Sustainable Services: Policy context

Climate change and young people

The wide range of emotions and thoughts young people may experience when they hear bad news about the planet and the environment is called eco distress or climate anxiety. Common eco distress signs include low mood, helplessness, anger, losing sleep, panic and guilt. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, eco distress is not a diagnosis or mental illness – distress about the world is normal and shows that young people care about the planet – but sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming.

Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chair of the college’s Child and Adolescent Faculty, says: “The climate crisis is clearly affecting children and young people’s mental health. Younger generations are growing up with a constant backdrop of understandable fear and worry about the future of the planet. We need to be able to have open conversations and really listen to our young people. Empowering them to engage with constructive, positive action should absolutely be supported.”

A recent survey by the college found that 57 per cent of child and adolescent psychiatrists in England are seeing children and young people distressed about the climate crisis. It has published a resource to support children and parents to manage climate anxiety.

Studies of young people have shown similar levels of concern. An international study of 10,000 16- to 24-year-olds in 10 countries found that 84 per cent were worried about climate change and six in 10 felt “very” and “extremely” worried. Over 45 per cent said their feelings about climate change negatively affected their daily life and functioning, and many reported a high number of negative thoughts about climate change.

Respondents rated the governmental response to climate change negatively and reported greater feelings of betrayal than of reassurance, which was a key factor in their concerns.

Many young people are channelling their worries and anger into activism – recent research by environmental youth charity Groundwork found that half of young people had been involved in public action and 56 per cent said they were well informed about the issues (see research evidence).

Since 2018, millions of children and young people around the world have taken part in the School Strikes for Climate campaign, started and led by Greta Thunberg. The movement demands action by policymakers to deliver a more sustainable world, and has evolved into a global cultural exchange in which young people and others share ideas, sentiments and solidarities, says Dr Ben Bowman from Manchester Centre for Youth Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University (see practice example).

• Young People’s Voices on Climate Anxiety, Government Betrayal and Moral Injury: A Global Phenomenon
  
  

Department for Education strategy

The UK was the first major economy in the world to pass a law to end its contribution to climate change. This means that the UK will aim to balance any emissions generated through emission cutting or removal efforts – so called net zero – by 2050. Details on the Department for Education’s contribution to achieving this are set out in its draft Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.

The strategy, developed by a specialist DfE policy unit and published last November, outlines its vision to be a “world-leading education sector in sustainability and climate change” by 2030. It is due to be finalised in April 2022. Strategic aims include:

Preparing all young people for a world impacted by climate change through learning and practical experience.

Reducing direct and indirect emissions from education and care buildings, driving innovation to meet legislative targets and providing opportunities for young people to engage practically with the net zero concept.

Adapting to mitigate against the worst effects of climate change in education, care buildings and infrastructure.

Enhancing biodiversity and increasing access to nature in and around education and care settings.

The policy unit worked with education sector representatives and experts to develop two linked initiatives: increasing opportunities for climate education and access to nature; and driving opportunities to increase biodiversity and climate resilience. These concepts will be developed with young people, representatives and stakeholder organisations before they are launched in the academic year 22/23.

The strategy talks about the physical education estate as “one large entity, a virtual National Education Nature Park”, which will “engage young people with the natural world, directly involve them in increasing biodiversity in their nursery, school, college or university, helping reinforce their connection with nature”.

Under the plans, participants will upload their progress on the Park’s digital mapping services and learn new skills along the way, such as biodiversity mapping, data collection and analysis.

A Climate Leaders Award will celebrate and recognise education providers, children and young people for developing their connection with nature and making a contribution to establishing a sustainable future. It will link with existing awards, such as the John Muir Award, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Junior Forester Award. Doing so will enable children and young people to acquire credits towards the Climate Leaders Award (see ADCS view, below).

The strategy outlines five action areas – climate education, green skills and careers, the education estate, operations and supply chains, and data – with short-term objectives over the next three years and targets for 2030. Measures include improving teaching of sustainability and climate change, integrating sustainable practices in further education courses and apprenticeship, creating a network of climate change in education leaders and increasing learning opportunities for young people.

There are also a range of measures to upgrade the buildings in the education estate with energy saving and environmentally friendly features. Measures will link with programmes across other parts of government such as improving flood defences, reducing car use through the Bikeability and walk-to-school schemes, and improving electric car infrastructure.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi will take on the role of climate change minister within the DfE and will be supported by junior ministers who will oversee progress in delivering measures across the five action areas.

SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

Sheffield Hospital Green Plan

NHS England’s guidance “Delivering a Net Zero NHS” (2020) gives clear direction for how the NHS will cut its carbon emissions to zero by 2040. Sheffield Children’s Trust has an ambition to be one of the top 10 greenest NHS providers in the country by 2025. It will do this by using the NHS Sustainable Development Units’ Sustainable Development Assessment Tool (SDAT) to demonstrate progress towards its goals. The SDAT programme provides an overall score as a percentage; this can be benchmarked against subsequent assessments to show progress. The tool shows how progress is supporting global health goals at a local level. The trust’s green plan makes it clear that sustainable development is “essential to meet future challenges and ability to deliver services effectively”. Its conclusion adds: “The trust has already made significant progress in core areas of sustainability, such as energy reduction and waste management, but recognises that a broader approach to sustainability is now required. The success of the Green Plan is dependent on collaborative working across a range of departments to ensure that sustainability is embedded in all trust activities.”

• • www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/about-us/publications/
    
    

Achieving for Children Environment Strategy

Introducing Achieving for Children’s first environmental strategy, Lucy Kourpas, chief operating and finance officer, says the children’s services provider “has an important role to play in raising awareness of environmental issues as well as leading by example in the way we deliver and commission services”. From 2021 to 2024, the strategy will seek to deliver children’s services across Kingston upon Thames, the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead in an environmentally-friendly way by identifying areas of change that will result in fewer carbon emissions. The plan covers all aspects of the organisation’s activities, including how it will adapt working practices of its 1,400 employees to become more sustainable. Staff will be informed and enabled to make more environmentally-friendly decisions, whether that is working from an Achieving for Children site, working in the community or working from home. Achieving for Children will work with councils and wider networks to share best practice and build knowledge, it states. Other actions include providing staff with carbon literacy training and appointing environment champions.

• • www.achievingforchildren.org.uk/environment-strategy
    
    

Green LEYF initiative

Childcare provider London Early Years Foundation assessed how sustainable all the practices and processes across the organisation were, introducing a ban on single use plastic, removing glitter, increasing clean air activities, using washable aprons and reduced food waste. It also signed up to complete the ISO14001 standard to ensure sustainability was woven into procurement practices. The organisation has a Green LEYF lead who seeks out research to shape and inform practice, and last April introduced a Level 4 qualification – Developing Sustainability in the Early Years – that is accredited by Cache. Explaining the rationale for the course, LEYF chief executive June O’Sullivan said: “Education is a very powerful pathway to sustainability, but it depends on adults who understand how to integrate sustainability into every element of their leadership, pedagogy and operational practice. Sustainability is not a subject or part of an environmental programme, it is central to the child’s whole experience and needs to be part of a broad and inclusive quality education.”

• • https://leyf.org.uk/category/green-leyf/

ADCS VIEW
LISTEN TO CHILDREN TO SAFEGUARD THE FUTURE

By Charlotte Ramsden, ADCS president 2021/22

As a director of children’s services, my role is to champion all children and young people within my locality. For many young people today, climate change and environmental sustainability are particularly important issues and they are rightly speaking up and making their voices heard. It is, of course, something that affects all generations, but it is the current generation of young people who will be impacted most.

Recently, COP26 was held in Glasgow where nations across the globe came together to reach agreements on how to tackle climate change. What struck me during the conference was the prominence of young voices who made themselves heard. Their commitment and passion for this vital cause is to be admired, but they must also be heard by those in power. Children and young people are our future, we owe it to them to make sure their views are reflected in decisions made by governments about the future of our planet.

During COP26, the Secretary of State for Education announced his vision for all children to be taught in schools about the importance of conserving and protecting our planet and their impact on the world around them. Also announced was a Climate Leaders Award to celebrate the work of children and young people and to develop their skills and knowledge of biodiversity and sustainability. Crucially, this has been developed jointly with children and young people. It is encouraging to see steps being taken to harness their commitment and drive to improving our planet, but this must continue beyond COP26. I know first hand how inspiring young people are when they are given a platform and we saw this at the last ADCS annual conference, where I was delighted to be joined (albeit virtually) by young people from my own local authority via Salford’s Children in Care Council, called Fight for Change, who absolutely stole the show. Long-term investment in children and young people needs to be part of the solution to addressing climate change.

In the short-term, reducing levels of air pollution in our local areas must be a priority. It was recently reported that a quarter of children in the UK attend schools and education settings where air pollution is over the WHO limit. Being exposed to higher levels of pollution is harming for children’s health and risks problems in later life. Clearly, more must be done by our own government to ensure children are educated in a safe and healthy environment. Local authorities also have an important role to play as they hold a wide range of powers to reduce emissions such as through decarbonising transport, waste and buildings. Long-term funding in local government to build upon the innovative projects they are already implementing to improve air quality is vital. Children’s futures depend on it.

FURTHER READING

• Sustainability & Climate Change: A Draft Strategy for the Education & Children’s Services Systems, Department for Education, November 2021

Read more in CYP Now's special report on sustainable services