www.trocaire.org

Climate Change and Climate Justice 2Together we are the solution to climate injustice

A History of Climate Change

Scientists have been studying changes in the earth’s atmosphere for centuries. French physicist Joseph Fourier first described greenhouses gases in the 1880s. This is a timeline of some key events related to global climate change from the 1960s to the present day, the rise in average global temperatures, and the rise in parts per million (ppm) of C02 in the atmosphere.

1979 first World Climate Conference

1992 Earth Summit Rio de Janeiro

1995 Intergovernmental

Meetings Berlin (Conference of Parties

– COP1)

1997

Kyoto Protocol

2010 – agreement that emissions need to be

reduced to keep global warming below

2C.

2015 COP21 in Paris

326 ppm / 0.04 C 354 ppm / 0.44 C 361 ppm / 0.46 C

390 ppm / 0.70 C 399 ppm / 0.74 C

Weather and climate – Human Influence

Human influence on the climate system is clear.

Emissions of greenhouse gases are the highest in history!

It is clear that human activity has caused most of the increase in global temp since the mid 20th C (IPCC report 2014).

Legally binding agreement needed at COP21 in Paris to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Weather and climate

The effects of climate change in ROI and NI include:

• Rise in air temperature of approx. 0.8C in the last 100 years.

• Reduced number of days with frost per year.

• Increased annual rainfall and warm days.

Flooding Clontarf Dublin 2014

Emissions

What is the main source of emissions in ROI and NI?

Why have emissions decreased in ROI by 17% in recent years?

Climate Injustice: Displacement

Risks associated with Climate Change are greater for disadvantaged people and communities in countries at all levels of development.

UNHCR: Climate change could become the largest driver of refugees in the future – Why?

A man stands atop debris after Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city in central Philippines, 10 November 2013, REUTERS/Erik de Castro

Climate Injustice: Displacement

Displacement & Migration

Extreme WeatherEvent

Longer-term changes in climate

Coping mechanism for people in disaster-vulnerable areas.

Internally Displaced Persons within a country (IDPs)

Safety Zone

Rural to Urban

DangerZone

People are forced to move from danger zones and from rural to urban areas due to climate change.

Case Study: Displacement & Kenya

FACT FILEPopulation: 44.4 MillionCapital: NairobiMajor languages: Swahili, EnglishPresident: Uhuru Kenyatta (2013 to present)Main exports: Tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum productsC02 emissions: 0.3 tons per capita

What are C02 emissions per capita in Ireland?

Case Study: Displacement & Kenya

Tharaka Nithi County is located in central Kenya in the Diocese of Meru, in the lowlands of Mount Kenya, an important region for tea and coffee production. It is a semi-arid area with temperatures from 11 C to 25.9 C and has cold and hot seasons.

Teresina Karimi and her sons Antony (16) and Amos (11) live in Tharaka Nithi and rely on farming and the local Naka river for drinking water and water for their crops. The river is an hour’s walk away.

What similarities and differences are there between your life and Anthony’s life?

Anthony Mawiirra, (16) lives in Tharaka Nithi, Kenya.

Case Study: Displacement & Kenya

Rains are no longer reliable for growing food in Tharaka Nithi. Three rivers have recently dried up. Teresina’s husband Julius had to migrate to work on a large farm with an irrigation scheme, while their own soil becomes lifeless and their crops die.

EFFECTS

Trócaire supports many communities in Embu diocese with their partner Ishiara Parish, who have developed an irrigation system called Sky Limit for growing crops. However there is still no support for many people and when crops fail they have to sell everything until eventually the head of the family is forced to migrate.

SOLUTIONSWhat Kenyan products can you buy in your local supermarket?

Find out what other activities have a negative impact on the environment in Kenya.

Climate Injustice

Using your new knowledge on climate change in general, and migration and displacement due to climate change in particular, can you suggest reasons why Antony’s community can be considered an example of climate injustice? Complete this exercise in small groups and then report back to the rest of the class.

Think about the causes and effects of climate change when coming up with your reasons!

Elizabeth Mbura (40), a female head of household who is part of

the Sky Limit irrigation system supported by Trócaire.

Displacement – A Global Issue?

The Philippines Pakistan

Population approx.100 million

Receives intense tropical storms, sea level rise, increasing temperatures, flooding & landslides.

Typhoon Haiyan 2013: 6000 people died and 4 million left homeless.

Trócaire emergency response: food, water shelter and longer term disaster-resistant houses.

Population approx. 200 million

One of the world’s most disaster-prone countries: an estimated 2.78% of the population is affected by natural disasters annually.

Trócaire responded to the severe floods in 2010/2011 caused by increasing temperatures. A risk reduction programme started in 2013 to help communities to be better prepared.

What other examples can you

find of displacement due to Climate

Change?

Can you find Pakistan, the Philippines and Kenya on the map?

Pakistan

The Philippines

Sub-Saharan Africa is an area at very high risk from climate changeKenya

2015: A Vital Year in the fight against catastrophic climate change

and climate injustice?

Keep it in the Ground (#keepitintheground) campaign for divestment (moving money out of) fossil fuels, watch a video here. 220 institutions have committed to divest from fossil fuels. Keep the coal in the hole and the oil in the soil!

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015-2030 replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Many of the other goals are linked to climate change.

Pope Francis released an Encyclical (letter to the Church) where he calls for action and change at local, national and international levels to combat climate change and the threat to our future.

Trócaire’s Action on Climate Change in 2015

Climate Change ConferenceThis international conference brought together some of the world’s leading voices on climate science, climate justice and climate activism. Watch Amy Colgan a young Trócaire climate change activist speak at the conference here.

Climate Challenge Weekend & Climate March 30 young people came to stay in Maynooth for 4 days to learn about climate change, climate injustices and actions they can take. The group participated in the Climate March in Dublin (along with people in over 70 countries) to demand action by politicians attending the climate summit in Paris. Watch a video of the march here.

Climate Challenge Weekend and Climate March 29th March

Simulation: Climate Refugee Exercise

Young Trócaire activists at the Climate March

Actions: Group Research and PresentationsGroup Research

Research and present to your class using ICT: how has Trócaire contributed to the fight for climate justice?

Ti

meline

Create a visual display of events in the fight against climate change in Ireland and globally in 2015. How successful were these events?

Presentation

Deliver the presentation of the research project and the timeline to younger students in your school or a primary school.

A Call to Action: Lent 2016 Poetry Competition!

Theme: Displacement/Migration Due to Climate Change

Category 1: 11-15 years. Category 2: 16-18 years. Prizes for winners!

Feeling the HeatWhile you feel the heat of your fresh roast coffeeI feel the heat of the burning sun, While you feel the heat of your radiators and firesI feel the heat of the burning sun, While you feel the heat of your car’s engineI feel the heat of the burning sun, While you feel the heat of your laptops and smartphonesI feel the heat of the burning sun. I feel the heat of the burning sun, While you add to this with the injustice of climate change.I feel the heat of the burning sun, While you sit back and feel nothing. Owen O’Sullivan

Winner Post-Primary Senior Poet

2015

Thank You!

Thank you very much for using our resources.

We hope you have learned a lot about climate change and climate justice.

Please check out our education website for more exciting resources on this subject.

www.trocaire.org

Trócaire is the official overseas developmentagency of the Catholic Church in Ireland.