No . 132
The Trusty Servant
Response to the Climate Emergency
Alex Clayton ( Co Ro , 15- ; Head of Geography ) explains :
Teaching the climate emergency to Junior Part used to be quite simple . We would discuss historic climate fluctuations , walk the boys through current anthropogenic causation , lay out some of the damaging impacts and then look at how they might adjust their lives to avoid those . If we got the tone wrong , this would often be met with indifference , scepticism , accusations of doomism and then suggestions that we were left-wing utopians .
The last few years have felt very different . We lead with the IPCC ’ s 2017 report on 1.5 degrees , a terrifying read that has a level of credibility missing from our previously disparate range of sources . Then , after a discussion about individual vs systemic change , we dive into the policy environment . Instead of helping the boys understand what changes might be needed we are now helping them understand what changes are happening this decade and how that will impact their lives . Issues surrounding climate justice and areas where government action still lacks ambition remain more discursive , but generally we are communicating defined policies or using the detailed commentaries provided by reliable third parties such as the Climate Change Committee . This is what they need in order to make a difference and accelerate the transition to net-zero , or in order simply to understand the rapid changes happening around them . There is a seriousness and immediacy to the lessons . There is a lot to get through and in this immensely important decade where we must reduce emissions by at least 45 % I feel palpable pressure to deliver effectively .
Inevitably discussion during hours turns to what the College is doing . This too can be challenging to get right . Dons sit at the interface between the wider College and the pupil body and , while there is a necessity to inspire and lead , there is also a need to defend our current position and justify choices . It is easy to appear unambitious or to frustrate pupils , but equally we can easily appear hypocritical or can undermine the efforts of non-teaching staff . One response has been to focus on Scope 4 emissions – wider societal emissions that are avoided because of an organisation ’ s positive influence on the people it interacts with . It may be that the College is unable to be at the forefront of the transition , but that does not stop us from talking the talk to pupils such that they make choices that avoid emissions during their lifetime . Manners Makyth ( a lowcarbon ) Man , and so on . We do a good job of this in the classroom . Particular highlights of this term include a JP boy convincing his parents to get an electric car rather than a new Land Rover and a VBk boy inspired to write an article that has appeared in a COP26 youth journal ( see ‘ Wiccamica ’).
But our influence extends beyond the academic domain , through modelling a way of life that fits with a low carbon future . The College campus is a good example of dense urban living . Pupils can walk or cycle everywhere on campus . Communal living and eating in boarding houses are efficient approaches that minimise energy expenditure and waste . We are embedded in nature with greenery everywhere around us and SSSIs on our doorstep . As well as providing mental-health benefits , this also limits urban heating and our land provides important flood relief for the city . Resilience extends beyond the physical domain to our overt focus on community links . We provide large areas for public amenity and via our excellent community-service programme pupils are engaged in important social work across the city . This is widely recognised as an essential part of adaptation to a future with more extreme weather events where the fabric of society may be harshly tested .
Fundamentally , we model a way of life that is very close to being sustainable throughout this century . That is crucial as the median carbon footprint for a pupil in my JP class sits at around 20-30 tonnes . If we can habitualise a more sustainable way of living that they value and that influences their choices in later life , we can have a significant impact on the climate emergency .
But , problematically , Scope 4 emissions reduction is no longer enough . The IPCC report this summer made it very clear that near-term reduction in emissions is essential if we are to avoid the worst of the climate emergency . The College must also now reduce the emissions related to our day-to-day operation . This is a more challenging issue and one that ESAG ( the Environment and Sustainability Advisory Group ), reporting to the Governing Body , has been working on since March of this year . Decarbonising our operation is complex and because of the nature of the College it often appears to be a microcosm of the issues facing the country as a whole .
Most companies with net-zero pledges deliberately focus on Scope 1 and 2 emissions . These are related to the combustion of fuel or purchase of
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