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Making Your Voices Heard at COP26

October 28, 2021 by Admin

Over the past few weeks we have been receiving all of your fantastic messages for world leaders which we will be sharing at COP26 on November 1^st. It has been wonderful to see so many voices coming together to stand up for our planet, and we are delighted to be able to share your messages at COP26 and make your voices heard. Together we are powerful and we can make a difference. It is vital that the decision-makers who are supposed to represent us can hear us and know what we expect from them.

There has been far too much talking and far too little action in the fight against climate change, and time is quickly running out. We must take action on a large scale, but for this to happen, it is essential that world leader’s make the right decisions now. If we do not act soon, then we are risking entire ecosystem collapse and the destruction of our beautiful planet.

It may sound dramatic, but this is the real risk that humanity is currently facing. However, it is not too late to stop this from happening. COP26 is the final opportunity for world leaders to get it right, and we must do all we can to push them in the right direction. To all those who have sent us their messages for world leaders – thank you! We have received messages from people all over the UK and internationally, and it is wonderful to see so many people fighting for our planet. If you haven’t yet sent us your message for world leaders, please do send them to us here and let us make your voice heard!

These are just a few of the brilliant messages you have been sending in over the past few weeks!

“Life is breathtakingly beautiful and full of amazement: the change of a tadpole to the tiniest frog is something which brings delight, wonder and joy. Let’s think not just of ourselves but of generations ahead of us, seven generations on. How will they think of us? Will they bless us, this generation on the cusp of either devastation or renewal? Or will they curse us?” Mary, Leeds

“Please restrict the power of big corporations, oil companies, industries. We need more, bold, effective regulations to steer our climate towards a less destructive direction. We all depend on your bravery, expertise, and experience. As a citizen I can just vote, vote with my wallet, and write messages. As leaders, you can do so much more. Please act before it’s too late.” Anna, Germany

“Money, power and politics mean nothing on an Earth that can’t sustain life… please remember that your decisions today will impact the lives of every being on this planet…” Charlotte, Planet Earth

“Please remember that our amphibians and reptiles will also be affected by our changing climate, in particular how their habitats and food are affected by the changes that come from more extreme weather and unpredictable elements. Ensuring our wildlife, including reptiles and amphibians, survive our changing climate is important because with them our ecosystems are healthier and will function better, and our lives (and generations to come) will be much richer for having them here.” Ed, Forest of Dean

“Do you want to look back on your time in office, and be remembered for doing all you could to save the planet, or do you want to be remembered for inaction and failure?” William, UK

The Power of Ponds – Froglife at COP26

October 26, 2021 by Admin

This year COP26 is being hosted in Glasgow, and there is a lot of excitement building up for the long-awaited conference after it was postponed last year. With the climate crisis looming bigger than ever, and time for action rapidly running out, this is arguably one of the most important COPs to date. COP26 provides the perfect platform to discuss and debate, find solutions and set bold new targets, but most importantly we must use this momentum to start taking action now!

Here at Froglife we are excited to announce that we are one of the few organisations selected to run an Exhibition Stand at COP26. Our Exhibition will be a collaboration with the British Dragonfly Society, and together we will be highlighting the power of ponds! Ponds are a fantastic and highly under-rated tool in the combat against climate change. They are carbon sinks which means they reduce the levels of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and consequently reduce the effects of global warming. Ponds can store and absorb carbon at unexpectedly high rates, with many ponds even able to absorb carbon at a higher rate than woodlands¹. It’s not just carbon either – ponds can remove all sorts of greenhouse gases from our atmosphere. For example, two thirds of farm ponds in the UK are nitrous oxide sinks². Nitrogen is a component of chlorophyll which is often used in farm fertiliser. When fertiliser runs into farm ponds, the algae in these ponds absorbs the nitrogen before it is able to react with oxygen in the air to become nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas which can trap heat at 300 times the rate of carbon dioxide.

Ponds can function as carbon sinks, biodiversity hotspots, educational resources, and flood mitigation amongst other things. When creating new ponds, it is always good to be clear about why you are creating it and design and manage it accordingly. To gain maximum benefit it is best to create a network of multiple different ponds that serve for different purposes.

