EUROPEAN STUDENTS’ CLIMATE REPORT

2016 - 2019

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 Introduction. Why write a students’ climate report? 4
Chapter 1. What´s happening with the climate? A short overview 5

Overview, climate change in different regions of Europe 6

Chapter 2. How has climate change affected different sectors of society where we live? 7

Supply systems 8

Communications and buildings 10

Tourism 12

Agriculture and forestry 14

Eco systems 16

Health 18

How climate change in other parts of the world will affect our country and region 22

C ONTE NT Chapter 3. Students’ ranking of the most serious threats to our six countries 23

What do people know about climate change? 24

EUROPEAN STUDENTS’ CLIMATE REPORT 2016-2019
Chapter 4: Values and lifestyle 25

How can we help each other? 26

The green campaign 28

The roadmap to the petition 30

Landscape photography by Emma Markström. Illustrations and graphic design by Axel Öhman, Emma Markström, Ebba Vikström,
Henny Lindberg, Isa Stoltz and Sanna Bengtsson from Piteå, Sweden.
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 CHAPTER 1

I NTRO D UC T I O N . W HAT ´S HAPPENING W IT H T HE CL IMAT E?

WH Y WRI T E A S T U D E N T S’ CLIMATE R E PORT? A SHORT OVERVIEW

We all see the signs, something is happening with our cription of the changing climate, it’s effects and how to There is a difference between weather and climate. Europe but also through changing patterns of precipi-
climate. The message to us who are young is that it will adapt to it. Further the report presents suggestions for While weather is something you experience from day tation and wind.
continue and probably get worse for decades. It is our how to take action (knowledge itself doesn´t change to day, week to week, month to month and even from
generation that will have to experience this, a change the situation) and how to influence the society and the year to year, climate is measured for longer periods, In this chapter we want to give you a short overview
of climate that should take thousands of years in a decision makers. usually about 30 years. The most important factors using two maps.
single lifetime. The participating cities and countries are Piteå, both in weather and climate is precipitation, tempera-
Instead of just presenting or rewriting an existing (Sweden), Zilina (Slovakia), Paris (France), Parma (Italy) ture and wind. While weather often fluctuate between The first map describes different climate types in
climate report (made by experts), the goal of the stu- Cambrils (Spain) and Kos (Greece). We were chosen days, weeks, months and years, climate is more stable Europe according to Köppen classification. Köppen is
dents’ climate report is for the students to present our not only because of our interest but also because we and it´s in the climate data analysis you find the long one of the most widely used systems and the one used
own knowledge and experiences from the locations represent a variety of Europe, from North to south, term trends. throughout the project.
we live in. However the report doesn’t stop with a des- from east to west and from coast to the inland.
The climate is changing- all over Europe, foremost by The second map describes the consequences of
rising temperatures in almost all locations throughout climate change already appearing in different areas of
Europe.

1 What is happening with the climate? BU I L D I N G

KN O WL E D G E

2 What are the consequences for the place where I

live, what have we seen and what can we expect
in the future? Piteå, Sweden

How can we adapt to climate change? A N A LY Z I N G

3 What are the differences, similarities and how TA KE A C T I O N A N D

can we help each other? PR O PO S E
Tundra climate (ET)
What active choices can we make? Warm continental climate / Mediterranean
continental climate (Dsa)
Temperate continental climate/ Mediterranean
4 Which are the democratic ways through which AFFECT DECISION continental climate (Dsb)
Zilina, Slovakia
Cool continental climate (Dsc)
we can create a sustainable development locally? M A KI N G Paris, France
Cool continental climate/ Subarctic climate (Dfc)

Temperate continental climate/ Humid continental climate (Dfb)

Cool oceanic climate (Cfc)

Warm oceanic climate/ Humid subtropical climate (Cfa)

Warm mediterranean climate (Csa)

Chapter 1-2 is a compilation of each country´s work on Chapter 4 and 5 exists only in this report and contains
climate change and adaptation. The complete reports a summary from presentations, workshops and discus- Temperate mediterranean climate (Csb) Parma, Italy
for each country can be found at https:// sions done during the project. Cold semi-arid climate (BSk)
Cambrils, Spain Kos, Greece
www.studentsclimatereport.eu/index.php?lang=en.

