Hello!

Here we are again back to work.

This school year we will continue our Comenius project and the last news are that students and teachers from all partners’ schools will be together on a project meeting in Azores from 11^th to 18^th October.

We wish you a very good journey!

 Take a look at Azores in:

 http://www.visitazores.travel/

Climate change will increase the frecuency and severity of extreme weather events, including floods, droughts and water scarcity. The European Union is taking step to address these threats.

– including Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy ,Slovenia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria and southern Romania – will be most affected by drought. Estimates put the reduction in annual rainfall at up to 40% of 1990 levels by the 2080s. Temperatures in this region will be an average of 4 to 5°C above today’s levels.

Less precipitation and much warmer temperatures will lead to greater risks of water scarcity, droughts, heatwaves, forest fires and loss of species and ecosystems. Heat-related deaths alone could cause up to 55 additional deaths yearly per 100 000 people.

– including the Benelux region, parts of France, northern Germany, the UK, Ireland and Denmark – storms and floods will become more frequent and there will be more intense precipitation. Temperatures will be between 2 and 3.5ºC warmer than today.

northern Europe will be similar, but with greater warming and precipitation increases of up to 40%, leading to greater risk of floods. While there is potential for cultivating new areas and crops in the longer growing season, forests could be harmed by these changes.

central and eastern Europe are projected to be between 3 and 4ºC above current levels, with more precipitation than today in winter but less in summer. Agriculture is expected to suffer from soil erosion, loss of soil organic matter, migration of pests and diseases, summer droughts and high temperatures, although it could benefit from longer growing seasons. Cold-related deaths could decrease in Poland and Romania but heat-related deaths may rise.

Scientists opinion about climate changes

Over the past 150 years the mean temperature has increased by almost 0.8⁰ C worldwide. Europe is worming faster than the global average: the temperature has increased by about 1⁰ C. The impact of rising temperatures can now be seen in the melting ice in the Arctic and the Alps, rain and snowfall patterns and the intensity of tropical cyclones.

Many experts believe that global warming must be limited to no more than 2⁰ C above the preindustrial temperature if we are to prevent climate change from having irreversible impacts. But the scientific consensus is that the world’s average temperature could rise by as much as 6⁰ C above today’s levels in the course of this century, if no further action is taken.

There was a 70% increase in emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide between 1970 and 2004. in the energy supply sector, the increase was 145%. the growth from transport was 120% and from industry 65%. there was a 40% increase from the reduced capacity of forests to ‘trap’ carbon dioxide emissions, and as a result of changes in land use.

Combating climate changes is likely to mean significant adjustements to our lifestyles but that does not mean sacrificing our standard of living.

The costs of this action will be very limited, and in any case much less than the cost of the damage climate change will cause if we take no action.

This is a great comic. I hope to like you. It´s a english language

http://biblioteca.climantica.org/resources/308/comic-en.pdf

With the earth’s population at more than 6 billion, human impact on the earth is causing serious environmental problems. Who is responsible and what can be done to insure a sustainable future for our planet?

Scientists have developed a tool for measuring our impact on the environment by studying an individual’s daily use of water, transportation, energy, and food, as well as a person’s daily garbage production. A mathematical formula is then used to calculate how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resource it consumes and to absorb its wastes, using prevailing technology. This measure is called an ecological footprint and has emerged as the world’s premier measure of humanity’s demand on nature.

You can calculate your Footprint in order to see your impact on the earth’s systems and resources. Then you can compare footprints between countries to see who uses more of the earth to sustain their lifestyle.

Once you know your impact, you can begin to find real solutions to environmental problems caused by overuse of the earth’s finite resources. These solutions will be things individuals can do at home, work, and school to help conserve the earth and insure a sustainable future.

Calculate Your Footprint:

- http://www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_calc.aspx?q_id=12 (Zero Footprints: Calculator For Kids)

- http://www.myfootprint.org/en/visitor_information/ (Calculator by Redefining Progress)

Hi, we are Benedetta and Mattia from Italy and we want tell you about sustainable development.

We need to create a sustainable development.  We are using up everything which enables us and our sons to survive.  We must change our life-style.

It will be very difficult, but we can succeed if we start immediately and work hard.  We must stop carbon-dioxide emissions and deforestation. Everyone should create  his/her own AGENDA 21 (Aalborg committments), a personal plan to change his/her own bad habits.

We talk about deforestation to indicate the destruction of many areas in the Amazon rainforest (and others). We have already lost 50000 plant, animal and insect species every year.

Some people call the Amazon rainforest the “Lungs of our Planet” because it continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen. If we go on cutting down this forest as well as the Congo and

the Indonesian rainforests, the following generation will find a difficult world to live in, as less oxygen is produced.

Although in a different way, we often do not respect the nature, too! Let’s think about the trees we cut down in our towns to build new streets. Or let’s think about the stuff we don’t recycle… In this way we do not allow the sustainable development.

