THE MOST EFFICIENT TOOL TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE IS YOU

As part of the ALEC (Latin America for Climate Education) project, Manuel Alejandro Carbra Rodríguez, a teacher at Juanito Suárez Elementary School in the city of Toluca, has been trained in climate change education. Manuel shares his experience, objectives, obstacles, and his students' feelings with us.

• HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE PROJECT “CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO”?

This project allowed me to deeply understand the damage that has been done to our Mother Earth. The training and application of experiments were a fundamental part of acquiring the theoretical and practical knowledge that I could later replicate with my students. The journey has not been easy, and there have been constant limitations. However, thanks to the support I received from parents, school administration, my fellow teachers, and most importantly, thanks to the enthusiasm my students showed throughout this work, I can proudly say that we have achieved the goal of contributing our small part to protect our planet. All of this stems from a real awareness within the school community. The work we did inside the classroom allowed us to have a closer connection to this issue.

• WHAT KNOWLEDGE HAS THIS PROJECT PROVIDED YOU WITH, AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO DISSEMINATE IT ON A LARGER SCALE?

Through the various experiments, we were able to understand the causes and effects of the greenhouse effect and how we can contribute to counteracting global warming. The knowledge we acquired today must be the fruit of tomorrow. I hope that this project expands, and we manage to raise awareness and mobilize beyond this school community. I hope that students will replicate this learning outside of school so that gradually, society understands the seriousness of the situation we currently face.

• WHAT WERE THE MAIN OBSTACLES YOU FACED DURING THE PROJECT'S DEVELOPMENT?

During this activity, we encountered different barriers in gathering the materials needed for the experiments. However, we managed to adapt the work and use materials provided by parents to successfully conduct the experiments.

• WHAT WAS THE OBJECTIVE YOU WANTED TO ACHIEVE THROUGH THIS PROJECT?

I wanted the learning to remain in the students' consciousness. I wanted them to understand that, with effort, work, and dedication, they are making a change. "We have a mission, to protect and pass on the planet to the next generation."

• WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO TEACH ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE?

To answer, I would like to share this quote that drove the work with the 5th-grade students in the project “Cambio Climático”: "Although the magnitude of climate change may make people feel powerless, individual action is critical for significant change."

Finally, I want to express my gratitude to the authorities who allowed me to be the conduit for providing such an important topic on climate change and sharing it with the students at this elementary school.