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 CHAPTER 2

O V ERV I E W, C L I M AT E C H ANGE IN DIFFE R E NT R E GIONS HOW HAS CL IMAT E CHANGE AF F ECT ED DIF F EREN T
O F EU RO P E SECT ORS OF SOCIET Y W HERE W E L IVE?

The map gives a general description of the effects of climate change in Europe. The participating cities is marked In this chapter we describe how the changing climate already affects our society. The description will be in the
with a yellow dot. A closer description of the effects of climate change made by the students from each region is following categories:
found at https://www.studentsclimatereport.eu/index.php?lang=en.
• Communications
• Buildings
• Supply systems
• Tourism
• Agriculture and forestry
• Eco systems
Piteå, Sweden • Health

After each category you will also find a short section of about what we can expect in the future.
Finally we give some advice on how society can adapt to handle the effects climate change causes in each of the
categories.

Zilina, Slovakia
Paris, France

Parma, Italy
Cambrils, Spain Kos, Greece

North-western Europe Northern Europe

Increase in winter precipitation Temperature rise much larger than global average
Increase in river flow Decrease in snow, lake and river ice cover
Increase in river flows

Mountain areas Central and eastern Europe

Temperature rise larger than European average Increase in warm temperature extremes
Decrease in glacier extent and volume Decrease in summer precipitation
Decrease in mountain permafrost areas Increase in water temperature

Mediterranean region
Temperature rise larger than European average
Decrease in annual precipitation
Decrease in annual river flow

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 S U P P LY S Y S TE M

Sweden, Piteå Because of under dimensioned sewage for storm water combined with a shor-
tage of green spaces in many cities, it´s not possible for the sewage to absorb What can we expect in the future?
intense showers with the consequence that streets and buildings are+ flooded
We can expect that both the trend with floods,
Slovakia, Zilina Periods of extreme heat and drought has been more common leading to a droughts and rising temperatures will continue to
shortage of water for hydroelectricity. Flood waters may impact drinking water have an impact on the supply systems. The supply
system infrastructure (wells, intakes, and treatment plants) with contaminants systems will be vulnerable if not investments is done.
carried by surface waters or saturated soil. The whole energy supply system is Sparsely populated areas could be the biggest
vulnerable to extreme weather and has seen disturbances
losers when governments have to prioritize.
France, Paris With a warmer climate the snow cover in the Alps will shrink and ultimately
disappear. This will lead to less water in the dams and less renewable electri- How can we adapt supply systems to a changing
city can be produces. The sewage system and river banks in Paris was not climate?
dimensioned to handle the intense rain of 2010 which led to the flooding of
large areas in Paris
Investment in pipes for rainwater dimensioned to
handle intense precipitation. Save water by using
Spain, Cambrils When the average temperature rises, cities and areas risk being out of water. water of a lower quality where it´s not needed to be
To tackle the challenge Spain has created an advanced system to measure and drinkable. Create systems to secure water rationing
report water supply to the citizens. during droughts and heat waves. Protect freshwa-
ter sources by analysing risks and install protection.
Italy, Parma There is an imbalance in water supply between the North and South of Italy.
Focus on new sources of renewable energy in areas
Groundwater shortage is common in the south and with increasing tempera-
tures and droughts the problems will probably increase. An example is that that’s threatened to loose water as an energy source.
certain areas has days without tap water almost every week.
Water is scarce on the Greek islands and some of them occasionally need
to be supplied by tankers. Droughts are quite common and are expected to
increase causing more problems
Greece, Kos
Water is scarce on the Greek islands and some of them occasionally need
to be supplied by tankers. Droughts are quite common and are expected to
increase causing more problems

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 C O M M UNICATIONS AND
B U I L D I N GS

