"The best chance we have": the Paris Agreement on climate change
US President Barack Obama described the deal reached last Saturday by the 195 nations represented at the talks as "the best chance we have to save ...
Human effects
Geologists are proposing that humankind has so changed the earth that it has brought about an end to one epoch of earth’s history and marked the start of another. They believe that human dominance has so physically altered the earth that the Holocene epoch has ended and we have entered a new epoch - the Anthropocene.
Image by: World Resources Institute
'Climate Strike' is Word of the Year
Talking of single use, Dutch brewing company Heineken has today announced that it will be replacing single use plastic can toppers used on its mult...
'Code Red' for humanity
The new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published today has made it absolutely clear that human activities are ca...
2010s likely to be hottest decade on record
The report found that global temperatures for 2010 to 2019 were about 1.1C above the pre-Industrial average. Meanwhile, 2019 looks set to be the s...
2014 warmest year on record
This means that 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have occurred since the year 2000. This serves as further confirmation that human emissions o...
2015 is warmest year ever recorded
Data collected by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that the global average temperature was 0.13C warmer t...
2016 set to be hottest year on record
A report published by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) was published at the Marrakech global climate summit yesterday. It says that the...
2016 was hottest year for almost 113,000 years
Proper records of global temperatures only stretch back to 1880, but the results of scientific research show that the planet was last this warm aro...
2017 set to be in top 3 hottest years on record
Average global temperatures for the first nine months of 2017 were 1.1C above pre-industrial levels, not as warm as the same period in 2016, when t...
2019 confirmed as second hottest year on record
Whilst data from instruments only stretches back to 1850, data from ice cores taken from Greenland and Antarctica show that the world has not been ...
2019 was greenest year for UK energy
According to a new report by the Carbon Brief website, renewable energy from solar, wind, hydro and biomass produced more electricity than fossil f...
8 billion humans and counting…
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that population growth, along with increases in gross domestic product (GDP) are t...
A book that could make a difference
But there are now a growing number of economists and commentators who are starting to think that prosperity and growth are not infinitely linked. ...
Acid Rain
Acid rain is a result of air pollution. When any type of fuel is burnt, lots of different chemicals are produced. These can mix in the atmosphere a...
Action needed to prevent climate catastrophe
In the Paris agreement of 2015, the world’s governments pledged to keep temperatures between 1.5C and 2C above pre-Industrial levels, so this new s...
Agreement in Warsaw
In the meantime, the delegates will be returning home to work on their own countries’ ‘contributions’ to reducing carbon emissions, which will com...
Air pollution 'very high' in parts of England
Three of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA's) pollution monitoring devices in London showed a maximum '10' reading f...
All of Google to be powered by renewable energy from 2017 onwards
The company, which has 60,000 staff worldwide is already the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy. In 2015, Google bought 5.7 teraw...
Animal rights
Should animals be given more rights, to live without suffering, in the way that humans are allowed to? Or are their feelings less important than th...
Another Crisis At Fukushima
The tanks have been built in a hurry from steel plates held together by bolts with plastic seals between the joints. It’s these seals which are now...
Another chance to see Esme on Deforestation
We know you may have seen this already, but it's so good, we thought it needed to be shown again, so you can click here to see Esme's fantastic spe...
Antarctica gets largest marine protected area on planet
The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) agreed to designate the Ross Sea as an MPA at a meeting held in H...
Are we now living in the Anthropocene?
The geological time of our planet is divided up into epochs. You will have no doubt have heard of Jurassic Park. Well, the Jurassic ran from 200 ...
Around the world in 585 days
Planetsolar is a catamaran and in each hull, there are 4.5 tonnes of batteries, which can store sufficient energy to keep the boat powered for up t...
Artic sea ice covers second lowest area on record
The reduction in summer sea ice in the Arctic is seen by scientists as a strong indicator of how climate change is accelerating. All of the lowest...
Ash reaches first key milestone on Yangtze trek
After setting off in late August, Ash has completed the first 550 miles and has arrived at his first city - Yushu, situated in Qin...
Atmospheric carbon dioxide reaches record levels
So how is the CO2 getting there? Well, whenever we create energy or heat by carbon-based fuels, the process of burning the fuel (oil, coal, wood e...
Australia braced for worsening bushfires this week
Temperatures are expected to reach 37C tomorrow, and with strong winds blowing, there are fears that the fires will continue to spread. A long run...
Ban on fracking lifted in England
Some 120 tremors were recorded in 2019 at Cuadrilla's exploratory fracking site in Lancashire, but most of these were too small to be felt. The ...
Ban on petrol and diesel cars brought forward
He called on other countries around the world to pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as the UK prepares to host the UN's talks on cl...
Ban proposed on single use plastics
Cotton buds are becoming an increasing hazard in our oceans, as they are often flushed down the loo after use and end up being washed out to sea. ...
Banned: single use plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds
It's a good start on tackling our reliance on throwaway plastics - which have amounted to 4.7 billion straws and 316 million stirrers per year in E...
Bees
With around 250 species of bee living here in the UK, these key pollinators make a huge impact on our lives - even if we don't always realise it! ...
Bees: New lesson plans and presentation now available!
This brand new suite of 6 lesson plans is aimed at Key Stage 2, but is readily adaptable for Key Stages 1 and 3. Along with a PowerPoint presentati...
Big increase in Europe's renewable energy
This compared well with 2013, when 15% of the continent's energy came from renewable sources. Energy from renewable sources is quite unevenly spre...
Biosphere
We humans not only live in the biosphere but are absolutely dependent upon it for almost every aspect of our existence.
Bird Breeding and Traffic
The great tit, a bird that can be found all over the UK, is one of the birds affected. Male great tits sing songs to attract females to breed with...
Birds in the City
Over the last hundred years or so, large cities and their surrounding housing suburbs have grown, replacing countryside habitats. Many species of b...
Britain's Disappearing Habitats
A habitat is any area where plants and animals live. The word ‘habitat’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘home’.
Britain's Disappearing Wildlife
Britain's wildlife has a troubled past, how can we help protect wildlife for the future?
Britain's Rare Flowers
Explore the UK's rare flowers, each section gives ideas about what you can do to help to protect them.
British adventurer embarks on trekking the length of the Yangtze
Two-time world first record holder, British adventurer and extreme athlete, 27 year old Ash Dykes from Old Colwyn in North Wales, has reached the Y...
British electricity greenest ever on Easter Monday
The National Grid Electricity System Operator has reported that at 1300BST on Easter Monday, each unit of energy consumed created just 39g of carbo...
COP25 climate change talks open in Madrid
Ahead of the meeting, UN Secretary General António Guterres said, "In the crucial 12 months ahead, it is essential that we secure more ambitious na...
COP26 underway in Glasgow
World leaders, who have gathered in Glasgow for the conference have already heard impassioned speeches from United Nations Secretary General Antoni...
COP28 begins in Dubai
Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN climate convention has already outlined ambitious targets for international leaders: "They must agree ...
Calling young writers
At YPTE, we would like to start giving young people the chance to have their voices heard about environmental issues. So from now on, we'll be pub...
