The Latvian Fund for Nature has launched the new Nature and Climate Online School for young people, an interdisciplinary online platform involving experts and young activists who will share in-depth knowledge of climate change with particular emphasis on their interaction with biodiversity.

Online classes will take place throughout the school year with video lectures; nature talks will be also organised in schools, and the school year of the 'Nature and Climate School' will end with online Trivia Games on Climate. All educational materials are based on the topics published in the sample educational curriculum so that they can be easily integrated into schoolwork. The target audience of the 'Nature and Climate School' is young people aged 15 to 20, but all interested people are invited to participate in the classes.

Online lessons on climate change and biodiversity from a variety of perspectives will form the core of the 'Nature and Climate School'. The lessons will address topics such as the impact of agriculture on climate and biodiversity, the relationship between forests and the climate, the climate itself and related social issues. The school will also focus on areas that are relevant to young people, such as climate activism and policy influence, the introduction of climate-friendly habits into homes, and how to persuade parents to adjust their lifestyle to incorporate more environmentally-friendly habits. All lessons are and will be available here.

At the same time, the 'Nature and Climate School' will produce short video collections on climate change and its relationship to biodiversity, designed to be used as a tool for distance learning. In spring, the School will invite young people to online Nature Talks – lectures on climate and natural diversity – which will be supplemented with elements of improvisational theatre and will take place in Latvian schools.

“Climate change, together with the dramatic loss of biodiversity, is one of the biggest global challenges that will directly affect today’s young people; young people constitute the part of society that is most concerned about this topic, and rightly so. It is very important to take the next steps after identifying the problems – gaining an in-depth understanding of climate change and biodiversity – as these are very complex topics that affect all areas of our lives. This is also the goal of our Nature and Climate School,” says Maija Ušča, project manager of the Latvian Fund for Nature.

The Nature and Climate School curriculum is created by the experts of the Latvian Fund for Nature in cooperation with education specialists and climate experts. All educational materials will be available on the website www.ldf.lv/dabasskola, and they will be especially useful for teachers of the secondary school courses of Biology I, Geography I, History and Social Sciences I, and Social Sciences and History.

If you want to receive a reminder and additional information about the online classes and other activities, please apply here.

The project is implemented with the support of the “Game On! Don’t Let Climate Change End the Game!” project, financed by the DEAR programme, as well as with support from the Latvian Environmental Protection Fund and co-financing from the Ministry of Culture.

Additional information:

Dita Stalovska

Latvian Fund for Nature

+371 22368037

dita.stalovska@ldf.lv

www.ldf.lv