Sweden, Piteå Extreme weather (both temperature and precipitation) has been more com-
mon in northern Sweden. Flooding has led to damage on buildings and roads. What can we expect in the future?
Record amounts of snow during winter 2018 also led to collapsed buildings,
stranded busses, kindergarten kids escaping over fences etc.. We can expect that both the trend with floods,
The more frequent melt-freeze cycles has increased the risk for structures and droughts and rising temperatures will continue to
building falling apart. More humidity demands more maintenance of the buil- have an impact on the supply systems. The supply
dings especially houses built in wood. systems will be vulnerable if not investments is done.
Sparsely populated areas could be the biggest loo-
Slovakia, Zilina There has been less snow in the mountain areas which will have a positive
sers when governments have to prioritize.
effect on communications on roads and rail. In the same time humidity have
increased causing fog and icing which is negative for roads and buildings.
Areas with increased precipitation has also seen landslides and overload of How can we adapt supply systems to a changing
drainage systems. climate?
Investment in pipes for rainwater dimensioned to
France, Paris Communications and buildings are affected both by floods and by a
drought-rehydration cycle that caused cracks on more than 100.000 buildings handle intense precipitation. Save water by using
in 2003. Nearly 25% of Frances coastline has problems with erosion and with water of a lower quality where it´s not needed to be
rising sea levels which threatens buildings and roads drinkable. Create systems to secure water rationing
during droughts and heat waves. Protect freshwa-
Spain, Cambrils Since Cambrils is situated along the shoreline of the Mediterranean coastline,
ter sources by analysing risks and install protection.
rising sea levels is a threat to both buildings and communications. Perhaps not
in the immediate future but certainly at the end of the century.
Focus on new sources of renewable energy in areas
that’s threatened to loose water as an energy source.
Italy, Parma Many regions of Italy were affected by extreme weather events related to
climate change. Several of these occurred in Emilia Romagna. The most signi-
ficant impacts were registered during heavy rainfalls when almost the average
yearly amount of water fell in a few minutes. Among the main damage we in-
clude floods, landslides with the consequent closure of railway lines, problems
with infrastructures with days of subway stops and damage to the historical
heritage.

Greece, Kos The heat waves have led to both rail buckling and pavement deterioration.
During July and August there there has been an increase in energy consump-
tion because of cooling. The supply of the Greek islands by boat has been
interrupted more often in the last decades due to extreme weather.

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 TOURISM

Sweden, Piteå A warmer climate will be both positive and negative for tourism in the north of What can we expect in the future?
Sweden. Compared to the Alps, Swedish winter tourism, at list in a short term,
is less affected by rising temperature in the nearest decades. There is specu- Tourism will continue to be affected by climate
lation that ski tourists from Europe will turn to Sweden to have winters with a change and without adaptation some regions will
stable snow cover. Rising temperatures in summer will probably also lead to suffer greatly from loss of tourists while other will see
more tourism.
an increase, at least in a short time span.
Slovakia, Zilina Rising temperatures is positive for summer tourism and threats like heat waves
aren´t very common -yet. In the same time some tourist destinations has seen How can we adapt tourism to a changing climate?
big changes. One example is the mountain lake in Skalnaté pleso which has
In southern Europe is possible that spring and au-
almost dried out. Winter tourism have encountered problems due to higher
temperatures and because of large variations in precipitation between winters.
tumn will be more attractive seasons for tourists
For example ski resorts under the height of 800 m are expected to have a hard when temperatures become too hot during summer.
time to survive financially. Tourism in northern and central Europe might initially
benefit from a warmer climate. Some areas experien-
France, Paris With warmer temperatures and a more irregular precipitation. Ski resorts ces melting glaciers and less snow which is very hard
under the height of 1800 m would be in danger. Coastal erosion because of ri-
to compensate for. Initially it might be possible to
sing sea levels already threatens tourism and the problems will escalate. Paris,
worlds no 1 tourist destination, has been affected by record floods and heat
move skiing to higher elevations but in the long run
waves in the last decades. winter tourism is threatened. Big cities and historical
places also has problems with urban heat waves.
Spain, Cambrils Wind gusts has increased causing trees to fall and light material to fly around Some of it can be handled by air condition but to be
possibly hurting people. Heat waves and rising temperatures could also affect sustainable, it must be supplied by renewable ener-
summer tourism in a negative way.
gy.
Italy, Parma The warmer winters has affected ski tourism negatively and the problem is
expected to increase. Heat waves and rising temperatures could also affect
summer tourism in a negative way.

Greece, Kos Tourism in one of the most important economic activities in Greece and
warmer temperatures are expected to prolong the season to almost an extra
month by 2050. In the same time many tourists finds the summers too hot. It´s
an open question if a longer season can cover for fewer tourists in July and
august.

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 A G R I C U LTUR E AND FOR E S TRY

What can we expect in the future?

