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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil PHOTO: JENNY MATHEWS/ACTIONAID

Rio+20: the future we want Teacher’s notes

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Slide 1/ Title page

Rio+20: the future we want, June 2012 Aims • To explore some of the themes of Rio+20: the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. • To understand the meaning of sustainable development. • To investigate the issues being discussed at Rio - jobs, energy, cities, food, water, oceans and disasters – from the perspective of people living in less economically developed countries (LEDCs). Curriculum links Citizenship KS2 2a. to research, discuss and debate topical issues, problems and events Citizenship KS3 b. research, plan and undertake enquiries into issues and problems using a range of information and sources Geography KS2 2g decision-making skills 3g to recognise how places fit within a wider geographical context and are interdependent. 5c recognise how decisions about places and environments affect the future quality of people's lives Geography KS3 1.4 a. Exploring the social, economic, environmental and political connections between places. 1.6 b. Exploring sustainable development and its impact on environmental interaction and climate change. PHOTO: JENNY MATTHEWS/ACTIONAID

Slide 2/ What do you know about sustainable development?

Activity: 1. Learners should make a copy of the KWL table in their book. A blank table is also available as an activity sheet, which can be photocopied for the class. 2. They should then fill in the first two columns of the KWL table, either as a timed activity or as a list activity, i.e. ask them to write one thing they know about sustainable development and two things they would like to know. 3. Teacher should ask a small selection of learners for their answers 4. Alternatively, the teacher could ask learners to write their answers onto Post-It notes, which can then be stuck on the wall around the (interactive) whiteboard or on posters with the headings. These can then be referred to at the end of the lesson.

Slide 3/ What is Rio+20?

Rio+20 is the short name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development which is taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012. This is an important meeting of world leaders who will be discussing the state of our planet and how we can achieve the future we want through sustainable development.

Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

World leaders last met in Rio 20 years ago, in 1992, when they agreed to try to tackle climate change and to protect the environment.

One of the outcomes was Agenda 21, an action plan for sustainable development signed by 178 countries. It encouraged organisations to put plans in place for action to be taken globally, nationally and locally.

In June 2012, world leaders have to agree what happens next…

(Continued)

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Slide 3/ What is Rio+20?

Background photo of Babassu palm The babassu palm tree is native to South America and plays a key role in the livelihoods of 250,000 poor rural families living across Brazil. All parts of the plant are used, for example to build houses and roofs, to weave hammocks, carpets and baskets, and to produce oil, soap and flour. Women and girls walk for miles to collect the palm’s coconuts before breaking them with big stones. Although this is a rudimental and dangerous process, unlike subsistence farming, babassu coconuts grow all year round which provides a more reliable livelihood. PHOTO: LUCA ZANETTIACTIONAID

Slide 4/ What do these images represent?

Activity: 1. Give learners the opportunity to make suggestions about what they think the images represent and what they might have to do with sustainable development

[Click to reveal the answers: the number of planets needed by different countries depending on how much energy they use] Sustainable development The way that some of us are living on Earth is becoming ‘unsustainable’. This means that if we carry on our ‘business as usual’, and more people do the same, many of the world’s natural resources, like forests, oil or natural gas, will run out. Worse still, it is the way we are using the planet’s resources that is leading to climate change. Countries using the most resources, like the USA, are causing the most climate change. Countries using the least resources, like Malawi, are suffering most from climate change. We all share one planet – there are no other planets to move to! Our futures are connected no matter where we live. We need to work out a way of living together that does not use up the planet’s precious resources, does not cause climate change and is fairer. Finding a way to do this is called ‘sustainable development’. World leaders from countries that are causing the greatest amount of damage have the most power to make these changes happen. IMAGE: PowerDown, © ActionAid

Slide 5/ Which issues do you think world leaders should be discussing at Rio+20?

Activity: 1. Read through the comments on the slide as a class 2. Ask learners what they think world leaders should discuss at Rio+20 in June.

