Working in a coastal town in Leinster, the impact of climate change in the locality is very real and very evident, namely on-going threat of erosion and flooding in the area. A rise in local sea levels has brought about more forceful waves, which in turn has resulted coastal erosion. This impact has been especially prevalent over the past two decades. Parts of the beach have been eroded by 30 metres and a cliff walk has had to close because of the part collapse of the footpath. A study has identified an increased risk of flooding, with some 298 houses were at risk. However more alarming was the potential of the loss of 46 properties along the local coastline.
From either a geographical or historical viewpoint, the pupils could gather, collate and sequence pictures of the changing coastline. Older children could use primary sources and interview relatives who grew up in the area about their memories of the beach.
Both as an individual and a school we can help impede Climate change by making small changes
- choosing alternative transport methods to travel to school – Walk on Wednesday has been a long standing initiative promoted within the school. Really the message where possible should be – walk everyday!
- Replace clingfilm in lunchboxes with beeswax food wraps. Single use plastics have all but disappeared from our school, with almost all children and staff using refillable water bottles
- Being more aware of the volume of photocopying used in classrooms. As a Green School, we moved away from sending out hard copy notices a number of years ago. The majority of school communication is electronic.