Sweden, Piteå A warmer climate is mostly positive for the agriculture and forestry in Sweden.
In both cases the growing season is expanding in a fast pace leading to bigger With rising temperatures forestry and agriculture will
harvests and more timber. There´s also some negative aspects: the roads used continue to be affected the coming decades with
for logging loses their stability because the frozen ground is melting earlier droughts and wildfires as the most serious consequ-
in the spring. New insects damage the trees and we have seen an increase of ences. On the upside we will probably see bigger
the number of storms with big areas of damaged forest. An interesting thing is
harvests in the north.
that the summer of 2018 Sweden saw the biggest wildfire in a centuries.

Slovakia, Zilina Climate change is both positive and negative for the Slovakian forestry and How can we adapt agriculture and forestry to a
agriculture. While warmer temperatures means longer growing season, the changing climate?
floods and the heatwaves and drought means danger for harvest yields and
forest ecosystem.
Finding new crops more suited for the climate. Bet-
ter preparedness for wildfires. Increased irrigation in
France, Paris With warmer temperatures comes longer periods of droughts This will affect dry areas. Moving some of the agricultural produc-
agriculture and increase the demand for irrigation. Where increased irrigation tion further north. In some places with especially bad
is impossible it could be necessary to move plantations, like vineyards, to conditions, production might need to be ended so
north facing slopes or higher elevation that our resources are concentrated in places with
good conditions.
Spain, Cambrils Spain has already been hit by droughts and with a worst case scenario with a
temperature increase of five degrees desert spreading will be a problem and
the farming of crops like olives and lemons are threatened.

Italy, Parma Long periods of dry and hot weather have led to forest wildfires The last years
have also seen extreme weather, especially droughts, affecting harvests. New
crops is harvested, for example tropical plants like bananas and avocado are
farmed in south Italy while the north nowadays can farm olives and durum
wheat.

Greece, Kos The resilience of the Mediterranean forest eco systems are being critically
reduced by the combines the impact of climate change and human activity.
Forest wildfires are the most direct and dramatic consequence of climate
change in Greece which the whole world saw during the summer of 2018.

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 E C O S YSTE M

Sweden, Piteå With warmer weather comes new spices and diseases. Some spices like the
arctic fox will ultimately disappear when the climate gets warmer. What can we expect in the future?

Slovakia, Zilina Žilina region is one of the richest regions for ecosystems and variability of
Eco systems will continue to change. Many spices
species in Slovakia some of them are disappearing right before our eyes very live under the threat of extinction so Europe´s future
fast because of the climate change. Some of animals are used to be in cold eco systems will probably be less diverse. Since eco
weather. But the climate changes affects them and their lives. The temperature systems are very sensitive, it will be a major chal-
rises and snow disappears right before their eyes quickly. lenge to preserve different spices and uphold eco
systems.
France, Paris Increase in intensity of the summer droughts causes forest deteriorations and
weaken durably certain trees parasitic attacks., some benefitting from the rise
of the temperatures to find refuge on the territory, when others move gradual- How can we adapt eco systems to a changing clima-
ly towards north, until disappearing soon from the country – or disappearing te? 
Man cannot adapt ecosystems, that is only possible
Spain, Cambrils As a result, nowadays, every summer that passes is a new one in which we
found less amount of small animals of those lovely ecosystems in our home- for the system itself. That´s why it´s very serious when
town beach. ecosystems collapse.
What it possible though, is to support eco systems
Italy, Parma Emilia Romagna, for its position, has a very important biodiversity: 2.700 plant for example by breeding the endangered polar fox
species, 350 animal species and numerous habitat. However, our ecosystem is
and release them back in their natural habitat.
slowly mutating because of climate changes.
In the last years, new species are adapting to our climate, for example tiger
This Is only possible to a certain degree, when the
mosquito that arrived in Italy in 2007. change in environment becomes big enough it will
impossible to support.
Greece, Kos Without ambitious mitigation policies climate change will likely alter eco-
systems in Greece this century in a way that is without precedent during the
past 10,000 years. Climate change is projected to exacerbate many forms of
water pollution, including sediments, nutrients, organic carbon, pathogens,
pesticides, salt and thermal pollution causing imbalances both in wetlands and
marine ecosystems in Greece

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 H E A LT H

Sweden, Piteå Milder winters have a positive effect on people with asthma, heart diseases
and rheumatic disorders. Even damage caused by frostbite are expected to What can we expect in the future?
decrease due to warmer temperatures.
Longer summers combined with earlier springs and new plants, can lead to With rising temperatures the health issues will con-
longer pollen seasons which could come with longer troubles for the ones tinue and broaden to more groups other than the
with allergies. With a warmer climate comes new spices and diseases. Some of most vulnerable. Diseases once common In the
them are dangerous to health like ticks, which spreads very quickly and is now south will move north.
common in all coastal regions of Sweden..