The key issues world leaders will be discussing at Rio+20 are: Jobs, Energy, Cities, Food, Water, Oceans, Disasters Find out more about each of the major issues that are up for discussion on the next slides… More facts and figures at http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/about.shtml IMAGE: PowerDown, © ActionAid

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Slide 6/ Jobs

Case study: Rose Cicy from Uganda. This is Rose who is watering citrus plants on her family’s farm in Uganda. She was badly affected by floods a few years ago which destroyed most of her crops and still remains vulnerable to changes in the climate. The government supported her by providing seeds for her to plant. Did you know that most people around the world are employed in agriculture and over half are women? But 1.3 billion people earn less than $2 per day, which means poverty for them and their families. Around the world, the number of people aged 15 to 24 without jobs now stands at almost 75 million. The International Labour Organisation says some of the highest rates of unemployment are in the Europe where 1 in 5 people under the age of 24 are looking for jobs. Can agriculture provide people with a secure future? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/jobs.shtml PHOTO: JAMES AKENA/ACTIONAID

Slide 7/ Energy

Case study: Ashley Church of England School from England. Most of our energy comes from fossil fuels – coal, natural gas and oil. When we burn fossil fuels, they release carbon dioxide or greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere. In fact, energy use accounts for 60% of global greenhouse emissions. Fossil fuels use the energy stored by plants and animals millions of year ago. This type of energy is non-renewable – meaning that one day it will run out. It is clear that we have to reduce our use of fossil fuels and find alternative sources of energy. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind or wave energy can be replaced all the time, will not run out and emit no carbon dioxide. Ashley Church of England School in Surrey now uses solar panels for hot water and electricity. The UK is the windiest place in Europe and has over 1000 turbines. The UK also has some of the biggest tidal waves and strongest currents in the world. How can the UK provide more renewable energy? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/energy.shtml PHOTO: KRISTIAN BUUS/ACTIONAID

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Slide 8/ Cities – The Wall Street Campaign

Case study: Homelessness campaigners from India. This is the ‘Wall Street Campaign’ in Chennai, India organised by ActionAid India. Homeless people signed walls like this all over the city to put pressure on the government to recognise their rights to proper housing, education and health care. Over 40,000 children, men and women live on the streets of Chennai. The city is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu in south India and more and more people are moving to big cities like Chennai in search of work. Almost half of the world’s population now live in cities putting pressure on resources, like water, housing and transport. The world’s cities occupy just 2% of the Earth’s land, but account for 60-80% of energy use and 75% of carbon emissions. How can cities become sustainable? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/cities.shtml PHOTO: PARVINDER SINGH/ACTIONAID

Slide 9/ Food

Case study: Local farmers from Haiti. In Haiti, many farmers have been affected by deforestation and have become more vulnerable to natural disasters such as flooding and soil erosion, which has affected their livelihoods. Soil erosion has reduced their ability to produce enough food to eat or to sell. Here, local farmers are building stone walls, to prevent the soil being washed away in floods. It is small-scale farmers who produce up to 80% of food consumed in a large part of the developing world. How can small-scale farmers produce more food? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/food.shtml PHOTO: CHARLES ECKERT/ACTIONAID

Slide 10/ Water

Case study: Justine, 15, from Uganda. Justine is 15 and goes to school in Uganda. Before the school had a water supply, Justine and her friends had to fetch water from the local pond which meant missing an hour of lessons each day. They also had to be careful to avoid snakes and other animals! Now there is a well near the school so the children can drink water during break time at school and they are able to concentrate better in class. More than 800 million people around the world don’t have access to safe, drinking water. How can safe, clean water be provided for more people? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/water.shtml PHOTO: GEORGIE SCOTT/ACTIONAID