Celebration of green cuisine in Paris
Yesterday, the winners of Eurostar's 'Create a Sustainable Business Dish' competition were presented with their awards at a ceremony held at the Ga...
Central banks warn on climate change risks
Their letter coincides with the launch of a report from the Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a group of 34 international central b...
China to go carbon neutral by 2060
With China currently the world's biggest carbon emitter, responsible for 28% of the world's emissions, this is a big deal. Speaking by videolink, ...
Chinese construction industry at the heart of ozone layer mystery
CFCs like CFC-11 were used to make foams for furniture and buildings and were also used in refrigerators and aerosols, but were banned after a hole...
Climate Change
The earth's climate has seen many changes in its 4.55 billion years. Now many people believe that we must act fast to avert climate catastrophe.
Climate Change
An introduction to climate change for use in the classroom. Recommended for Years 5-9.
Climate Change Assembly
An assembly about climate change, exploring: The difference between weather and climate What climate change is and why it's happening The...
Climate Change In a Bottle: How to set up the experiment
A video explaining how to set up the climate change experiment included in YPTE's lesson plan suite about climate change. Video created and presen...
Climate Change Update Part 1
The last time Conservation Education looked at the subject of climate change was in 2006. In the last nine years, like the climate, some of the th...
Climate Change Update Part 3
The problem is already here In recent years, we have seen Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines in 2013, superstorm Sandy hit New York, New Jersey ...
Climate Change and Animals
This factsheet takes a look at some of the challenges that animals might have to face in the future. How does climate change affect them?
Climate Change for Parents: The Facts
It's really important that you've come here, because we need lots more people to realise the scale of what we are facing and get involved in creati...
Climate Change for Parents: What you can do at home
You've got here because you're interested in how you can help cut your carbon emissions and tackle climate change. There are lots of small ways th...
Climate Change for parents
A simple leaflet for parents explaining climate change and providing links to further information.
Climate Change update Part 2
Why are they called ‘fossil’ fuels? Around 165 million years ago, vast numbers of little animals and plants called plankton lived in the world’s...
Climate campaigners walk out of talks
It just two weeks since Typhoon Haiyan caused enormous devastation and thousands of deaths in the Philippines in the latest example of extreme weat...
Climate change
The fact that human activities are increasing the rate of climate change is now almost universally accepted by scientists. In this suite of lesson...
Climate change already happening says IPCC
So what did the report say? Well, quite a lot actually! Even the Summary is 43 pages long! Its main points are: that we live in a world where cl...
Climate change among biggest threats to the world's children
The Commission's report finds that whilst there have been dramatic improvements in survival, nutrition and education in recent decades, today's chi...
Climate change is bringing humans and wildlife into conflict
The study, published in Nature Climate Change cited examples 49 of climate-driven conflicts occurring among all wildlife groups, on every continent...
Climate change update
The Bank of England has said that up to £16 trillion of assets could be wiped out if the current climate emergency is not tackled effectively by bu...
Climate change update 2022.1
New data from the EU's Copernicus satellite system is showing that the last seven years have been the hottest on record, with 2021 in at number 5 i...
Climate emergency declared by over 11,000 scientists
It is now exactly 40 years since scientists from 50 nations met in Geneva, Switzerland, for the First World Climate Conference. They agreed then t...
Climate strikes held by students in 100 countries
Here in the UK, some 10,000 young people gathered in Parliament Square, London to demand action. Environment Secretary Michael Gove praised their ...
Climate talks end without new commitments to emissions cuts
So whilst the talks were a partial success, they were also in part a failure. With no significant movement in countries’ agreed targets for emissi...
Coal more expensive than renewables in most of USA
Renewables now account for about 17% of energy generation in the USA, but there is huge potential for renewables to replace coal and provide much c...
Cold Areas: Antarctica
This suite of lesson plans explores the continent of Antarctica. Designed to be used alongside the Powerpoint presentation, packed full of stunnin...
Cold Areas: The Arctic
This set of lesson plans explores the Arctic - one of the coldest regions on our planet. The accompanying Powerpoint presentation brings the Arcti...
Coming soon: The Young People's Green Awards
The Young People's Green Awards (YPGA) will enable young people to combine their interest in caring for the natural world with their natural talent...
Common lizard
As its name suggests, the common lizard is the most common reptile in the UK and is Ireland’s only native reptile.
Composting
The rubbish we throw away everyday is polluting our Earth. A lot of this rubbish comes from our gardens and kitchens and the good news is that this...
Conservation
Conservation of nature means the protection of species from extinction or harm. It can include maintaining and restoring habitats, and protecting ...
Conservation Education 01 - Sustainable Development
Welcome to the first new-look issue of Conservation Education, sponsored by Barclaycard as part of the LivingLand programme. LivingLand is Barclayc...
Conservation Education 15 - Food
Do you like food? If you do you are not alone! Eating food is very enjoyable, yet is also an important and serious buisness.
Conservation Education 19 - Alternative Energies
“Switch off the lights when you leave the room!”, “Turn the TV off standby!”, “Who left the computer on all night?” Does this all sound rather fami...
Conservation Education 20 - Britain's Endangered Species
If you went down to the woods today, would you go in disguise expecting to find bears? What animals do you think you really would find? Perhaps a s...
Conservation Education 20a- Population Explosion
The world is becoming too full of people - we’re going to have to find another planet to live on! Well not quite, but there are worries concerning ...
Conservation Education 21 - Wildlife and Climate Change
20,000 years ago the landscape looked very different. Wooly mammoths and sabre toothed tigers roamed the frozen earth - it was of course the ice ag...
Conservation Education 22 - Weather
Britain is famous for its changeable weather. We are always talking about it and there is a saying “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minute...
Conservation Education 24 - Rainforests
Imagine that you’re in a thick, dark forest. It’s very hot and sticky and the sweat soaks your t-shirt. You can hear the sound of wild animals all ...
Conservation Education 25 - Oceans
Into the deep blue sea....... Look at the earth from outer space and you will see a beautiful blue planet. It’s blue, because an amazing 70% of the...
Conservation Education 27 - Reconnecting Children with Nature
This issue of Conservation Education represents a departure from our usual format, as normally the publication is written for teachers and is for u...
Conservation Education 28 - Shale Gas and Fracking
There has been a lot of coverage in the news recently about a controversial technique for extracting gas and oil from underground.
Conservation Education 29 - Climate Change Update
A fresh look at climate change, a subject we last looked at for Conservation Education in 2006. Banner photo by Al Case.
Conservation Education 30 - The Problem with Plastic
No matter where you look these days, you're likely to spot something made of plastic. It can be shaped in all kinds of ways, it can be really thin...
Conservation Education 31 - El Nino
Find out more about the 2015-16 El Nino event, what it is and what effects it causes around the world. Photo by Naz Amir.
Cop27 ends with new fund for loss and damage
The record rainfall that was seen in Pakistan earlier this year brought about catastrophic flooding that impacted 33 million people in the country ...