How can adapt to handle health issues in a chang-

Slovakia, Zilina Let’s demonstrate it on tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) – a very dangerous health
affection. This disease was not familiar in our country before the last years. ing climate?
But because of Slovakia’s climate changes, it´s becoming more and more There´s a lot to learn from each other. In many cases
common. Another problem is the strong heat waves that´s struck Slovakia. The
massive heat wave of 2004 It caused a lot of deaths and people with perma-
the health problems are moving northwards, As an
nent health problems got very ill. example, it should be possible for the countries in
central and northern Europe to learn from the Medi-
France, Paris Extended heat waves has caused many casualties among the sick and elderly terranean countries how to handle heat waves.
people but Pollution is the single biggest threat to health in the Paris region.
Combined with the “wrong” weather, air pollution can put a “lid” on the city
capturing it in.

Spain, Cambrils The increase of temperatures has changed the balance in our climate. The
winters are much shorter than they used to be only 10 or 15 years ago. The
summers have also gotten much warmer.
Which impact has these higher temperatures on our health? The danger of
getting a sunburn or dehydrate has highly increased and
the air pollution in our biggest cities makes it even harder for asthmatics.

Italy, Parma There are some areas, in Lombardia, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, with adver-
se weather conditions due to humidity and lack of wind. A consequence of the
increase of temperature is the spread of insects causing diseases. This muggy
weather it makes feel real temperature higher. The stuffiness is dangerous
because unhealthy people can cause hyperthermia especially on old people,
kids or ill people.

Greece, Kos The effects that the island of Kos has from the climate change are already no-
ticeable. Because of the sea level rise, sea water has penetrated into the land
and seawater has been mixed with sweet water. Drinking water is decreased.
The quality of drinking water has an impact in humans and animals. Problems
related to kidney malfunction or even failure occur more often.
The prolonging of spring and autumn have led to an increase of people
suffering of allergies and asthma. Heat waves has been more frequent and
more severe causing respiratory problems, hydration, even heart attacks and
in some cases even deaths.
In addition, there have been a lot of animals (mosquitoes and birds) migrating
to Greek islands (and Kos in particular) from Africa and Asia. These animals
have brought contagious diseases, such as West Nile Virus and Avian Influenza
that never existed before in the region.

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 We know about climate change,
but we have to act.

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 CHAPTER 3

H O W C LI M AT E C H A N G E IN OTHE R PARTS OF THE WOR LD T HE ST UDENT S’ RANKING OF T HE MOST SERIOU S THREATS

WI LL A F F E C T O U R C O U N TRY AND R E GION T O T HEIR COUNT RIES

Common for all our regions is that climate changes world will also lead to changing tourist destination and One task for the students of each country was to rank the biggest threats
in other parts of the world leads people to flee their new transportation routes like the Northeast passage in each region based on their knowledge from chapter 1 and 2. We would
countries and try to enter Europe. Today the countries above Russia. We are perhaps in the beginning of a
give 3 points to the largest threat followed by 2 points and 1 point. In the
in southern Europe are the “entry” countries and in EU new era where fewer people wants to fly a long way
there´s an ongoing discussion about shared respon- on vacations and besides bringing less CO2 emissions, chart below you can see the results.
sibility. Even if most of the refugees are fleeing war could lead to more tourism in areas close to the place
and persecution a substantial part of them flees areas you live in. This is a behaviour that’s already been seen
where it´s no longer possible to live on what the land among many environmental conscious people.
gives them. A changing climate in other parts of the

