Interview Ms. Chang Yan: Persisting in Climate Change Education for 13 Years, Moving Forward from Community to the United Nations

Background of Figure: Ms. Chang Yan, 9^th Grade Physics Teacher from Shengli No.4 Middle School, Dongying, Shandong

Main Events:

In 2010, Ms. Chang established the “Little Feet” (Xiao Jiao Ya) group, and led students conducting biodiversity surveys during weekends;

She also served as the lecturer of characteristic course on campus named “The Yellow River Estuary, Our Beautiful Hometown” and promoted climate change education.

Major Achievements:

In October 2023, the climate change education practical case applied by Ms. Chang Yan was selected for the Teachers COP Forum organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and aimed at educators around the world at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), becoming the first Chinese teacher to be invited to participate in this United Nations forum;

Received the honor of “Good Samaritans of China in the 1^st Quarter of 2022” awarded by Civilization Office of the Central Communist Party Committee

Received the honor of “Top 100 Most Beautiful Ecological Environment Volunteers in China in 2023” awarded by Ministry of Ecology and Environment

On October 27, 2023, an email from the organizers of UNFCCC COP28 in Dubai was sent to Ms. Chang Yan, who became the first youth teacher in China to be invited to participate in the cases presentation of Teachers COP. Teachers COP, organized by the Office for Climate Education (OCE), UNESCO, collected 386 cases worldwide at the COP28, and only five cases were selected for presentation during the conference and Ms. Chang was one of the five case presenters. She will present her educational activity case of observing the relationship between biodiversity change and climate change in Dongying, Shandong province. At the upcoming COP28 held in Dubai, we interviewed Ms. Chang Yan with excitement, hoping that her story can convey joy, faith, and hope to the teachers who have been working hard on climate change education!

The invitation letter received by Ms. Chang Yan on October 27, 2023 for the Teachers COP hosted by UNESCO at the COP28

The invitation from the organizers of Teachers COP at the COP 28 held in Dubai inviting Teacher Chang Yan to participate in the online presentation of the conference

The following is the interview with Ms. Chang Yan by Green Light-Year:

Host: Congratulations on your application case for being selected for Teachers COP at the UNFCCC COP28 (hereinafter refer to as COP28). As the first youth Chinese teacher to be invited to Teachers COP, how did you feel when you received this news?

Ms. Chang Yan: I think the activities we carry out are all down-to-earth small things, but I didn’t expect these accumulated small things could achieve certain results, and be recognized by more people. I am very happy about this!

Host: Could you please take this opportunity to share with us the teaching case you applied for COP28?

Ms. Chang Yan: We often conduct bird surveys. I believe that the process of observing birds is actually experiencing the process of climate change. For example, with different temperatures throughout the four seasons of a year and seasonal change, different migratory birds will come to our Yellow River Delta. We can feel the impact of climate change on birds during bird watching. The year before last, we conducted an activity called “Small citizen species survey”. In this activity, we conducted species surveys on some wetlands in Dongying to observe the changes in these species throughout the year and further explore and understand climate change.There is also a project called “Guarding Owls in the City”. This project is quite special, because my daughter, Zhou Xiqiao, rescued an owl (Little Owl) 5 years ago. We found that it can actually live in residential areas, rather than in forests or in some rarely visited places as we usually know. This is something we have never thought of before. So, we started studying the specie of the striped belly owl, which happens to live across from our house, so we have a convenient condition to observe it for a long time.

Host: Why do you want to conduct the bird survey? What is the motivation behind it?

Ms. Chang Yan: On January, 2010, we established the “Little Feet” (Xiao Jiao Ya) group. By that time, my daughter, Zhou Xiqiao, is still a one-year-old little girl. In addition, most of my friends are parents with children. In the process of accompanying our children’s growth, we felt that children should grow up in a broader environment in nature. Based on the starting point of accompanying children’s growth, we established this group together and persisted in going out every week to record many interesting things in the process of children’s growth.

Host: I see, it is out of my expectation that you persisted for 13 years. Well, in the past 13 years, the “Little Feet” group you have led has conducted so many bird surveys. Can you share with us the potential impacts of climate change on biodiversity through your own personal experiences?