Copenhagen Climate Conference
The Copenhagen Climate Change summit was a gathering of world leaders in the capital of Denmark over a two week period from 7th - 18th December 200...
Could you grow your own home?
The idea of building with straw has been around for a long time, but in recent years, it has been something that only ecologically-minded Britons h...
Create A Sustainable Business Premier Dish
A zipped folder containing the Competition Brief, Entry Form and Terms & Conditions for Eurostar's Create A Business Premier Dish competition f...
Create a Sustainable Business Premier Dish 2018 Entry Documents
Zipped folder containing the entry brief, entry form and terms & conditions documents for participants in Eurostar's 'Create a Sustainable Busi...
December 2015 is wettest month on record
The series of storms to hit the UK this December were propelled by the jet stream, a current of strong winds that can reach up to 200mph. The jet ...
Deforestation in Brazilian Amazon highest in 15 years
Only last week at COP26 in Glasgow, Brazil was among a group of over 100 countries that pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. Brazil h...
Desert Regions
When you hear the word 'desert', what picture does it bring to mind? Perhaps you think of a very dry place, a place without people or plants livin...
Desertification
It has been said that forests came before human beings, deserts followed them. Desertification is becoming a major problem as more and more of the ...
Doomed? A video by Hanover Street Primary School
This brilliant film by the Primary 1 Class at Hanover Street Primary School was chosen as the Scottish Champion of the Total Green School Awards 20...
Double your donation with the Green Match Fund!
For one week only (22-29 April 2021), YPTE has been awarded up to £10,000 in match funds by the Green Match Fund from The Big Give. Donations rece...
EU backs ban on single use plastics
The ban doesn't have legal force yet. Member states still have to back the directive before it can become law, but with voting so overwhelmingly i...
Earth Summit 2002
The World Summit on Sustainable Development organised by the United Nations (UN) in Johannesburg was held in August and September of 2002.
Ecocide
It is against the law to steal from or hurt other people, and it is against the law to kill another person. However, it is not currently against t...
Electric Cars
Electric vehicles are becoming more popular. In this factsheet we explore why.
Electric airliners in service within a decade
It has formed a partnership with Wright Electric, a US firm which is developing a battery-powered aircraft for use on flights lasting two hours or ...
Emissions from wildfires in the arctic increase by 35%, but UK emissions from electricity fall
At their peak, which occurred in late July 2020, there were around 600 wildfires burning in the Arctic, compared with 400 in 2019 and the average f...
Endangered Animals of the World
Endangered means to be under threat or near extinction. When a species/animal is endangered it means that they are disappearing fast or have a ver...
Energy
The following chapters describe the various forms energy can take and the story behind humans, energy, fuel and the environment.
England ponders cash incentive for plastic bottle recycling
Mr Gove said., “We must protect our oceans and marine life from plastic waste if we are to be the first generation to leave our environment in a be...
England's shops start charging for carrier bags.
This new rule means that England is now in line with the rest of the United Kingdom. Plastic bag use has dropped considerably in Scotland, Wales a...
Environment
Our planet is changing. We need to help it change for the better and we're asking for your help to do that!
European Parliament declares climate emergency
In a separate vote, MEPs backed a resolution stating that the EU's current emissions reduction targets were 'not in line' with the 2015 Paris clima...
Even CO2 emissions are being outsourced
The UK’s emissions of carbon dioxide have reduced between 1990 and 2008 by 19% – mostly as a result of switching to gas rather than coal to fuel ou...
Farming and the Environment Assembly
An assembly presentation with accompanying presenter notes.
Fewer younger drivers points to need for change in road building plans
Passing your driving test and getting behind the wheel was once the dream of most young people - certainly that was the case when I got my licence ...
First beaver dam in Exmoor for over 400 years
The last beavers were hunted out of existence in England over 400 years ago, both because their furry, water-resistant pelts made great hats and co...
First ever legislation written by pupils
The group, who are mostly under 18, ranging from 13-26, created the Teach the Future campaign three months ago because they were unhappy about the ...
First of our Have Your Say Winners 2014
This great film from Natalia, Nancy, Charlotte and Natalie, aged 12 - 13 looks at how climate change is affecting us, why it is happening and what ...
Food of the Future
As the world’s population grows every minute, there are more and more mouths to feed. In fact, there are so many mouths to feed that ‘overpopulati...
Food: Fairtrade
It can be difficult for farmers in poorer countries to get a fair price for the food they produce; Fairtrade exists to address this issue. These...
Food: Farming and the Environment
As consumers we can choose to buy food that has been produced ethically and sustainably. These resources comprise a set of informative teacher n...
Food: Food Miles
The food we eat makes up about 30% of our carbon footprint. Knowing how far it has travelled and how it has been stored is essential if we wish to...
Food: Food Waste
Around a billion people don't have enough food to eat, yet we throw away around a third of all the food produced. These resources comprise a set...
Food: Packaging and Recycling
Our food is packaged in a variety of ways, all of which have impacts on the environment. These resources comprise a set of informative teacher...
Four more days to submit your sustainable dish ideas
What we eat not only has an impact on our health. Our choices can also cause significant environmental impacts. For example, animal agriculture pr...
Fourth day of climate protests in London
Their protests are part of a worldwide campaign and there are 80 demonstrations planned in over 30 countries in the next few days. As with the s...
Fracking in Lancashire temporarily halted after seismic event
This kind of tremor could not be felt on the surface, but is very close to the Oil and Gas Authority's limit for a 'red alert', whereby a company i...
Fracking permitted in England for first time since 2011
Energy firm Cuadrilla can begin exploratory drilling as soon as tomorrow at its Preston New Road site in Lancashire after an application for an int...
France bans fracking and oil production
The law will prevent new licences being issued for oil and gas extraction in France and its overseas territories and any existing ones will not be ...
France bans plastic cups, plates and cutlery
Pack2Go Europe, an organisation representing European packaging manufacturers has urged the European Commission to take action against France for b...
France bans short haul flights
The EU ruling on the ban stipulated that it could only be operated on routes which offered several direct rail connections each day. If rail servi...
Freaky Friday Facts about plastic
Eleven top plastic facts 1. 16,000 plastic bottles are made in the world EVERY SECOND! 2. 500 billion plastic bottles are made in the world E...
Fuels and Energy Resources
A suite of 3 lessons for Key Stage 3 with accompanying PowerPoint presentation to compare the pros and cons of different types of renewable and non...
Fukushima
The powerful earthquake which hit Japan on 11th March 2011 caused a tsunami which added to the destruction of millions of people’s homes and liveli...
Genetically Modified Foods
There is much debate about genetically modified (GM) foods, some of which are being tested and some of which are already used as ingredients in the...
Get to zero emissions by 2050, says new report
The CCC proposes a number of actions to reach net zero by 2050. For example, by eating less meat, by significantly increasing the use of renewable...
Getting to zero emissions is ‘affordable’ for UK
For an annual net cost of around £10 billion from now until 2050, report says that the transition to net zero can be achieved. This figure does no...
Global Warming
Global warming is the increase of average world temperatures as a result of what is known as the greenhouse effect.
