I watched the latest session from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee [EAC] (25 February) on Parliament TV. It was a poorly-attended event, with almost as many witnesses as MPs. Those speaking were:
National Union of Students – Jamie Agombar
Speaker's Parliamentary Placement Scheme – Shay Miah
UK Youth Parliament – Ryan Bruce (member for Hartlepool)
My Life, My Say – Calin Epure
Representation of UK youth was the common feature here, and it was good not to see the usual suspects – so well done EAC. Between them, the witnesses covered quite a bit of sustainability ground.
I was struck that at least one member of the committee (Caroline Spelman) spoke positively about how well the English national curriculum covers climate change. You'll find her comments and the exchange that followed around 1435 on the TV recording. The impact of this was particularly strong given that someone from the BBC had made the same point to me the day before.
This is a point that I do not often make myself (in fact I never do), but you can see why a particular reading of the documentation might lead to that view – indeed, it is a reading that the government encourages; see, for example, its recent letter to Steve Martin and myself about these very issues.
There are, of course, a number of references to climate change and related issues in the national curriculum, it's just that they don't cohere. It's rather like just presenting a list of ingredients and expecting a decent cake to emerge – something that's only possible with flair, experience and the right conditions.
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