Ms. Chang Yan: Climate change may lead to the occurrence of extreme weather, and sudden weather changes may affect the breeding and survival of birds. Taking the Little Owl as an example, through our observation, we found that it is a type of owl that comes out during both day time and night time. If, in a certain year, the temperature remains relatively warm, we will find that the breeding behavior of the Little Owl will advance. If the temperature is particularly low this year, her breeding time will be delayed.

There is another impressive example. One year, a cold wave struck and the temperature dropped abruptly. The next morning when we went bird watching, we found a large number of frozen coots by the lake. Normally, coot is a type of resident bird here, and it should be able to adapt to this temperature change. However, those two days happened to be an extreme cold wave weather, with a sudden drop in temperature, so it may not be able to adapt immediately. It can be seen that extreme weather has a significant impact on coots.

The coot frozen to death by the lake

The weather was extremely cold, and coots were trapped in the remaining piece of water area. There are frozen dead coots on the shore. So, we measured the thickness of the ice on the shore and walked close to observe the survival status of coots in this area.

Host: Although the weather is extremely cold, you still persist in doing research outdoors. This type of spirit is very rare. So, we also want to know how you, as a teacher, educate and encourage students to participate in climate action on campus?

Ms. Chang Yan: Because Dongying is a wetland city, ecological moral education for teenagers has also been carried out relatively well. Our school also offers environmental education courses among lower grades students. There is a special course led by the Dongying Bird Watching Association – “The Yellow River Estuary, Our Beautiful Hometown”, which has one session of course per week. I am also one of lecturers in this lecture group, and I monitor the changes in the water quality of wetlands around us every week. Through these colorful activities, students can feel the beauty of nature, and then naturally want to protect our ecological environment and do something to maintain biodiversity.

Ms. Chang Yan is teaching a course on wetland protection to eighth grade students

Host: As a physics teacher, how will you integrate the climate change education in your subject education?

Ms. Chang Yan: Physics subject is particularly closely related to climate. For example, in physics, we will mention our current greenhouse effect, also known as the heat- island effect. In fact, in physics, we will also pay attention to many environmental pollutions, including solid waste, etc. I will share some of our discoveries in nature with students during the teaching process. I will introduce the beauty in nature in the first place, and then I will show the problems we have discovered and trigger their thinking about “what can I do for the environment, and can I use the scientific knowledge I have learned to help environment protection”.

Host: Besides being a teacher, you are also the mother of a 15-year-old child. As a parent, what extracurricular learning opportunities would you create for your child?

Ms. Chang Yan: Except for leading “Little Feet” group and carrying out activities during weekends, I will also pay attention to the activities carried out by NGOs who have deeply cultivated in the field of ecological and environmental protection. For example, climate change education carried out by Green Light-Year (GLY) is very good, and the content of climate change education activities carried out by GLY is professional, allowing children to go out and explore on larger platforms. I will broaden her horizon, such as being able to see forests, mountains, plains, and various types of terrain and landforms. It is also important to go to different environments to learn more about the connections between the environment and climate.

Host: When did you start paying attention to Green Light-Year?

Ms. Chang Yan: In 2019, Ms. Ni Huan, the founding director of Green Light-Year, gave a lecture at Dongying No.4 Middle School. At that time, she introduced the fish and vegetable symbiosis system at her home and the case of solar electric panels at her home. I also began to gradually understand the process of the establishment of Green Light-Year, and gradually paid attention to the activities carried out by GLY.(For detail: “联合国环境署专家倪欢走进东营分享“低碳生活”UNEP expert, Ms. Ni Huan Walks into Dongying to Share “Low-carbon Life”)

Host: What activities held by Green Light-Year have you participated in with your child?

