Our episode is about the Climate Ambassador Scheme. The Climate Ambassador Scheme provides nurseries, schools and colleges across England with free access to local experts who can help turn their climate and sustainability ambitions into action.

Volunteer experts from across England are wanted to support the roll-out of the scheme, which, in the first two years, aims to support 2,500 education settings on their sustainability journey. Regional hubs have been set up so that experts can be matched with educational settings in their area. The East of England Climate Ambassador hub will be coordinated by UEA and led by the Tyndall Centre.

Anyone interested in becoming a Climate Ambassador can sign up to the scheme now, to be provided with free training and support, and be matched to a local nursery, school or college that needs help building a climate action plan. All Climate Ambassadors will be supported by a national network of regional hubs, based at organisations with a strong commitment to sustainability and climate action.

Today we will speak with Kit Marie Rackley, the Schools Climate Hub coordinator in the East of England to learn more about how to become a climate ambassador.

Sign up here: https://www.stem.org.uk/climate-ambassadors/stem-ambassadors

Music by Ben Sound

This episode is about art, climate change, and community engagement. In this episode we will talk to a panel from the Sainsbury Centre and Norwich University of the Arts to share experiences and insights from their recent event, “Going to Meet the Sea”. We will talk about understanding the role of the arts in communicating the impacts of climate change, preparing for adaptation, and building resilience within communities.

How does the act of walking deepen our connection and awareness of the environment that surrounds us? Can art serve as both a record and a journey? How can heightened attention and mindfulness towards our environment alter and enrich our understanding of the complex ecosystem of the natural world?

Prompted by these intriguing questions, the Sainsbury Centre, in partnership with Norwich University of the Arts embarked on a project entitled "Going to Meet the Sea - Art Talks to Climate Change" last February.

This pioneering event, inspired by the "Walking as Research" concept, featured a coastal walk in Great Yarmouth to spotlight the urgent issue of climate change and the accelerating erosion of Norfolk's coastlines.

Facing an annual reduction of 0.4 to 2 metres, Norfolk's coastline is predicted to meet further challenges due to climate change. This initiative aimed to explore the rich mosaic of the region's landscape, which includes wetland habitats, farmland, towns, and historic features, through visual experiences, chance encounters, and in-depth conversations.

Our guests for this episode are Jago Cooper and Ken Paranada from the Sainsbury Centre and Louis Nixon and Candice Allison from the Norwich University of the Arts.

Music by BenSound

Our episode will talk about 1.5C – what it means science wise, policy wise, and communications wise. 1.5C has been one of the most recognised numbers when we talk about climate change. Where did this number come from? The goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is a key aspect of international efforts to address climate change. This target is central to the Paris Agreement.

1.5C has actually been the rallying call of the alliance of small islands states (also called the AOSIS group), backed by scientific evidence from research by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. AOSIS argued that 1.5C would be the safe limit for their countries. In a 1.5C world, many of the deadliest effects of climate change are reduced, especially for small islands and low-lying nations threatened by rising sea levels and storms. In Paris at COP21, 106 countries supported the 1.5C limit, allowing it to be part of the Paris Agreement.

But there has been a lot of discussion about 1.5C in the last months – especially with reports coming out that the global average temperature has breached the target. Last year, 2023, was the hottest year globally since records began in 1850, and 2024 might be warmer, because of periodic influencing by El Nino warming. So it perhaps seems improbable that 1.5C is an achievable target. What does it mean when we breach the 1.5C target?

In this episode, we have Asher Minns, Executive Director of the Tyndall Centre and Manoj Joshi, Professor of Climate Dynamics at the School of Environmental Sciences at the UEA.

Music by Ben Sound