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Climate change and sustainability: 'Reaching the tipping point'
Thank you for your informing me about [Early Childhood Australia] and the work you do. We are all part of a network of people and groups that make up a huge movement. Let's hope we reach a tipping point soon.
—respected environmental activist David Suzuki, in response to the Sustainability issue of ECA's Every Child magazine (vol. 13 no. 1, 2007)
Sustainability is about creating a safe and secure future for every child
In her President's Message in the ECA Voice newsletter (vol. 7 no. 3, 2007), Margaret Young wrote:
Climate change and global warming are gathering more and more public exposure—it is an issue which reaches across so many aspects of our lives. Early Childhood Australia echoes the hope of David Suzuki: that we may soon reach a tipping point, in which widespread understanding of these issues leads to universal support for living sustainably on our planet.
This issue of Voice includes a sample of some of the great work being done by ECA's Global Warming e-Group. At the ECA Board of Directors meeting in June, ECA reconfirmed its commitment to the issues of climate change and sustainability.
'Climate change' refers to the varied effects of global warming, such as increases in extreme weather events, prolonged droughts and heat waves, melting ice caps, retreat of glaciers, higher sea levels, acidification of the oceans and changes to marine life cycles (Lowe, 2007).
'Sustainability' refers to a way of life in which humans—individually as well as collectively—lessen the negative impact upon each other and the world in which we all live. Sustainability is a holistic concept which seeks to create positive outcomes, socially as well as environmentally.
References
Lowe, I. (2007). A brief summary of the science of global warming and climate change. Retrieved 17 April 2007, www.envlaw.com.au/newlands4.pdf
Read the two articles from ECA's Global Warming e-Group
Climate change and its impact on young children
—Julie Davis, Queensland University of Technology
Why do young children need to know about climate change?
Early childhood educators' responses to common questions and concerns
—Tracy Young, Swinburne University of Technology
Other resources from Early Childhood Australia
Free sample articles available online:
Every Child magazine–Play and learning (vol. 14 no. 2, 2008)
Every Child magazine–Building collaborative communities (vol. 13 no. 4, 2007)
Every Child magazine–Sustainability (vol. 13 no. 1, 2007)
Quality-assured books from our catalogue:
Early Childhood Australia publications:
Everyday learning about being green
Greening services: Practical sustainability
Early childhood environmental education: Making it mainstream
Young children: Thinking about the scientific world
Young children as active learners
From other publishers:
Just discover! Connecting young children with the natural world
The outdoor playspace naturally: For children birth to five years
Discovering nature with young children – The Young Scientist series
Spotlight on young children and social studies
Spotlight on young children and science
Hollyhocks and honeybees: Gardening projects for young children
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