Description
There is a low level of knowledge about climate change in Latvian society and specialists conversant in the adaptation to climate change are sparse. The aim of the project is to increase the knowledge and expertise of society and particularly school children in the field of climate, climate change and adaptation to climate change. An information campaign regarding climate change and adaption will be implemented. It will be based on three lines of action: • Elaboration and inclusion in lessons of geography and science of the school programmes of interdisciplinary practical works considering climate and its change as well as inclusion of these materials in the professional education programmes of the teachers. • Realization of experiments (practical works) as measures of informal education with elaboration and publication on the internet of corresponding video materials, inviting young people to explore the nature processes independently. • Implementing a reporting system of seasonal phenomena in the existing nature observation system (dabasdati.lv) and kick-starting the observations as an example of adaptation of the wildlife.
Summary of project results
There is a low level of knowledge about climate change in Latvian society and specialists conversant in the adaptation to climate change are sparse. The aim of the project sought to increase society's knowledge and understanding in the field of climate change, with a special focus on school children and their skills and attitudes towards climate variability and tackling climate change and moving towards low-carbon development. the project will also focus fostering knowledge on adaptation to climate change by developing and implementing interdisciplinary practical work in the fields of formal and informal education and involving the society in the observation of natural adaptation processes. The project was implemented through three main activities: • development of climate-change-related interdisciplinary practical work and its integration in science and geography lessons of school curricula as well as teacher education programmes. •implementation of experiments as events of informal education, including the preparation and publication of videos, inviting young people to explore the natural processes independently, on the Internet. • implementation of seasonal phenomenon observation on the nature observation system (dabasdati.lv) and observation as an example for natural adaptation. The study materials for geography and science teachers are now collected and published in the book "Climate language. Climate education in schools: practical suggestions ". In addition, 10 videos have been made with simple demonstrations about how to explain and understand the climate and why it there are so large climate variations across Earth, what the greenhouse effect is and how CO2 effects Earth's climate. During the project, scientists from the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences of the University of Latvia have hosted over 20 ‘’Party with scientists’’ in the new center of the University of Natural Sciences and also during visits in schools. There have been 4 educational seminars for teachers and Latvian 4H club leaders.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian Agricultural and Environmental Research Institute, “Bioforsk”, served as a donor project partner. Professor Paul Eric Aspholm visited Latvia two times; a popular science publication about climate variability "What does climate change mean to me?" was developed as a result of these visits. The publication will be published in a journal for education professionals, "Skolas vards", and on the project website. Besides that, meetings with 4H club leaders about environmental research, changes of climate and experiments related to natural processes were held. The first visit was held in August 2015, and the main topics discussed were environmental research and changes of climate. The project partners discussed the nature observation methodology in Norway and potential experience exchanges in Latvia. Moreover, experiments for workshops about climate variability were made to develop practical materials for work at school. Also, the professor participated in a Latvian 4H-managed school seminar “Environment . Responsibility. Creativity. ” by reading a lecture on environmental studies in Norway, how to motivate and involve children and young people in wildlife watching. The second visit was in February, 2016. The partner participated in educational seminar for teachers and organized field research on climate change with more than 70 natural sciences teachers from Latvia.