T HREAT RANK

Floods/extreme weather 1

Urban heat effect 2

Lack of water/drought 3

Rising sea levels 4

Change in seasons 5

Afterwards we talked about the ranking in smaller We could see that some the challenges we face diffe-
groups. It was clear that all students had personal red a bit depending on where we are situated in Euro-
experience from the effects of climate change. Most pe, but we all had in common that we were experien-
had experience from floods but many, especially from cing a changing climate. So when we feel the effects of
the south and from Paris, could also relate to urban a heat wave one year, we should know that it´s part of
heat waves. a trend with steadily increasing temperatures that we
share with people all around the world.
Generally the students did not see the rising sea level
as a big threat, at least for now. The reason could be We need to be positive and constructive and not re-
that the increase has hardly been noticed yet or that sign or be paralyzed. The scientists agree that we can
the most affected areas lays outside Europe. slow down and ultimately stop climate change if we
take action so let´s do it.

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 CHAPTER 4

WH AT D O P E O P L E K N O W ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE ? VAL UES AND L IF EST YL E

We have interviewed politicians, officials, teachers and our project, many are hardly aware of solutions or ways Another thing we have discussed throughout the for each visit new ones has been added. It´s impossible
other students to hear what they have to say about to eliminate the problem itself. Some of the students project is simple things we can do in our everyday life to mention them all therefore we have made a selec-
climate change and to see if there are any similarities said they knew about climate change but were indiffe- to be more sustainable. The suggestions are many and tion among our favourites.
or differences between the groups. rent about it, while others were more concerned.
In some of the other countries the students seems to
The survey had restrictions and the sample was not so be aware of the problems but it´s has not led all of
wide, it showed that the teachers interviewed did have them to take actions. In the Swedish interviews some
good knowledge about climate change and most of of the students put the responsibility entirely on socie-
them said that they took action to fight climate change ty and the politicians.
in different ways. For the politicians the result was The students´ knowledge about ways to contribute in Keep your phone for Less with a higer
a longer time quality is better than

” From a scientific perspective, only some of the participants in the survey

more of a lower
qualite

held a more developed or scientific understanding of the greenhouse effect.

Differences in conceptions mostly depend on age, education and social status
of people who answered. However, everyone, who participated in this survey,
believes that the climate change is a real, serious issue for the whole planet
and as such affects the global community. Challenge yourself
- Commentary from the Kos students Buy and sell to use what you have
second hand bought for a longer
time

much the same, some expressed the urgency. their everyday life varies a lot. Some do not connect
Among the students from all countries there were mix- specific actions such as recycling, saving water, saving
ed results both in knowledge and willingness to take energy etc. with the problem of climate change. Adults
action. It stresses the necessity for more learning activi- are aware of ways to contribute to the solution of the
ties and workshops about environmental issues for problem and focus mostly on using renewable sources Use the things you
students´ and more informative campaigns for adults. of energy, consuming less water and recycling. buy, like clothes or Repair broken things
When it comes to students´ who don’t participate to electronics for a
longer time

Recycle your trash Remake and find new

ways to use things

Reduce waste by
not buing single use
items like plastic bags

24 25
HOW CAN WE HELP EACH OTHER IN THE EUROPEAN
UNION?

We have compared and discussed climate change and adaptation during all of our meetings and we have always
tried to have a European perspective on different issues. One questions has been what the EU countries can do to
support each other and what the European Union can do to support its members when it comes to adaptation and
to changing our behaviour?

Below you see the results of our discussions, as suggestions to the EU.

We have seen that the climate is “moving” northwards. As a consequence we

see new weather patterns as well as new plants and new animals. We think it´s
important that we learn from each other, especially from those that already
have experience from one type of climate. One thing that the EU can do is to
provide platforms for countries to share knowledge.

Since climate scepticism is widespread it´s important to educate our children,

but also to increase the awareness among ordinary citizens. Some countri-
es may have been more successful than others, which we have seen in our
project. One idea is to work on a common information platform that could be
used by teachers, students, citizens, organisations, companies and municipali-
ties in all the EU countries

Another part to focus on is innovation. The European Union must stimulate

and support new innovations that could be spread and help countries handle
the climate threat. Research and development costs money so the EU has to
give the highest priority to these questions.

Decision making, both on an EU level and locally, must support a circular

economy where we don´t overuse our nature’s resources. Some countries have
come a long way in this area and could assist others that have just begun.
The countries need to exchange ideas, inspire each other and there has to be
economic incitements for the member countries to be sustainable.

