CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS IN MOSCOW

On the initiative of the World Wildlife Fund a conference on global climate change has been held in Moscow for teachers and senior school pupils. Amongst the topics of discussion were several recent Russian publications on climate change issues, including an Atlas of Biodiversity of the Arctic Seas and Coasts from Moscow State University (MSU).

The participants also discussed how climate change can be studied in out-of-school activities, using guidelines and materials developed under the European Union’s INQUIRE programme with the participation of MSU’s Botanical Garden.

Learning from experience in schools in the United Kingdom, Moscow teachers are seeking to define the key mandatory elements of climate change studies. They believe that until the provisions of the Climate Doctrine are incorporated in school textbooks a science-based approach by teachers to the issue of climate change is essential to help pupils understand the changes more clearly.

The conference participants were particularly interested in a presentation by two Russian researchers featuring original data on the impact of forests on climate change. This has inspired pupils to develop new research projects aimed at assessing plant diversity in Moscow’s parks.

Anna Pishpek, Teacher, Secondary School No.148, Moscow. Full member of the Russian Geographical Society

Nadezhda Shishkina, Biology and Ecology Teacher, Secondary School No.389, Moscow