Environmental Science Published for Everybody Round the Earth
Climate Change
makes us face a new challenge
- our citizens
- the educational system
- the scientists
- the governments
ESPERE - a model for a lasting rise of awareness in our
society
www.espere.net
Relying on classic research does not help ...
The initiative ESPERE had its origin in the scientific community.
Public relations is not the primary task of scientists.
But:
Climate Change
is not a problem that can be treated in the classic manner ...
Traditional Research
market / people market scientists
analysis
demand instruction experiment
e.g. for:
- medicine
development
- new materials
- time saving technologies industry improvement
product
analysis
application test
selling production
to the industry supervisory authority
people consumer protection instruction
Climate Research
market / people government citizens
?
internat.
demand institutions
experiment
development
- maintenance of the
environment
- good conditions of life
?
instruction
? climate
analysis
consequences report observation
climate scientist
for industry
the next generation NGOs
warning
A simplified summary:
Scientists and the world’s population are working in the same lab.
The former are analysing what the latter are producing.
Process optimising feedback as an element of classic research however
does not exist.
The citizen as experimentalist has only a negligible idea of the process.
Research reports are sent to the governments.
The resulting measures (Kyoto, The Haag, Bonn) - there is wide
agreement about it - do not lead to significant changes in the experiment.
What can we do?
In the end only the permanent awareness of the actors (not of the governments
or the scientists) can lead to a change of the current trend.
A strategy how to face the climate problem in the future
Dialogue presented by:
Phillippe Busquin
(EC research commissioner)
governments
+ industry
universities
common
reference
system This requires:
- the development of a knowledge society
- a change in the relationship between
civil scientists and the public.
society
Round Table, Torino 18 / 09 / 01
+ A CHANGING ATMOPHERE:
What is really being done for the climate?
NGOs Phillippe Busquin
Paul Cruzten
EC Commissioner for Research
Nobel Prize Chemistry 1995
Marco Goldschmied President Royal Institute of British Architects
Paolo Scolari Environm. and Industrial Environmental
Policies, FIAT
Ways to the knowledge society
Climate change can not be directly experienced and in contrast to e.g. the ozone
hole it cannot be related to one easily adjustable source. Changes in the citizens’
general behaviour have to arise from the basic understanding of the involved
processes.
- Permanent understanding develops during the course of education,
which however does not easily adjust to significant innovations
- Topical information is spread via mass media,
but it hardly leads to changes in traditional behaviour
- Lasting knowledge grows from private studies,
this however is limited to a small number of interested people
ESPERE is going to
a) bring in the topic ‘system climate’ more efficiently into classes
b) facilitate private studies via free and easily understandable, but reliable sources
Communication in the laboratory Earth
Decrease in permanency or spreading Approach of ESPERE
pupil citizen reader citizen, pupil,
Decrease in topicality or exactness
reader teacher,
teacher
questions???
teaching
web atlas material
educationist journalist specialised Internet
textbook author NGOs book forum
publication publication journalist, educa-
NGOs tionist
scientist scientist scientist scientist
Feedback orientated publications
The dualism of the Internet as
a) medium of information e.g. scientific journals
and
b) medium of communication e.g. chat rooms
makes possible, not comparable to any other former tool, the selected
connection and direct interaction of all involved groups in the course of
education. This even enables the pupil to ask a scientist directly.
ESPERE is going to use this opportunity of direct feedback, in order to
evaluate and improve scientific publications already in the stage of their
development. This way an optimisation of the contents with respect to demands
of the user and comprehensibility can be achieved.
Development of web pages for schools
communication
scientists educationists teacher
access to newest results, education of teachers practice in classes
detailed knowledge development of teaching material direct feedback from the pupils
developing consortium
web designer
platform Internet
complementing
communicational teaching material
forum
questions,
direct critisism, guided
suggestions
Pupil
learning, asking, evaluation of the teaching material
Contents
Climatology as an interdisciplinary subject could directly include aspects of biology, chemistry, physics and geography,
indirectly also politics, social science, education and (internat. Exchange) languages as well.
