World Summit of Students for Climate Change
World Summit of Students for Climate took place 29 May – 5 June in Finland. The summit was initiated and organised by ENO Schoolnet, in co-operation with the cities of Helsinki and Joensuu, municipality of Liperi, Ministry of Environment Finland and the Ministries for Forestry and Agriculture, for Education and for Foreign Affairs. The first part of the event took place in Eastern Finland (Liperi and Joensuu, 29 May – 2 June). The second part was in Helsinki, where the disclosure and the climate agreement was announced on the World Environment Day, 5 June 2019. All the schools in the world are invited to join and plant trees every year until 2025. The ultimate goal is to tie 3 million tons of carbon dioxide by 2025. The summit was endorsed by the president of the Republic of Finland, Mr Sauli Niinistö.
135 students and 100 teachers from 70 countries gathered together. Students discussed about the climate change and forests, based on their preliminary assignment. They voted about the actions they could do as students and created Climate Action Plan 2019-25. Teachers had workshops in the field of education, natural sciences and circular economy, for instance. After the summit it is time to ACT.
Climate Agreement of Schools 2019 – 2025 (a draft)
Environment Online – ENO will celebrate 25th anniversary in 2025. Schools will launch a global C02 campaign to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Pupils around the world will gather 28 May – 3 June in Finland to agree the jointly organised climate actions based on tree planting. To celebrate quarter century of the ENO Programme, pupils from over 10 000 schools in 150 countries will agree the goals of reducing carbon dioxide as follows:
1) With this movement, pupils raise up the fact that the mankind with its action has reduced forest area and their capacity to work as sink for carbon dioxide. Tree planting is needed to improve the carbon balance between carbon in the trees and atmosphere.
2) Pupils raise the fact that tree planting is a significant way to reduce carbondioxide in the atmosphere. Planting forests does not need complicated technology or big money. What we need is earth, Sun, water and seed and a man who ensures the start of growth of trees. When working together we can plant a huge numbe of trees to grow like recently finished 100 million trees campaign in ENO has showed.
There are two ways to join the agreement
A) Tree Planting Schools (TPS)
- School will plant trees each year at least 0,5 hectars (5 000m2) between the years 2019-2025. Trees will be planted in the areas where forest hasn’t been cut in 10 years. This way a new forest (carbon sink) will be ensured.
- School will agree with private or public land owners the suitable land areas for these climate actions. They will also agree the delivery of the suitable reforestation material for free with suppliers of seeds and seedlings. Names of partners will be published in the international media
- School will agree with the partners about adopting trees and can use this support also partly to improve their school activities. Tree planting schools will also partner with Tree Adopting Schools (see below).
- Schools will report the annual growth of trees to ENO Programme. ENO will publish annual summaries based of the data.
B) Tree Adopting Schools (TAS)
There are schools which are not able to plant, but want take part. Their job would be to motivate the children, teachers, parents and the local community.
- Students earn “trees” with their work. The payment for their work or help would be “a tree”. (1 € = 1 tree) For instance helping the elderly, go shopping for them, clean the cars, collect paper, clean the garage, work in the garden
- At school, students together earn these “trees” every year enough for 0,5 hectars (average 800 trees)
- Tree adopting schools will find a partner from tree planting schools – or vice versa with the help of ENO. Schools connect directly. The adopting school sends money to the planting school and informs ENO at the same time. The planting school plants the trees and sends photos to the adopting school and ENO. This feedback is very important – not just for the kids but also for the adults.The overall goal is to transfer 3 million tons carbon dioxide from atmosphere by 2025 when ENO Programme celebrates 25th anniversary or latest by 2026, when Paris agreement will have 10th anniversary.Welcome to join the Climate Agreement of Schools 2019-2025