Pupils from Bargoed, Risca and Cardiff came together this week to talk about climate change.
FILM NATION UK and Oxfam Cymru organised a day of learning in the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay for pupils between 12 – 15 years old this week. The event is part of the inaugural National Youth Film Festival – a new, free, UK-wide festival offering young people aged 5-19 the chance to watch and discuss a wide variety of films, learn about film-making and meet film industry professionals.
The Film Beasts of the Southern Wild is a 2012 American film directed by Behn Zeitlin. The pupils discussed the issues following the film in a workshop led by Vicky Leech and Laura Karadog, Education and Youth Advisors for Oxfam Cymru.
“We want pupils to understand what we mean when we talk about climate change and to make it accessible for them. We want to teach them about the impact of climate change and to help them understand how it affects people’s lives. Climate change is a reality and will have an even bigger impact on their lives and their generation.”
(Pictures taken by Glenn Edwards. Vicky Leech discussing issues with school children)
“As our latest report on the impact of climate change on food insecurity (Growing Disruption) makes clear, high temperatures are already making life very challenging for many poor communities with which Oxfam works – high temperatures are reducing growing periods and ruining crops, making it harder to work outside for extended periods, increasing pressure on water resources and often increasing the price of food being sold in markets.
Emissions must be cut by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 in developed countries and continue to fall globally thereafter if we are to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
These pupils are the future we want them to understand now the importance of climate change and what we can do as individuals and as a community to respond to it.”