Finally we, the young people from different parts of Europe, must be listened
to. With increasing life expectancy, many of us will live until the next century,
and experience the biggest change in climate ever happened in a human li-
fespan. We will experience more severe consequences of climate change, but
hopefully we also see the day when things turns to the better.

26 27
T H E G RE E N C A M PA I G N SOME REF L ECT IONS W E HAD ABOUT OUR
GREEN CAMPAIGNS:

One of our tasks was to make a campaign/challenge in our local context “It felt good to do something with your hands”
(school, municipality). The aim was to create different initiatives about sustai- “I was surprised that they listened to us”
nability, built on active citizenship and democratic ways. Below are a very brief “The best thing with a campaign is that it changes our own mindset”
description about the different campaigns.
“I wonder how did the students felt who didn´t carried a bag of fabric?”
“The video was scary – you could feel that the situation is really serious”

Zero waste school: A project about changing beha- Climate change is real! The students made a video that
viour and what happens when you exchange students shows the horrible impact climate change has had on
plastic bags with more sustainable ones made of Greece. “Be part of the solution - not the problem!”
fabric?

Zilina, Slovakia Kos, Greece

Welcome to La Mar de la Frau: A Video about how a Message from the youth to the members of the Euro-
school can work sustainable and be a model for other pean parliament. A video with messages to influence
schools. And what politicians think about it. the decision makers in Brussels.

Cambrils, Spain
Paris, France

Cleaning up a river, a project about taking action A petition to sell more locally produced food, and
“...doing something together is important...you feel what happens when consumers demands the market
that you make a difference”. to take action?

Parma, Italy
Piteå, Sweden

28 29
T H E RO A D M A P T O T H E P E TITION

Throughout the project there has been a process which started Slovakia Sweden
“We care who cares here” “Establish a co2 label”
with accumulating knowledge about climate change and its effects. A call upon our politicians to fulfil their promises. Our proposal is a grocery-label clarifying the total
Thus the initial focus was on climate change in general. CO2-release of the product, from the production line
to the store

First step accumulated earlier.

Some of the most important tasks/questions were:
The first step was to answer the simple question:
Identify and rank the largest threats to your city/area.
France Spain
What’s happening with the climate? “Education for the environment and eco citizenship of ”A sustainable future is possible!! Reduce the alumi-
What do the participating countries have in common
and how can the countries in the project (and in the our youth” num packaging”
Second step European Union) help each other to adapt and take The European countries must impose a specific school The title says it all...
The second step was to present how climate change action? curriculum on environmental issues.
affects the cities and regions involved in the project. What types of actions could young Europeans take to
slow down climate change?
Third step What knowledge does people around us have, for
example politicians in our cities?
The third step was to study ways to adapt to the chan-
ging climate. What measures could be taken?
Fifth step
What has been done in the participating cities?
The fifth, and last step was to plan and execute a cam- Italy Greece
Fourth step paign in each area/ city. The campaign and the discus- “Refugees-immigrants and climate change – Europe
“Air quality and climate change are closely related.”
sions following the campaign; on fire”
For each part, our knowledge has deepened, and We ask for strong and long lasting measures to
Did it affect society? A call to all European countries to share the burden
when we came to step four it was possible to discuss address domestic heating and urban mobility to create
In that case how and could it be used in other places? of refugees both the ones fleeing war and the ones
ethical questions based on the deeper knowledge better air quality in the cities.
who has to abandon their homes because of climate
change

With the work and knowledge accumulated throughout the project the last question to answer was; You will find the complete petitions at https://www.change.org.
Just use the search function and the headline of each petition.

What major challenges exist for our societies

in dealing with climate change and other issues
concerning our environment?

We want to make a difference. We have learnt a lot, We want to instil change so that the European Union
we have discussed questions of immense importance takes decisions that it will be proud of fifty years from
for our future. We have taken action and carried out now. Therefore, we won´t bring the usual polite ques-
campaigns, we have spoken with experts, politicians, tions many schools ask when they meet the parliame-
friends and ordinary people. All of this have led us to ntarians, instead we will bring our urgent suggestions
our final goal, to present the project and our sugges- formed as petitions.
tions to parliamentarians and experts in Brussels.

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