CIAO Festival event: Climate Change Conference for Children

CIAO link: http://www.ciaofestival.org.uk/

I remember the school kids filing out of the numerous busses that were pulling up outside the Sheldonian. Snow was falling, there was an excitement in the air; the stewards were upbeat, friendly and positive; and I was ushered downstairs in what seemed to be a gathering army of press in the basement. Introductions and coffees were made, then soon we were called from this ‘green room’ to emerge via numerous staircases in the Sheldonian itself- it was a bit like doing a gig (one of the other journo’s called out ‘hello Cleveland!’ so it wasn’t just me)! The kids themselves were clearly chuffed to be doing this rather than being at school, and here they were being treated as a ‘generation’ rather than just a class or year. The first talk was from Oxford University, and it was refreshing here to see them presenting an accessible and friendly face. Here, being clever wasn’t enough: they had a challenge of entertaining 11-12 Year olds

Hands shot up immediately at any questions to the floor and there was enthusiasm from the collection of schools from the start, but it was so clear to see what worked and what didn’t… Remote control cars powered by Hyrdogen driving around the auditorium= GOOD RESPONSE wayward reciting of figures and statistical data=BAD RESPONSE. The truth be told, I got as bored as quickly as the kids did, it’s just that we so called adults have learnt to hide it. We journalists would write notes and/or change position in our seats, the kids here would look up at the ceilings full head tilt, or start flicking each other’s ears: it’s so brilliantly clear whether they are engaged or not. Watching the whole audience through a heat camera, in which greenhouse gasses could actually be ‘seen’ was another hit, too. But any sense of feeling sorry for the speakers faded when you were presented with information such as at: www.trillionthtonne.com as it all becomes so painfully serious what this is all about. In metaphorical terms, our children are about to inherit a pile of rubbish that is building by the second. But the conference wasn’t to scare or depress; the idea was to engage with solutions and to inspire the minds that (hopefully) will be more imaginative, more constructive, and more serious about this situation than we have. Emma Howell's intention for the conference worked for me in trying to figure out a human reaction to the (inconvenient) truths: she said that the idea was not to scare but to provide an understanding of the circumstances, and to see ways out. If you know what’s going on at least you are informed, and can find some way through it all…