - - (1) WHAT ARE THE PROBLEMS? The world's environment - that is, the total of its life support systems - is in a growing state of crisis. Today's world is beset by a long series of environmental problems. List as many problems as you can, where they are occurring, and why you think they are occurring. 'Since 1972 when the UN Conference on the Human Environment first established a special UN agency to monitor and co-ordinate action in the environmental field, there has been a massive growth of environmental awareness throughout the world and of understanding of the interdependence of countries. At Stockholm in 1972 people recognized that 'the pollution of poverty' was the worst of all pollutions. It also recognized that environmental concerns should be part of development, not a barrier to it... The fight to increase awareness of the underprivileged conditions of so many children in developing countries is part of that wider battle: to return the earth to those for whom we hold it in trust in a better state than the one in which we found it.' (Roy Williams, 'Children and World Development', published by UNICEF-UK, 1987, page 77). Last week we examined a series of questions about the often skewed perceptions of world development. Here are the answers to the quiz: 1. decreasing 2. 2% 3. 60% 4. 25% 5. 20% 6. 90% 7. 94% 8a. 46%, b. 79%, c. 50% 9. between 1 and 7% 10. 10% 11. 25% and 30% 12. 50% 13. 7% Well done to those of you who got your answers right! - - - - - - - - (2) YOUR PERSPECTIVES. Over the past two or three decades there has grown a concerned awareness of the impact/effect of sustained economic growth, certain kinds of agricultural practices and social development upon global ecosystems. Many young people have a concern for local and global environment issues and have their own perspectives on events. How do you see the future environment? How do you see the links between your actions and events in the wider world? What do you do at home which might affect the world's environment in a negative way? What could you do at home to improve your impact on the environment? What you see as your rights to an environment fit to live in? What do you think are the rights of future generations? What do you think about the decisions that are being taken? What are your hopes for the future? What would you like to see happen to the world in the future? What do you think will happen to the world in the future? Make a list of ten things you could do to help make a better future. It is estimated that the cost of preventing the great majority of child deaths and child malnutrition would be 2.5 billion dollars per year. >>>>> It is the approximate cost of five stealth bombers. >>>>> It is what the people in the former Soviet Union spend on vodka each month. >>>>> It is as much as US companies spend each year on cigarette advertising. >>>>> It is what the developing world is paying EVERY WEEK to service its debts. >>>>> It is as much as the world as a whole spends on the military EACH DAY. What do you think about adults priorities for spending? What changes would you make? What actions would you like to see your government taking? - - - - - - - - (3) COMMUNITY-BASED PROJECT. This activity (extracted from "It's Our World too" published by the Development Centre (Birmingham) and the Development Centre (South Yorkshire) in 1992, page 21) introduces questions about sustainable development with regard to building materials. It uses a visit to a local building as a starting point. Before the visit to a local building, groups can consider, perhaps through a brainstorm: what is a building? what are buildings made of? where do building materials come from? Now visit a local building. During your visit, groups can choose a particular building part e.g. drainpipe, window, door etc., make sketches, take photographs, and complete the following check list: Building part:............... Where is it made? Who made it? What is their life like? How was it made? What material is it made from? Where does the material come from? Does its collection affect the planet? Does it affect the local environment? Is it nice to look at? Will it rot away? Is it made from a renewable resource? Is there an alternative available? The activity can be followed up with discussion which focuses on the issues raised, for instance: Renewable resources: what are they? How are they/can they be used in a building? Building a building: who is involved? Do production methods affect people's lifestyles? Buildings and the environment: where do building materials come from? What is the impact on the environment? On people? A further idea which can make use of this introduction is: Design a house which has minimal impact on the environment.