How to combine traditional teaching with the complexity of such a matter?
Scientific orientation: educational orientation:
web atlas teaching units
System climate: consists of thematic fields System classes:
Composition of appropriate other topics?
phenomena, if necessary from
several thematic fields
additional
teaching
material
General understanding Topics e.g.
thematic fields e.g.: Each thematic field: Integration into the context - energy
- cloud chemistry and consists of various phenomena - water
of the system climate!
microphysics - photosynthesis
- solar cycle - spectroscopy
- urban emissions - ...
- ... Development of concepts
in co-operation with teachers / educationists
International
Why ESPERE and not only national school projects?
5% 4%
8%
9% Development of the world’s population
7%
prediction of the UN secretariat
13%
International
60% 58%
awareness and understanding
13% 23%
are necessary!
Asia
Africa
1995: Europe 2050: The community of Earth
5,7 bio
Latin America
8 bio scientists provides not only
North America
the knowledge but also a wide
network of international
Steps in the educational system: communication and co-operation.
1) Development of projects / teaching units on a national scale
2) Internationalisation via ESPERE and partner schools
3) Adjustment of the contents and presentation to local demands
- PDF version for black and white copies / printed material if net access is poor
- Integration of the local environment of the respective country
- Adjustment of the contents to the local culture
Development of concepts beginning in Europe and North America
Management and structure
The following pages put up for discussion a possible structure of ESPERE as an
international programme on environmental education and an affiliation to already
existing institutions.
The schemes try to include improvements proposed by the evaluators of the
European Commission with respect to a first application for financial support.
The schemes take only into account the fields of education and network development.
Structures necessary for an information of a wider public are not yet included.
Co-operation
in science and education
Scientific area
ESPERE steering committee
International Geosphere
schools
Biosphere Programme
IGBP IGBP-secretariat
didactics
institutes
… and other sub-projects
public relation educational servers
research
education
area of education
Structure of ESPERE
Possible model - exact statutes and authorities have to be defined
IGBP publication dept. developing
assistance in making available Steering committee consortium
material and illustrations
decision making nominates employed for tasks in
development and co-ordination
Scientific Advisory
Board election election Educational
Advisory Board
Consists of permanently employed Regular Members consists of representatives
researchers in the scientific self commitment to the statutes of ESPERE
community, take care about the permanently employed in the
and signature of a membership agreement educational field (schools,
scientific correctness of the
contents of the net publications edu. institutes, edu. servers)
Conditions for membership defined in the statutes
(reviewing system), offer material
from their resources / publication,
assist in cases of topic specific
election
problems. Supporter
all non-members contributing to the project on International
unlimited number of members, a voluntary basis (pupils, students, citizens)
Education Board
international
no limitations, no group preferences Development of school system
bridging concepts
status, bodies, tasks
IGBP
assistance in
co-ordination and developing consortium
material (scientists, educationists, funded by
exchange teachers, web designers)
accountable
the EU
Scientific Advisory web atlas educational
Board server,
(Reviewing, mediators
assistance) teaching
(logistic
ESPERE -site has the status material support)
of an online-publication
www.espere.net
Didactic institutes
Universities Regional /
Projects of development of
School authorities teaching material national
(support, (material exchange, advice) school authorities
exchange) (official support)
Environmental Science Published for Everybody Round the Earth
Summary
ESPERE is an international multilingual project designed to inform the public about
the system climate. It is built up by scientists and primarily using the internet as
medium. The goal is an extension of sound knowledge on this field and an
explanation of the role of every single person in the climate system and its change.
ESPERE has been founded in order to develop a scientifically correct and
understandable web atlas for the citizens and teaching material for students. The
publications are subject to both a scientific and a user orientated reviewing system.
ESPERE would like to achieve the first goal via an affiliation to the IGBP, the
second goal through direct interactive involvement of all groups and institutions in
the educational system.
Back to: www.espere.net