By Kara Irving
CRANBOURNE may be a long way from Copenhagen, but that hasn’t stopped Lyndhurst Secondary College students taking a stand against climate change.
Last month students volunteered to take part in an advanced bushfire program as part of their studies, which included a trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Cranbourne to learn about fire safety.
During the program students learn how fire is used to regenerate bushland, as well as the implications associated with living in fire-prone areas.
The excursion coincided with the International Day of Climate Action, a global event that aims to reduce the levels of carbon emissions in the earth’s atmosphere from 390 to 350 parts per million (ppm).
Scientists have found the world’s safe upper limit of CO2 emissions stands at 350 ppm. Currently the world is operating on 390 ppm and is rising by 2ppm a year.
Students also helped make the numbers ‘350’ with fire hoses from the RBG, in response to the International Day of Climate Action, initiated by climate change activists worldwide on 24 October 2009.
In October 1400 rallies took place across 100 countries, to promote safe carbon emission levels into the earth’s atmosphere, almost six weeks before world leaders gather in Copenhagen for the climate change summit.
If this trend continues, climate change experts predict rising sea levels and an increase in the Earth’s temperature by six degrees by 2100. Since last century the earth’s temperature has risen by 1.4 degrees.
“(The program’s) great because it’s a community-based project,” says program co-ordinator Wendy Phillips, “the kids were involved in doing something for someone else, and I think that builds their self-esteem.”
Over the coming weeks the college will continue to work closely with the community, including excursions to local Country Fire Authority in Cranbourne.