Global carbon dioxide levels hit new monthly high
Newly published data from NOAA has shown that in March 2015, the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) across the globe stood at 400.83 parts p...
Global carbon emissions stable for last three years
Annual output of CO2 rose by 0.7% in 2014, was flat in 2015 and is expected to grow by just 0.2% in 2016. It is still too early to say whether CO2...
Good news and bad news
IEA executive Director Fatih Birol said in an interview, "I feel more optimistic than I felt two years ago." He added, "Clean energy investments i...
Good news for the planet!
In the United Kingdom from April to September 2016, some 6,696 gigawatt hours (5.4% of the UK's electricity over the period) were generated by sola...
Government announces plans for plastic bottle charge
In the UK alone, we use about 13 billion plastic bottles per year and well under half of these are currently recycled. So if a deposit return sche...
Great news for the Amazon from COP27
Lula said that Brazil did not need to clear another hectare of rainforest to be a major agricultural producer and that his government would crack d...
Green Fundraising Ideas
Our top seven ideas for schools wishing to raise money for environmental causes.
Green Halloween Guide
Here's our guide to how you can have a very happy and environmentally-friendly Halloween.
Green Match Fund supports Better Planet Schools
We are delighted that YPTE is being supported by the Green Match Fund for a second year in a row. The first £5,000 donated via YPTE's Green Match ...
Green light for new nuclear plant in UK
Hinkley C is a big part of the UK government's plans to create a low carbon energy future. In fact, if built, it will eventually provide around 7%...
Greenhouse gases at new high
Against the backdrop of a climate emergency, the gap between targets set by governments for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and the real sit...
Greenhouse gases at new record level
Average global CO2 levels in 2017 were 405.5 parts per million - almost 50% higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution. WMO Secretary ...
Greenland ice sheet melts at record rate
As a result of warm air being kept over Greenland by blocking weather systems for longer than normal in 2019, over 95% of the ice sheet underwent m...
Half of world’s killer whales under threat from pollution
PCBs were widely used from the 1930s onwards in electrical coolants and insulators, carbonless copy paper etc., but we have known for around 50 yea...
Happy birthday YPTE!
In the year to 31 March 2012 alone, our three Education Officers have delivered over 980 talks in schools to audiences totalling over 40,000 young ...
Have Your Say On Sustainability - The Winners' Trip to Brussels
On 27 March 2012, the five young winners of YPTE and Eurostar's video competition travelled to Brussels to share their views on environmental issue...
Have Your Say On Sustainability 2013
We travel with the winners of the Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar's 'Have Your Say on Sustainabilty' competition to the Europ...
Have Your Say on Sustainability
The makers of the three best films will win the chance to travel to Brussels and meet with MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels so that you ...
Have Your Say winners visit Brussels
The winners met with MEPs at the European Parliament and were able to both deliver their presentations on their chosen topics to some of Europe's k...
Have your say on sustainability - Abbie, age 15 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Alana, age 12 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Liam, age 13 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Simon, age 13 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability - Tara, age 11 - Eurostar / YPTE Competition winner
The Young People's Trust for the Environment and Eurostar ran a video competition to encourage young people aged 10-18 to talk about environmental ...
Have your say on sustainability!
For the competition, young people aged 11-18 are invited to create a short video clip sharing their views on the environmental issues that concern ...
Having Your Say On Sustainability
The judging for Eurostar and YPTE's 'Have Your Say On Sustainability' video making competition has now been completed. We received lots of brillia...
Heatwaves
Produced in partnership with the Royal Meteorological Society, this pack of four lessons aims to develop young people's understanding of heatwaves,...
Hedges
The Anglo-Saxon word for enclosure was ‘haeg’ or gehaeg’ and this is were we get the word ‘hedge’.
High profile climate change clash in Davos
He said, “This is not a time for pessimism. This is a time for optimism. Fear and doubt is not a good thought process because this is a time for t...
Historic new treaty to protect world's oceans
The treaty sets out to protect 30% of the wold's oceans by 2030, a massive increase on the 1.2% that are currently protected. Almost two thirds of...
Holiday of a Lifetime! (The Great Pacific Garbage Patch)
A film about the Great Pacific Garbage patch, made by students from Huish Episcopi Academy with help from the team at Explorium. This is the first...
Home Learning Activity: Make a bird feeder
Find out how to make a bird feeder using an old plastic bottle and a skewer.
Home Learning Activity: Make your own bioplastic
Here's a quick and easy recipe for making your own biodegradable plastic from natural materials (bioplastic). Adult required to help!
Home Learning Activity: Making a wildflower meadow
Find out about how to create your own wildflower meadow, which will in time become a haven for all kinds of insects and other wildlife and loom bea...
Home Learning Activity: Milk bottle elephants
Instructions for making beautiful elephants from plastic milk bottles.
Home Learning Pack: Energy and Power
Here are some amazing ideas for learning and activities focused on how we can make and use energy. Try making your own circuit using a pencil and ...
Home Learning Pack: Food chains and food miles
This bumper Home Learning Pack is packed with ideas for fun learning about food! Find out about food chains, healthy eating, food miles and growin...
Home Learning Pack: Animals and Habitats
Here's the second of our Home Learning Packs, which this time has some fantastic learning activities about animals and their habitats.
Home Learning Pack: Garden Birds
Learn about the birds in your garden with this great home learning pack. Includes designs for making bird feeders from recycled materials, researc...
Home Learning Pack: Gardening for Nature
Find out about how you can make your garden a friendlier place for wildlife with this fantastic Home Learning Pack. As ever, it's full of great id...
Home Learning Pack: Maps and Directions
Even though we are all staying very close to home at the moment, map making can be a great way to think about your environment in a different way. ...
Home Learning Pack: Rainforests
Some fantastic ideas for games, arts and crafts, learning activities and lots more to help you and your children learn about our amazing rainforest...
Home Learning Pack: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
Packed with great ideas for reducing your impacts and activities to help you recycle and re-use things, including making recycled paper, a recycled...
Hot Areas: The Sahara
This suite of lesson plans explores the Sahara - the largest hot desert on Earth. It also looks at the spread of the Sahara into the Sahel and the...
Humans and Nature
In his video, Essie explains how human actions can affect wildlife. Created in collaboration with Explorium, Lights On® Jam.
Hunter-Gatherers
Until the development of farming practices, hunting and foraging for food was the means by which all humans survived. Hunter gatherer communities ...
Indigenous People of the Rainforest
Rainforests are very rich in natural resources, but they are also very fragile. For this reason, indigenous people have become instinctive conserva...
International concern at fires burning in the Amazon
Wildfires do often occur naturally in the rainforest during the dry season, but they are also started deliberately to clear land in readiness for c...
Introducing Better Planet Schools
Better Planet Schools is an online environmental education programme, created by the Young People's Trust for the Environment to engage children an...
Join our Young Trustees
Charlotte is a Young Trustee of YPTE. In this video clip, she explains what being a Young Trustee has meant for her. If you are aged between 16 an...
