This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Learning about environmental challenges
16/01/2007
A powerful climate change film by former US Vice President Al Gore is to be shown in all of Scotland's secondary schools as part of a new learning initiative unveiled today.
The Executive, through Learning Teaching Scotland and Scottish Power, is to develop and deliver a package of education materials, based around screenings of An Inconvenient Truth. The aim of the package is to maximise the teaching and learning opportunities presented by this important documentary
Speaking at the Al Gore 'What Our Future Holds' event in Glasgow, Environment Minister Ross Finnie said:
"Scotland takes climate change seriously. Since meeting Al Gore in September and watching An Inconvenient Truth at its first screening I have been considering ways in which the main messages about climate change could be embedded into and future learning education in Scotland.
"Many of the messages in the film are echoed in our own efforts to communicate the issue of climate change through Scotland's Climate Change Programme and the wider sustainable development agenda through our It's Our Future campaign.
"I am very grateful to Scottish Power for their support in making DVD copies available to Scottish Secondary schools and I am delighted that Learning and Teaching Scotland have agreed to help develop materials to demonstrate how climate change and sustainable development messages can be presented in a new and exciting way to pupils.
"We aim to pilot materials towards the end of the current academic year and roll-out the full package for the start of the next school year."
Stephen Dunn, ScottishPower's Director of HR and Communication, said:
"We are happy to help the Executive put An Inconvenient Truth into the curriculum - the film offers hope on what we can still do to fight climate change and it tells this story simply and powerfully.
"ScottishPower is already the biggest generator of onshore wind energy in the UK and is developing biomass and wave generation to reduce emissions and combat global warming - but it is essential that we also help promote understanding of this crucial challenge."
Background:
Learning and Teaching Scotland will be collating and developing materials to enhance screenings of the film in all Scottish secondary schools which will support teaching and learning across a wide range of curricular areas. Materials will be developed in support of screenings to pupils in S4-S6 with a view to developing the package to share their learning with younger pupils.
Initial pilot screenings are anticipated to take place towards the end of the current academic year with the full package available to schools in time for the start of the 2007-08 school year.
Scottish Power are supporting the initiative through the purchase of individual DVD copies of the film for distribution to all secondary schools in Scotland.
A Schools Initiative Steering Group led by the Executive has been established including Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS), the Sustainable Development and Education Liaison Group (SDELG) and Scottish Power.