Stand Up For What We Stand On

Youth and public empowerment day has encouraged many protests; young people have been taking to the streets of Glasgow to express their genuine concerns for climate change and are demanding action at the COP26 summit. 

Two announcements have been made today regarding the future of our planet and what that means for the younger generation. Education Secretary Nadhim Zwahawi announced a climate change strategy for school curriculums, in which primary schools will focus more on climate science and sustainability studies. Staff will also be supported in teaching children about nature and its impact on the world through a “model science curriculum”, which should be in place by 2023, according to the Department for Education (DfE). Education Ministers from around the world have also pledged to do the same with nations such as South Korea and Albania who intend to put climate change at the heart of education. Nadhim Zwahawi has also announced that young people will have the opportunity to work toward the Climate Leaders Award, to recognise pupils for their efforts to protect the environment and provide access to volunteering and extracurricular learning. 

A new process that could enable zero carbon flights using ammonia has been unveiled today by Bill David, a professor of energy materials chemistry at Oxford University. Hydrogen is considered to be the only potential ‘clean’ fuel in the future of aviation, in addition to battery operated aircraft. However, a completely different aircraft and infrastructure would be needed to accommodate the storage of hydrogen, which can be stored as a gas or in cryogenic liquid form. The scientist proposed using ‘cracked’ ammonia, arguing that existing planes could use it as fuel (with some modifications) by 2030, “I am excited about the impact that our technology can have in enabling low-impact transitions in hard-to-abate energy sectors.” 

Written and edited by Sophia Axon and Jasmine Ayres