
Rosie Bawn from Whimple who attends King’s School in Ottery St Mary wrote to me recently about her GCSE project based on global warming. She says “In July I had a work experience placement in the business department at the Met Office, but had a particular interest in Climatology and Forecasting. I am especially concerned about global warming and the effects, and this concern has led me to begin a GCSE project based on global warming.
As a full-course GCSE RE student I have been given the opportunity to produce a ‘Higher Project’ on a moral issue of my choice. I have decided to study the question ‘Why is global warming An Inconvenient Truth?’; a question that is based on the famous Al Gore film on global warming.”
Here are Rosie’s questions – and my answers in bold:
Do you believe that global warming is happening? Yes, it is happening, which is why I felt motivated to join the Green Party just after the Copenhagen Climate Summit in autumn 2009 and do something about climate change through political channels.
Do you personally think it is a natural phenomenon (an inevitable part of the earth’s continuous cycle) or a man-made effect? Personally, after looking into it over the past two years, I’m quite convinced that climate change is man-made and it is our responsibility to try and slow it down as soon as possible.

What impact do you think the media has on people’s opinions on global warming? Inevitably the media has an impact on every issue, even the ones it doesn’t spend time on – as then people do not hear about them. With a Green MP and more Green candidates standing for elections every single year, this means the media can no longer ignore the issues we care about.
Should our attempts to overcome global warming go beyond party politics? Yes, they should and the grassroots movement is extremely important, for example the transition movement (which is apolitical). Politics, however is the route I have chosen (as opposed to Friends of the Earth etc) as I am hopeful I will be sitting on a local council come this May – which will then mean local decisions (planning etc) will have a Green voice in my town.

Do you personally believe that global warming is a high enough priority for people today? Unfortunately, global warming is not enough of an immediate problem for most people to grasp in their everyday lives. I don’t think most people can relate to something which could affect the world after they have gone. Fortunately there are enough of us to make a start, and if through local politics and the grassroots movement, we can change the way society functions then perhaps we have a chance of stopping the temperature rising to the tipping point after which we will not be able to reduce it! Some people believe we shouldn’t take the route of ‘shocking’ people into seeing how much of a global catastophe lies ahead. Personally I think most people are oblivious to the devastating results of climate change (already happening) because we do not tell them the inconvenient truth.
Sharon Pavey
Coordinator East Devon Green Party
Fundraiser South West Green Party
www.sharonpavey.org