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Slide 11/ Oceans

Case study: Mama Codou N’Diaye from Senegal. Mama Codou N'Diaye collects mussels and oysters off the Dionewar Island off the coast of Senegal and sells them at the local market. She is one of 3 billion people around the world who live on the coast and rely on the sea to make a living. More and more people are having to find other ways to make a living, as 40% of the world oceans become affected by pollution, overfishing, and loss of coastal habitats. In fact, it’s our appetite for fish that is having a devastating impact on the world’s oceans. Scientists are warning that overfishing results in great changes in ocean ecosystems, perhaps changing them forever. Recently, the government of Senegal cancelled all fishing permits to foreign trawlers in west Africa to try to protect the marine environment. Trawlers are large fishing boats that drag nets below the surface of the ocean and often catch more than just fish. (Greenpeace Africa) Fish provides billions of people around the world with a high quality, healthy source of animal protein. However 70% of the world's marine fish stocks are either fully exploited, overfished, depleted or recovering from overfishing. Overfishing is a non-sustainable use of the oceans because it means that some species cannot replace themselves. Ocean fish farming using massive fishing fleets, is a rapidly growing industry which, if not carefully managed, can severely harm ocean ecosystems and risk losing a valuable food source and livelihood for millions of people. Why is it so important to protect the world oceans? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/oceans.shtml PHOTO: : CANDACE FEIT/ACTIONAID

Slide 12/ Disasters

Case study: Schoolchildren lifeguards from India. Meet lifeguards K. Anusha, G. Divya Rani, D. Divya Deepika and G. Vijayakumari who are all aged between 12 to 13. They are standing on the banks of the Godavari river near their village in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. They have learnt a range of survival skills such as swimming , how to make floats out of anything to hand and resuscitation techniques so they can help and train others in their village. They’re part of a Disaster Risk Reduction through schools programme which trains children to act quickly in the event of an emergency. Disasters and emergencies can happen anywhere but poor countries like Haiti, Bangladesh or Kenya often face a relentless barrage of extreme weather events. Being prepared for disasters is becoming more important as our global climate changes. Most of the 3.3 million deaths from disasters in the last 40 years have been in poorer countries. Women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men during a disaster. How can people prepare for disasters? SOURCE: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/disasters.shtml PHOTO: G M B AKASH/PANOS PICTURES/ACTIONAID

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Slide 13/ Which are the best solutions?

Activity: 1. Working in groups of 2-3, ask learners to imagine they are representing the UK at the Rio conference. They should read through the nine big solutions on the slide. The big solutions are available as an activity sheet and can therefore be cut-out to be looked at learners’ desks. 2. They should rank these solutions in order of importance. 3. They should share their answers with the rest of the class and answer the following questions: • How did you make your choices? How do they compare to other groups? • Did you find it easy or difficult to agree on your choices? • How are all these choices connected?

Slide 14/ Youth of the world: make some noise!

Activity: What future do you want? UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, asked children what future they wanted and some of their tweets are on the slide. 1. Ask learners what message they would send to Ban Ki-moon. They can write it as a text message or as a tweet (no more than 140 characters).

I want to get more involved! What can I do? • Write to the Prime Minister and ask him to include young people in their delegations to Rio. • Organize events based on Rio+20, such as a debate about one of the issues mentioned in this PowerPoint, in your school. • Let your friends know that Rio+20 is taken place by telling your friends on Facebook or Twitter. You can follow events on @UN_Rioplus20 Find more ideas at http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=1542 For more facts and figures on the environment: http://data.worldbank.org/products/data-books/little-data-book/little-green-data-book?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT

Slide 15/ What have you learnt about sustainable development?

Activity: 1. Individually or in pairs, learners should complete their KWL table. 2. They should fill in the final columns of the KWL table, either as a timed activity or as a list activity, i.e ask them to write three things each that they have learnt about sustainable development. 3. The teacher should ask a small selection of learners for their answers. or

4. The teacher could ask learners to write what they have learnt in the lesson on Post-It notes, which can then be stuck on the wall around the (interactive) whiteboad or on posters with the headings. What they have learnt can then be compared to their earlier answers about what they know and what they would like to know.

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Slide 16/ PowerDown... and save energy

Remember to ‘power down’ and help to reduce your school’s energy use. Go to http://powerdown.actionaid.org.uk to download the toolkit.

PHOTO: ACTIONAID

Slide 17/ Final

For further information, visit: www.actionaid.org.uk/schools PHOTO: SVEN TORFINN/PANOS PICTURES/ACTIONAID