Bow High School Students to Discuss Climate Change In Copenhagen

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Almost every Sunday since the beginning of summer, ten students from Bow High School have been meeting in their school library.
Their goal: to learn everything they can about climate change.
They’re preparing for the Zealand Consensus, named for the island region in Denmark where Copenhagen is located.
Their meeting will precede the UN Climate Change conference.
Bow High School teacher Jackie Coe says these Bow students will meet with 120 other students from around the world.

"they are hoping to have a group from China, there are going to have a lot of European students there, some Eastern European students, but I think we’re the only ones from the Americas"

Bow High School’s sister school in Haslev, Denmark invited the students.
But teachers chose which students from Bow would attend.
The students went through an extensive interview and application process to determine their knowledge and abilities.
The teachers also wanted students with differing views about climate change.
At their final meeting last Sunday, students discussed what they think the U-S should be doing at the UN conference in Copenhagen.
Student Alex Baier says he thinks the climate legislation sponsored by U-S Senators Kerry and Boxer to cut greenhouse gas emissions is a good start.

"I like what we saw in the Kerry Boxer bill, they were cutting levels pretty dramatically by 2050 and that was in line with the United Nations goal, so if we look at that bill as a model for what we should be saying in the Zealand Consensus I think that would provide us with a pretty good foundation of what to talk about."

Some students think the climate talks in Copenhagen won’t result in any legally-binding treaty.
But despite that, student Will Sheffer hopes the talks will still make progress.

“I think what the message we want to leave is though it’s kind of our responsibility, there’s no reason for the adults now not to do something about it and they shouldn’t leave it on our shoulders to fix everything especially when there are things you can be doing now to fix global warming.”

In preparing for the Zealand Consensus, each student tackled a different theme surrounding climate change – from renewable energy and personal behavior, to waste production and bio-fuels.
Teacher Jackie Coe says after more than six months of research, many of the students have a clearer picture of how difficult the issues are.

“when we initially convened everyone and went through the interview process, it was very idealistic and as they did more research and as we had more discussion and we listened to guest speakers and then we went to Washington, now I really think they have a fuller, maybe more sophisticated understanding.”

Student Lori Zibel says her research gave her a better understanding of all the forces at play.

“what I really came up with and what I wrote a whole research paper about is that politics, more than science, formed the basis of our environmental policy”

Students also used their research in larger projects.
Allison Baier studied green architecture and what it takes to earn recognition from the U-S Green Building Council.

"At first I wanted to get our school LEED certified but after doing a little research I realized that that was maybe a little too ambitious and the taxpayers of Bow were not behind me on that so I had to switch my project a little bit."

Instead, Baier focused on smaller changes that can be made to reduce one’s carbon footprint.
She says she knew little about environmental science and global warming before her research.
But Baier says she believes this experience has changed her and the other students.

"It’s important for us to understand what’s happening now and how that is going to affect our future and just because we’re kids doesn’t mean we’re not influential and I think we can go to Copenhagen and definitely say what we want to say and hope the UN will respect what we have to say and listen."

The Bow High School students leave Saturday for Denmark.
For NHPR news, I’m Amy Quinton.