June 2017 was third hottest June ever recorded
The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa)'s figures suggest that average temperatures on the surface of both land and sea...
Last four years are the hottest on record
Global average temperatures for the first 10 months of 2018 were 0.98C higher than those from 1850 to 1900, according to five separate global datas...
Last male northern white rhino dies
He was living at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and was put to sleep by vets there after the pain from a degenerative illness he was suffering...
Less Arctic Ice Than Ever
So it looks like our climate is changing and things are getting warmer. But three years of data proves nothing. There are blips and variations in w...
Lily Cole helps champion environmental education
In the Q & A session after the screening, Lily mentioned that whilst at school, environmental issues weren’t a big priority for her. Now, care ...
Lion numbers could halve in next 20 years
The research, carried out by a team led by lion expert Hans Bauer of Oxford University has been published in Proceedings of the National Academy of...
List of Talks
The school talks service is available in person for schools within a 30-mile radius of our office in Yeovil OR on Zoom, Teams etc. for schools anyw...
Listen to the new YPTE Podcast
For Episode 1, YPTE President Cel Spellman talked about his love for the planet, his biggest hopes for the future and why he thinks young people ha...
Living things and their habitats: Year 4
This suite of lesson plans includes a wide range of suggested activities and printable resources. It is backed by a Powerpoint presentation, which...
MPs show support for student-written education bill
Teach the Future, a campaign made up of young people aged 13 to 26 released their draft of the Climate Emergency Education Act. The campaign is jo...
Make climate change a greater priority!
In his inaugural speech as Prime Minister, Mr Johnson said that Britain was “leading the world in the battery technology that will help cut CO2 an...
Making a hanging bottle garden
In this great 'How-To' guide, Georgina shows how to make a hanging garden using plastic bottles. Created in collaboration with Explorium, Lights O...
Making bioplastic with Noah
Noah had a go at making some bioplastic. Find out how he got on in this video that he produced for YPTE, created in collaboration with Explorium, L...
Many climate impacts now “irreversible” says UN report
The report emphasises that the 2020s need to be a decade of action. Dr Helen Adams of King’s College, London, who is a lead author of the report s...
Mass walkout by NGOs in Warsaw
The Conference of the Parties (COP) in Warsaw should have been an opportunity to make some progress. And with the horror and devastation caused by...
Meat Free Mondays
Meat Free Monday is all about reducing the amount of meat we consume because of its health and environmental benefits.
Melting Glaciers and Rising Seas: Climate Change's Impact on the Himalayas
Climate change is a pressing issue that affects the entire planet, and its impacts are particularly severe in glaciated regions, such as the Himala...
Met Office data shows 2019 was a record-breaking year in the UK
On 25 July in Cambridge, the UK's hottest ever temperature - 38.7C (101F) - was recorded. The previous record, 38.5C was set in Faversham, Kent in...
Millions take part in global climate strikes
In the UK, children will be walking out of classes to join the protests and hundreds of thousands of workers will be joining them. Climate strikes...
Ministers urged to favour renewables over nuclear power for our future energy needs
The NIC has said that a decade ago, it seemed unlikely that renewables could be a major part of energy generation in the UK, as they were quite sim...
More Radiation At Fukushima
Exposure to this level of radiation for one hour would give 110 times the maximum annual dose of radiation permitted for someone working in the Jap...
More confirmation of climate change risks
Research pubished in Environmental Research Letters suggests that we are now 13 times more likely to experience a heat wave in England as a result ...
More than a football pitch of forest lost every second in 2017
According to new satellite imaging data from Global Forest Watch, it's worse than that. A total of 29.4 million hectares of forest was lost in 201...
Most fossil fuel needs to stay in the ground to keep temperature increases below 1.5C
This bleak assessment means that far fewer fossil fuels will be able to be extracted than had previously been estimated. However, the report’s aut...
New 10-point plan for the UK's environment unveiled
The plan contains a mixture of new and previously-announced initiatives. Some of the proposals have been welcomed more warmly than others, both by...
New 25 year green plan announced by PM
Much of her speech to launch the plan concentrated on the issue of plastic pollution, which has come into much greater focus in recent months. The...
New Conservation Education available to download
Written for secondary schools, it provides a detailed analysis of the debate on shale gas and fracking. Download it here.
New US government report warns on climate change impacts
According to the report, climate change is already causing flooding on the east coast, coastal erosion in Alaska and soil loss in the midwest. Mea...
New YPTE Podcast episode
Jen wrote her book when she was just 15. Find out about why she wrote it and her hopes for the future. You can listen by clicking here.
New competition to find a gifted young chef with a flair for sustainability.
Create a Sustainable Business Premier Dish is supported by Eurostar, working in partnership with the Young People's Trust for the Environment in th...
New download: Green Halloween Guide
Use our new guide to find out how you can make your Halloween a greener one. You dan download it here: https://ypte.org.uk/downloads/green-hallow...
New halt to fracking in England
No future fracking projects will be allowed by the government until compelling new evidence is provided that fracking could be safe. Preston N...
New law this summer to extend life of appliances
‘Premature obsolescence’, where manufacturers build short lifespans into their products so that consumers need to buy replacements sooner should be...
New lesson plans on climate change out now
What is climate change? What impacts is climate change having around the world? How are humans causing climate change? What can we all do ...
New onshore wind projects in the UK soon...
A new auction scheme announced yesterday (2 March 2020) will enable onshore wind energy schemes to compete for subsidies alongside solar and floati...
New plan to bring forward UK's ban on fossil fuel vehicles
Fears have been raised about whether the National Grid, which manages the nation's electricity supplies, would cope with a massive increase in elec...
New report on future energy use released
The National Grid has been looking at the future of the UK's energy needs. It has concluded that the number of plug-in cars and vans could reach 9 ...
New research to discover whether Greenland is melting more quickly
Greenland is an unlikely name for a country which lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, which appears much more white than green! It's the ...
New videos now available
The two new short films, made by YPTE are on 'How electricity is made' and 'Renewable energy'. Please take a look!
New wind power cheaper than new nuclear
In return for a subsidy of £57.50 per MegaWatt hour (MWh) Danish company Dong Energy will build its Hornsea Two project off the Yorkshire coast , w...
Nine out of ten UK households now recycling
93% of UK households believe everyone has a responsibility to help towards cleaning up the environment. Only 4% of people questioned said that the...
No relaxation of fracking regulations
A spokesman said on behalf of the government, “We set these regulations in consultation with industry and we have no plans to review them." Acco...
Nuclear fusion takes big step forward
So what is nuclear fusion? Fusion works by forcing atomic nuclei together. This is a process that happens in the core of our Sun, where enormous ...
Oceans now hotter than ever
Oceans have an essential role in regulating the planet's climate. They absorb heat, produce around half of the world's oxygen and have a key role ...
Oceans of plastic
The new findings were released at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting. The amount of plastic reaching the oce...
Offshore wind farms
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has published its recommendations to the UK government regarding the UK’s fifth carbon budget, which is due t...
Oil Pollution Case Study
The 147,000 tonne oil tanker Sea Empress ran aground on February 15th 1996 at 8.07 pm, despite being under the control of one of Milford Haven’s ha...