We have a great responsibility towards future generations. If we have a proper behaviour we will influence them positively.

                                                                                              Benedetta

I’d like to add a further consideration. Sustainable development costs a lot; it is much more expensive than our present life-style.  If we want to change things we need much more money and industries are not willing to invest their resources in changes which are not immediately at disposal. Therefore I dare say that sustainable development seems to me utopia since Governments do not show a strong will to change their economic systems.

                                                                                              Mattia

Climate change is a global problem, and yet each one of us has the power to make a difference. Even small changes in our daily behaviour can help prevent greenhouse emissions without affecting our quality of life. In fact, they can save us money. We can control climate change and pledge to become responsible citizens by reducing our CO² emissions through making small changes to our daily behaviour.

Explore the list of 12 simple steps you can take around the house and yard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Choose one or two of them and start to reduce CO² emissions.

A) I decrease the temperature at home by 1 Celsius and turn off the lights whenever I don’t need them.

B) I don’t leave my TV, computer or stereo in a stand-by mode but switch them off when I don’t use them.

C) I change our light bulbs into energy-saving bulbs.

D) I change our electricity into one that uses renewable resources.

E) I don’t waste in vain - I prefer to fix and repair rather than buy new

F) I sort my waste and recycle whenever possible

G) I use products that have as little packaging as possible.

H) I use public transport and walk or bicycle instead of driving a car.

I) I eat local food and less meat.

J) When I buy food I use a bag or an old plastic bag.

K) I favour environmentally labelled products.

L) I plant a tree and ask my friend to do the same.

You can also go to http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/games/index.html and find some games that are not only entertaining. They’ ll help you find out just how much you know about Climate Change!

Hi! my Name is Amanda and I’m from Sweden.

I have to admit that I am very concerned about that the human kind have done to our planet.  Human emissions increase in greenhouse gases are heating our globe. When we drive gasoline burned to carbon dioxide and water vapor. When we heat our homes with coal or oil is also formed carbon dioxide contributing to global warming.

Hi.

Our name is Amanda and Karolina and we are from Sweden.

we go at global highschool in gothenburg and we specialise on the environment. We talk about the envir0.onment and what we can do to prevent the earth from going under.

If we continue to release carbon dioxid, antartica will melt and the polar bears will drown :´(

But seriously ! We need to stop releasing carbon dioxid or ells our grand, grand, grand-children will die.

we also have to stop cutting down the amazonas because the trees they take in the carbon dioxid and that´s good

Galicia has an area of 29,574 km2. At its territory covers a wide range of natural environments thanks to its geographical position and its terrain. The altitude varies between sea level and the seabed, to its maximum quota of 2124 meters in Trevinca Pena, although more than half the territory is between 200 and 600 meters. Highlights the more than 1,200 km. landlocked. Its northernmost point, Estaca Bar, located at 43 º 48 ‘north latitude and is also the most northern of the peninsula. The variety of climates that are conducive environments ocean, Mediterranean, mountain … and a multitude of microclimates that favor a large sample of different ecosystems that are the result of natural evolution and how to exploit natural resources.

The Galician network of protected nature reserves represents over 12% of the total area Galician. It takes those natural areas of the autonomous community with a special regime of protection under the different regulations autonomous state or community as well as international conventions.

These spaces contain the natural ecosystems of the most representative and significant territory Galician: coasts and estuaries, lagoons, river ecosystems, inland mountains, forests and Devesa, and so on.
Our city is on the north of Galicia.

We invited you to entry on website www.medioambiente.xunta.es

Galicia tiene una superficie de 29.574 km2. En su territorio tienen cabida una gran diversidad de medios naturales gracias a su posición geográfica y a su orografía. La altitud varía entre el nivel del mar, y los fondos marinos, hasta su cuota máxima de 2.124 metros en Pena Trevinca, aunque más de la mitad del territorio se sitúa entre los 200 y los 600 metros. Destacan los más de los 1.200 Km. de litoral. Su punto más septentrional, Estaca de Bares, se sitúa a 43º 48´ de latitud norte y es también el más norteño de la península. La variedad de climas que se dan propician ambientes oceánicos, mediterráneos, de montaña… y multitud de microclimas que favorecen una amplia muestra de diferentes ecosistemas que son el resultado de la evolución natural y de la forma de aprovechar los recursos naturales.

La red gallega de espacios naturales protegidos representa más del 12 % de la superficie total gallega. En ella se recogen aquellos espacios naturales de la comunidad autonómica que disponen de un régimen especial de protección en virtud de las diferentes normativas autonómicas, estatales o comunitarias así como convenios internacionales.

Estos espacios naturales recogen los ecosistemas más representativos y significativos del territorio gallego: costas y rías, lagunas, ecosistemas fluviales, sierras del interior, bosques y devesas, etc.