Global Citizenship and Climate Change

The current rate at which the global population is using the world's resources is unsustainable. This exploitation has led to the scarcity of vital resources in many areas of the world which continues to deny many people their basic rights as human beings, including access to food and clean water. Educating people about global citizenship, including global problems and the threats of climate change, will hopefully encourage a sense of responsibility to care about the planet and to develop a common respect with those whom share it.

By becoming aware of our roles and responsibilities as global citizens, we will become familiar with the ideas of sustainable development, interdependence, social justice and diversity. Global citizenship encourages value and respect for the environment, a commitment to sustainable development and the belief that people can make a difference through their actions. 

What You Can Do 

• Discuss "Sustainable Development" - what does it mean to different people?
• Organise a fund-raising day for an aid project you are interested in and find out what the funding will be used for Carbon off-setting - you could plant a (native) tree to offset some of the carbon the school emits, which helps reduce climate change problems for developing countries.
• Try and ensure that as many school purchases as possible are Fairtrade products and are ethically-sourced.

Create a "suppliers list" for the school, to try and ensure that all suppliers are as environmentally-friendly as possible.  Schools can visit http://www.fairtrade.net/ for information on buying Fairtrade products

Source: HSBC Eco-Schools Climate Initiative Teachers' Manual