Ms. Chang Yan: One is Mashaowan Village Research Camp in Laiwu, Shandong province held during the summer vacation this year. (For detail:“D2：爬上山，看一看这个村里的“大风车”！丨山东马杓湾村气候变化教育主题研学”Day 2: Climb up the Mountain and Take a Look at the “Big Windmill” in the village! Mashaowan Village Research Camp on Climate Change Education in Shandong Province) The experience in this research camp is quite different for Xiqiao. The environment of this village is completely different from the one we live in. After she went there, she was surprised to find that such an ancient village was still connected to the use of new energy. Usually, the first impression of ancient villages is generally that these villages are relatively backward in development, but Mashaowan Village can develop new energy and accept many new things, which makes her feel more confident in the rural revitalization of our country.This time, Xiqiao participate in this research camp independently with her team (including some members from “Little Feet” group). After the research I feel that she has improved a lot in both knowledge and abilities. For example, in the process of collaboration between her and her team members, there might be many small controversies and even frictions. However, in the process of constantly adapting, she learned how to lead a team, seek common ground while reserving differences, and better form her own views, which is difficult to learn from school.

Group photo of Zhou Xiqiao at the Mashaowan Village Research Camp (some of whom are members from “Little Feet” group)

(From bottom to top, the second row on the right is Zhou Xiqiao)

The other activity is COP15 Shanghai regional event in 2021. (15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD COP15) (For detail:“回顾丨COP15“多样的生命多彩的世界”上海区域活动暨2021长三角地区生物多样性与生态文明教育论坛”Review: COP15 “Diverse Life, Colorful World” Event and 2021 Yangtze River Delta Region Biodiversity and Ecological Civilization Education Forum) Actually, I noticed this event just after it was released. At the beginning, I didn’t have a very systematic idea, so I told our team this news. Everyone was sorting out past activities and organizing many activities related to biodiversity conservation. The event was particularly helpful to us. In the future, we will think more about what changes this action may bring to the environment, and how we can better promote and expand our influence to the public, so that more people can join. But before, our team only acted silently on our own, without thinking about expanding our influence or organizing our achievement to form a report. Participating in the conference could provide guidance to our actions and make us more systematic in doing things in the future.

Zhou Xiqiu presented at the Youth Forum of COP15 Shanghai regional event in September, 2021

Host: I heard that Xiqiao just went with the Youth Delegation of Green Light-Year to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in October to participate in the Global RCE Annual Conference hosted by the United Nations University (UNU). (For detail:“第13届RCE峰会 D1｜多元文化背后蕴藏的能量，需要用语言传递”13 Global RCE Conference, Day 1: The Energy Hidden Behind Multiculturalism Needs to be Conveyed Through Language) Why are you willing to support Xiqiao, who is about to take the high school entrance examination, to participate in this international conference?

Ms. Chang Yan: In fact, through exercising more, she knows how to communicate with the people and things around her. Through talking with her, I feel that taking part in this activity has made her face difficulties more actively, and I think it’s great. In addition, I think Green Light-Year has organized tightly in this activity. For example, delegation members attend the conference during the day time and conduct reviews in the evening. Through this process, students could know their shortcomings and how other members of the Delegation have performed, and ultimately their understanding of sustainable development and other issues will be more profound.

Host: Are there any moments that impress you the most in the process of your child’s participation in the Conference held in Kuala Lumpur?

Ms. Chang Yan: The most impressive thing must be that she came on stage and deliver a speech by herself. At the beginning, she was very scared and could not speak anything on stage. However, under such tremendous pressure, she could also actively express herself in English and share her ideas, and after speaking a few words, her speech becomes smoother. I feel that children may need such positive pressure to stimulate their potential, so that they can complete this task more smoothly.

Zhou Xiqiao actively spoke and exchanged ideas at the Global RCE Annual Conference hosted by the United Nations University (UNU)

Host: Before we finish the interview, please use a few words to summarize your experience in exploring the field of climate change education, and I hope to take this opportunity to share it with fellow teachers.

Ms. Chang Yan: In fact, I think as teachers, we should first focus on information that is closer to the real problems in this world, broaden our own horizons, and then we can be able to play a leading role. In this way, we can better convey the information and data we observe to children, guiding them to think, discover, and explore. Our loving attitude itself could impact our children.

Host: What a great last sentence! From you, we can see the educational style of “Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles”, as well as your self-cultivation of “teach by precept and example”. Green Light-Year will also recruit 3-5 teachers like you to participate into the co-creation of climate change education. (Tips: Please submit your application resume to huangxiaohong@green-lightyear.org) We also look forward to and welcome Ms. Chang to join us in influencing more young people to join us, and to have more representatives of Chinese young teachers step onto the international stage to tell China’s story in the field of climate change education.