One in six UK species in danger of extinction
Climate change and intensive farming methods were cited in the report as the main causes of nature loss. Only a fifth of farm land was found to be...
Our winners' 2,000 Words: now available for you to read!
The idea for the competition came from Jemma and Amy, two of YPTE's Young Trustees. They were certain that the competition would appeal to a lot o...
Over 60 countries promise measures for climate and wildlife in post-Covid recovery plans
In the 'Leaders' Pledge for Nature', launched virtually in New York today, they have committed to a 10-point plan, which includes measures such as ...
Overfishing
It is sobering to consider that nearly 90% of the world's marine fish stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited or depleted, and there is no do...
Overpopulation
At present there is still space enough on Earth for humans, wildlife and wild places, but can this be maintained?
Ozone Layer
Ozone is a naturally occurring gas found in the atmosphere where it absorbs most of the sun's ultraviolet light - invisible rays which are harmful ...
Paddleboarding environmentalist highlights plastic pollution in England's waterways
If we used a time machine to fast forward ourselves 500 years into the future, what would the archeologists of the future be finding out about us? ...
Palm Oil
Have you heard of palm oil? How about vegetable oil or olive oil? Oils from plants, vegetables, seeds and nuts have been used for centuries all o...
Paris climate deal comes into force
Delegates from almost 200 countries will be meeting in Marrakech, Morocco next week to consider their next steps. A UN review of the pledges to cu...
Penguin (Emperor)
Emperor penguins are very sociable creatures and live in colonies of anything from five hundred to twenty thousand pairs of penguins. It is very ra...
Petrol from air: the future of sustainable transport?
The petrol they can produce is purer than the product refined from oil and it can be used in an ordinary car engine. This means that our existing ...
Planned fossil fuel production still too high
Looking at the government plans fo ten fossil fuel-producing countries, the Production Gap Report has exposed a discrepancy between governments' pl...
Plants: Year 3
A suite of four lessons on Plants, each with suggestions for classroom activities. Accompanied by a presentation filled with excellent photographs...
Plastic Pollution
This downloadable zipped folder contains a suite of lesson plans, for Key Stage 2 and above. The lesson plans look at the problems caused by plast...
Plastic Pollution
This presentation accompanies the Plastic Pollution lesson plans for Key Stage 2 and above looks at the problems caused by plastic and covers the f...
Plastic Pollution Assembly
Presentation and presenter notes for an assembly on the topic of plastic pollution.
Plastic bag charge may double
Speaking in Kenya yesterday, Mrs May said “I want to leave a greener, healthier environment for future generations, but with plastic in the sea sti...
Plastic found in fish in the River Thames
The study was limited and only looked at two fish species - common flounder and smelt, which were caught around Erith and the Isle of Sheppey. The...
Plastic found in tap water
New research published by Orb Media has revealed that 83% of tap water samples, taken from various sites around the world, were contaminated with m...
Play YPTE's first online game now!
In this game, you need to help Peter cross the ice in the hunt for food! There's a slight problem. Although real polar bears can swim a long way - ...
Playing in nature is good for children
They had been used to having play areas in gravel yards, but for the study had their play spaces upgraded to mini-forest environments. Within a mo...
Pollution
Pollution is a word that we are all aware of these days. What does it mean exactly?
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change.
Pope urges action on climate change
He expresses his concern that in the eight years since his last message on the climate crisis, 'our responses have not been adequate, while the wor...
Possibility of Paris agreement breach within five years
Although making clear that there was not a high likelihood of the 1.5C increase before 2023, the very fact that it was even a possibility was a cau...
President Trump changes US approach to climate change
The Obama administration's Clean Power Plan (CPP) set limits on the amount of CO2 that coal-powered power plants could emit. Under President Trump...
Quarrying and Mineral Extraction
For thousands of years humans have used stone for building, whether it was for monuments, religious buildings or houses.
Rainforests
Rainforests are forests which grow in areas of high rainfall. Tropical rainforests are found between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capric...
Rainforests
This set of lesson plans looks at rainforests, with particular focus on the Amazon. Lesson plans are brought to life by the stunning images in the...
Rainforests Assembly
An assembly presentation complete with presenter's notes.
Rainforests by Theo and Grace
Theo (age seven and three quarters) and Grace (age five and three quarters) made this fantastic animation inspired by our Home Learning Pack on Rai...
Record high temperature in Antarctica
Meanwhile, Argentinian scientists based at Esperanza on the continental Antarctic peninsula recorded a reading of 18.3C on 6 February - the highest...
Record levels of greenhouse gases recorded, despite 2020 global lockdowns
Emissions arising from transport and other activities are thought to have been reduced by up to 7.5% as a result of lockdowns, but the WMO describe...
Recycling
Humans on Earth produce more rubbish today than ever before.
Red squirrels making a comeback - thanks to pine martens
Photo right: grey squirrel by Alexander Law But they also damaged native trees like oak and beech by stripping their bark and that damage now am...
Reduce livestock to combat climate change, says report
Other recommendations include protection for peatland and measures to ensure that no food waste goes to landfill by 2025. From a climate change ...
Reduce your carbon footprint: buy skinny loo rolls
It’s a brilliant idea and is the product of a lot of research. Sainsbury’s had to find out how much they could reduce the diameter of the carboard...
Reminder: Competition to win Go Ape! vouchers ends 30 October 2017
YPTE would really like to hear about what young people around the UK are doing to help look after our world. Your actions could inspire other young...
Renewable Energy
Find out about renewable energy, including wind turbines, tidal turbines, solar power (photovoltaics, solar heating and solar power stations) and w...
Report predicts more extreme weather for Europe
The report, 'Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2016' states that changes to climate that have already been observed are having im...
Reptiles (British)
Of the four living groups of reptiles, only one, the snakes and lizards is represented in Britain. Reptiles bodies are covered with scales. Lizards...
Research launched into impacts of microplastics on human health
The levels of microplastic found were roughly double that found in tap water by a previous study. Bottles tested originated from the US, Mexico, B...
River Pollution
It seems that almost every day there is another story about pollution of one form or another, in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we...
Robot sees extent of damage at Fukushima
On 11 March 2011, a tsunami caused by the Tohoku earthquake struck Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO's) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. ...
Rudi and Harry's Eco Home
Rudi (ages 8) and Harry (age 10) learned about eco homes as part of their work with 'Explorium Lights On', with a presentation on the topic from YP...
Runners complete Everest Challenge for YPTE
If someone told you they were climbing to the top of Mount Everest, right here in Dorset, you’d probably think they were a bit mad. Well, guess wh...
SOS UK Student Sustainability Summit 2023
Last week I was able to attend the SOS-UK 2023 summit in Lincoln with Cambridge Climate Society. SOS-UK (Students Organising for Sustainability)...
Sand lizard
Sand lizards are among the UK's rarest reptiles. They are the only egg-laying lizard species in the UK.
Save The Plants
There are around 400,000 plants species recorded in the world and many more waiting to be discovered and named.
Science Cross-Curricular Pack
At YPTE, we believe that young people need accurate information about how human actions can impact our planet. By inspiring pupils to care for the ...
Scientists accidentally create enzyme that eats plastic
While tweaking the enzyme to find out how it had evolved, the scientists found that the changes they had made enabled the enzyme to break down PET ...
Scotland bans fracking
The public consultation attracted more than 65,000 responses, with 99% of replies originating from areas targeted by the fracking industry opposed ...
Scottish shoppers use 80% fewer plastic bags
A charge of 5p per bag has been charged by shops in Scotland since 20 October 2014 and in that time, stores have handed out 650 million fewer bags ...
Sea Pollution
It seems that almost every day there is another story about pollution of one form or another, in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we...
Sea ice not yet forming in Arctic
Scientists believe that this is further evidence of human-made climate change. They predict that as the planet continues to warm, it's likely that...
See another winning Have Your Say video
In this film, Bushra, Joanna and Simran (all age 16) discuss deforestation and point out that even through our everyday actions, we may inadvertent...
See the results of Roots to Green Living
Roots to Green Living is YPTE's project to provide long-term support for schools to enable them to develop their grounds for environmental educatio...
Single-use is 2018's word of the year
2018 has been a year for campaigning against single-use plastics, with the EU planning to bring in a ban on single-use plastics from 2021 and with ...
Solar Energy Activity Pack
A package of activities and short lessons on solar energy, produced by YPTE in partnership with Essex County Council for use in primary schools. Th...
Some good news, some bad news
According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) now looks like 2016 will mark another milestone for climate change for being the first yea...
Some progress, but not enough at COP26
Education ministers from a series of countries put forward proposals to ensure that education about climate change was included in their school cur...
Speaking out against deforestation
Esme Speech from Explorium on Vimeo.
Stop Ecocide
The late Polly Higgins, Lawyer for the Earth, calls for a change to the law to criminalise Ecocide.
Study highlights young people's climate anxiety
Led by the University of Bath, with contributions from other universities in the UK, USA and Finland, the study is entitled 'Young People's Voices...
Study reveals last remaining ocean wilderness
These last wilderness areas are characterised by very high levels of biodiversity. They are largely free from disturbance caused by human activiti...
Summer 2017 was the UK's greenest yet for energy production
Battery storage is set to make a difference to the future of solar power too. A new 10 MegaWatt (MW) solar farm, capable of powering about 2,500-3...
Supermarket to sell food beyond its 'best before' date for the first time
All such goods will be sold for a set price - 10p each. Best before dates are provided by manufacturers and give a date up to which they are guara...
Supermarkets announce new green initiatives
Waitrose has announced that it will stop using disposable coffee cups in its stores by this autumn. From then on, members of its MyWaitrose loyalt...
Surge in demand for biomethane
There are now 98 biomethane plants in the UK, which produce methane gas using food leftovers and waste from farms, including manure and grass silag...
Survey shows half of young people want electric cars
The government’s commitment to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel powered cars by 2040 means that we motorists will at some point in the future ...
Sussex: Birds
Thanks to support from the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, we have produced this set of classroom reference guides, for use in Sussex schools. ...
Sussex: The Weald
Thanks to support from the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, we have produced this set of classroom reference guides to the regions of Sussex, for...
Sussex: The Coastal Plain
Thanks to support from the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, we have produced this set of classroom reference guides to the regions of Sussex, for...
Sussex: The South Downs
Thanks to support from the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust, we have produced this set of classroom reference guides to the regions of Sussex, for...
Sustainability
The United Nations says that sustainability means “meeting the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet...
Sustainable Development
A suite of four lessons on sustainable development, covering: What does sustainable development mean? Pollution Over-use of natural resou...
Sustainable Living
This suite of 5 lessons looks at human impacts on our planet, current attempts to be more sustainable and the changes we will need to make in order...
Sustainable Living Assembly
An assembly presentation and accompanying presenter notes about sustainable living.
Teachers: Check out our new lesson plans and presentations
We are pleased to announce that in response to feedback from teachers, we have updated and greatly improved the first of our downloadable lesson pl...
Tell us about what you’re doing to help the environment and have the chance to win a £30 Go Ape voucher!
So, if you’re aged between 5 and 17 and feel you’re doing something that helps the environment, please tell us about it. Examples might include: ...
Temperature records broken in the UK and Europe
The mean temperature for the year was 10.03C, beating the previous record of 9.88C, which was set in 2014. The fact that the UK's top ten warmest ...
Tesla makes big leap for electric vehicles
At close of trading, Tesla's value was up 7.3% to $48.7bn (£38bn), while Ford's was $45.3bn. Tesla delivered 25,000 cars in the first quarter of 2...
The Amazon
Way down south!
The Earth is Melting!
The first of our winning entries for Have Your Say on Sustainability, YPTE and Eurostar's video making competition for young people aged 11-18. Thi...
The Greenhouse Effect
Here is a short video to explain the greenhouse effect. Great for teachers to use in lessons!
The era of 'global boiling'
He went on to say "The air is unbreathable, the heat is unbearable, and the level of fossil fuel profits and climate inaction is unacceptable. Lea...
The heatwave continues...
The Met Office has issued an amber heat watch warning today, which applies from 9am today to 9am on Friday in the Midlands, south-eastern and easte...
The plastic-coated island where nobody lives
Yet Henderson Island, the largest of four islands in the Pitcairn Island group, has a human population of zero! Almost 18 tonnes of plastic, broke...
The week’s climate news
He likened humanity to a 16 year-old, saying “We believe that someone else will clear up the mess we make, because that is what someone else has al...
To Work on Two Wheels!
So, we take the train, we take the bus, or we take the car. We know that taking public transport reduces our carbon footprint, so in many cases it’...
Top Tips for a Green Christmas
Here are our ideas for some great ways of making your Christmas a greener one.
Trade and Endangered Species
Along with habitat destruction, wildlife crimes such as poaching currently pose the largest threat to the future of some of the world’s most endang...
Transport
This suite of lessons and activities for Key Stage 2 looks at the following issues: What were the earliest types of transport? Why do so...
UK MPs call for ban on microplastics
Huge numbers of tiny pieces of plastic are building up in our oceans, lakes and estuaries. Microbeads are very small pieces of plastic, which are ...
UK aims for 68% emissions cut by 2030
He urged other world leaders to follow his example at a virtual climate summit, which is being held on 12 December. He said, "We have proven we ca...
UK bans more single use plastic
However, the ban only applies to takeaways. It does not have any impact on single use items provided by supermarkets or shops. Whilst the ban is ...
UK fracking gets the green light
Shale gas is found deep in the layers of sedimentary rocks like, generally several kilometres underground. There is an estimated 200 trillion cubi...
UK government bans sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040
Poor air quality is viewed by ministers as being the greatest environmental risk to public health, being responsible for up to 40,000 premature dea...
UK homes to be wind powered by 2030
Mr Johnson said, “We believe that in 10 years’ time offshore wind will be powering every home in the country, with our target rising from 30 gigawa...
UK rejects ban on charge for disposable coffee cups
Taking its inspiration from hugely successful 5p charge introduced on plastic carrier bags in England in October 2015, a charge on disposable cups...
UK set to see wetter winters
Alarmingly, the research suggests that there is a high risk of record-breaking rainfall in the coming decade, with a 34% chance of an extreme weath...
UK's first new coal mine in 30 years gets approval
At least 85% of the coal produced at the mine will be exported, because UK steelmakers have already rejected the coal, which has a high sulphur con...
UK's top ten hottest years all occurred after 2002
Summer rainfall is up 13% when compared to the last century and with global emissions of greenhouse gases still rising, the UK will continue to get...
UK’s new cars are greener than ever
The average emissions of new cars sold in 2011 was 138.1g/km. By 2015, average emissions must fall to below 130g/km to meet with EU targets and by...
UN climate report urges 'act now'
The report sets out the millions of lives and homes ruined by droughts and floods, the millions of people facing hunger, the increased deaths from ...
UN climate talks: no major breakthroughs in Madrid
During the talks, representatives of governments from over 190 countries were frequently reminded that the world is far off meeting targets set in ...
US begins withdrawal from Paris climate agreement
The process of withdrawal takes a year and will not be completed until a day after the 2020 US presidential election. The news comes as France's P...
US pulls out of Paris agreement on climate change
The Paris agreement commits the US, together with 187 other countries to keep the rise in global temperatures to 'well below' 2C above pre-industri...
USA to rejoin Paris agreement
President Biden is also set to end oil drilling at two huge national monuments in Utah, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears End and drilling in the...
United Nations says young people have important role in tackling the climate crisis
Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aged 16, was among a group of young cimate cmapaigners speaking at the start of the second week of the C...
United Nations urges big cuts in carbon emissions
Global emissions have increased by around 1.5% each year in the last decade. To have any hope of limiting temperature increases to 1.5C by 2100, ...
Video on food chains
Arthur explains food chains and why removing keystone species like turtles can make a big difference to a marine ecosystem. Created in collaborati...
Vivisection
Vivisection is the practice of experimenting on live animals for scientific and medical purposes.
Waitrose stops selling kids' magazines with plastic toys
Over the next eight weeks, magazines with 'pointless plastic' on their covers will be removed from the supermarket's shelves. The ban will not app...
Wall Of Ice For Fukushima
It sounds bizarre, but it would prevent leaking water from spreading further, if it works. It’s absolutely clear that something has to be done to p...
Want to get your voice heard? Write to your local MP
If there's an environmental issue that's really worrying you and you'd like something done about it, pick up a pen and take action. You can write ...
Warmest May on record changes Americans’ views on climate change
Belief in evidence of climate change seems to depend on people’s political views. 90% of Democrats believe that there is real evidence for climate...
Water Cycle
A suite of five lessons on the water cycle, illustrated with a PowerPoint presentation and accompanied by suggestions for activities and experiment...
Wave energy
Here's a fab video from our friends at Explorium showing how wave energy gets converted into power we can use every day!
Wet wipes set for a clean-up
An analysis of these monster sewer-stoppers by Water UK, the membership body for water providers, found that the 'fatbergs' were in reality more li...
What did COP26 achieve?
Ending deforestation Over 100 nations, including Brazil (home to a large proportion of the Amazon rainforest) and Russia (with over 20% of the wor...
While we shiver, the Arctic's getting hotter
Whilst there won't be any sunlight at the North Pole until early March, a heatwave in the Artic is actually the cause of the extreme wintry weather...
Why Plastic's Not So Fantastic
Short film on plastic, its uses, its history and why it is now presenting us with such a major environmental problem. Presented by YPTE Director Pe...
Why be a Young Trustee of YPTE?
Two of the Young People's Trust for the Environment (YPTE)'s Young Trustees, Larissa and Bella, talk about their experiences of being a Young Trust...
Wildlife Areas for Schools
Schools that have begun to develop their grounds often report that this has led to beneficial changes in relationships and attitudes and to the at...
Wildlife in the Garden
Share your garden with wildlife by creating habitats that help different species to thrive.
Wind energy exceeds coal in 2016
The government has pledged to remove coal from the UK's energy mix completely by 2025, but it is now expected that the final plant will actually cl...
World Car Free Day on 22 September 2018
It's probably easier to go car free if you live in a city than it is if you live in the countryside. But wherever you live, why not have a go...
World Conservation Problems
In 2020, our population is nearing 8 million and is increasing by the second!
World gearing up for climate talks in Paris
As part of the COP21 process, some 147 nations have made their own Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) - individual pledges declar...
World on track to lose two-thirds of wildlife by 2020, says new report
It goes on to suggest that 67% of wildlife could be wiped out by 2020 if current trends continue. The biggest impacts on wildlife have been caused...
World's largest lithium ion battery goes on-grid in Australia
The battery is connected to a Hornsdale Wind Farm, run by French company Neoen in a location near to Jamestown, which is about 125 miles north of A...
World's largest wind farm to start producing energy
When finished, the Dogger Bank wind farm will be more than twice the size of the next largest offshore wind farm. It will have cost £9Bn to comple...
World's leaders meet to tackle climate change
In Paris right now, the planet's best hope for achieving a framework for reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is underway. The UN's 21st Confere...
Write to your local MP
Is there an environmental issue that really concerns you? Do you want the people in power to take action? Then write to your local MP, explain yo...
Yippittee - Issue 02 - Food Glorious Food
Phew! That was a close one! I just managed to avoid getting caught by one of those great big fishing nets. I hear the British people like eating fi...
York Minster to fit solar panels
Visitors to the Minster will be able to see how much energy the panels have produced and the amount of carbon emissions they have prevented via a d...
Young chefs need to get cooking!
Entrants have to devise a dish using sustainable, locally-sourced seasonal ingredients that can be served on Business Premier, Eurostar's highest l...
Young explorer completes trek down the Yangtze River
When he was 24, Ash traversed the 1,500-mile length of Mongolia, with 18 stone survival trailer, solo and unsupported, in just 78 days. Then at 26...
Young people in school strikes to highlight climate change inaction
Their school strike has been inspired by 16 year-old Greta Thunberg from Sweden, who began a solo protest about climate change outside her country'...
Young people show politicians the way on climate change
Striking and memorable slogans were painted on placards grasped by students across the world. Wherever they were protesting, they were united in t...
Young people urge world leaders to adopt climate treaty
The Mock COP26 Treaty outlines 18 policies young people have developed over the course of two weeks through speeches and negotiations, and covers ...
Zero carbon energy overtakes fossil fuels for UK electricity production
There has been a significant rise renewable energy, which in 2009 was producing only about 2% of our energy needs. Now, renewables are producing 2...
Zoos
The subject of the rights or wrongs of zoos can be very emotive with many unbalanced views being put forward by people who have little real knowled...
‘Shocking’ lack of climate change planning from UK government
The Committee's report finds that the population is at real risk, because crisis preparations are being run ‘like Dad’s Army’ and funding has been ...