Research into the role of ponds in combatting climate change is very promising, and ponds are such a useful tool because they are also highly actionable, with many people able to create them in their own gardens and community spaces. This is why our Exhibition will focus on teaching people all about ponds. Our key element will be a fun, interactive model pond activity using two recycled container ‘ponds’ and a number of handmade pond props. We will be encouraging people to get stuck in and have a go at creating their idea of a ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ponds, prompting discussion around why ponds are important, and what makes a good pond.

Although our main focus will be on ponds, we will also be highlighting another important threat to biodiversity at COP26; wildlife road mortality. This is a significant issue that threatens wildlife globally, with the Common Toad being at particularly high risk in the UK³. We will be immersing people into this issue through our virtual reality technology which will allow participants to view the world through the eyes of a Common Toad attempting to migrate to its breeding pond. This thought-provoking activity will not only demonstrate the problem, but also the solution offered by wildlife tunnels! Read more on this issue here: www.froglife.org/t-o-a-d-campaign

Our Exhibition Stand at COP26 is an important opportunity for us to stimulate discussion and encourage and support people to take action at home. We also want to use our platform to make your voices heard! Please send us your message for world leaders and we will share these at COP26 through an interactive ‘pond dip’ (or ‘message dip’) activity, as well as displaying them on a large screen for everyone to see.

We are really excited to talk to people about the power of ponds at COP26. We will be in the Green Zone on November 1^st, so grab your free Green Zone tickets and we will see you there!

References:

Taylor, S., Gilbert, PJ., Cooke, DA., et al. (2019) High carbon burial rates by small ponds in the landscape. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 17(1), 25-31.

Webb, JR., Hayes, NM., Simpson, GL. et al. (2019) Widespread nitrous oxide undersaturation in farm waterbodies creates an unexpected greenhouse gas sink. PNAS. 116(20), 9814-9819.

Petrovan, SO., Schmidt, BR. (2016) Volunteer Conservation Action Data Reveals Large-Scale and Long-Term Negative Population Trends of a Widespread Amphibian, the Common Toad (Bufo bufo). PLOS ONE 11(10): e0161943. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161943

Froglife’s role at COP26: The world’s last, and best chance to get climate change under control.

September 30, 2021 by Admin

The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021. Many believe this is the world’s last, and best chance to get climate change under control. Each day 8 NGOs from around the world have been invited to have a stall in the Green Zone of the event that delegates and members of the public can visit. Froglife is honoured to have been selected as one of these organisations and will be attending on Monday 1st November.

We want to share this opportunity to have our voice heard by asking you to send us your messages for world leaders

What is it?

COP26 is the 26^th United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Glasgow in November 2021. COP comprises 197 countries (known as parties) which signed the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convent on Climate Change) in 1994. COP member countries are encouraged to set ambitious climate targets in order to combat climate change. At COP26 these targets will be reviewed and debated, and decisions made on what actions need to be taken.

Why is it important?

COP26 is important because it facilitates a global assessment of the climate crisis, and monitors the climate actions (or lack thereof) of member countries. It is also an opportunity to inspire climate action both amongst world leaders and the general public, and enables new solutions to be discussed and debated.

What is Froglife doing?

Climate change poses a huge threat to amphibians and reptiles. The UK Government must set binding targets to keep global temperature rises to below 1.5°C. Froglife, in collaboration with The British Dragonfly Society, is one of a few organisations that have been selected to run an Exhibition Stall in the Green Zone on November 1^st. The aim of our stall is to highlight the importance of ponds as carbon sinks and for biodiversity, and encourage people to take action by creating their own garden ponds.

Our stall will be created from sustainable materials. We will offer a model pond activity using re-purposed containers filled with water, and a selection of pond props which attendees can use to create ‘good’ and ‘bad’ wildlife ponds. We will have a third mini-pond filled with your messages which people can ‘pond dip’ for. These messages will also be displayed on screens at the event and with participants accessing the event online around the world.

In addition to our pond activities, we will be highlighting the issues of habitat fragmentation and road mortality using our VR video of a toad trying to migrate to its breeding pond.

Your messages to world leaders

We want you to send us your messages to share with world leaders and participants from around the world at COP26, so we can help make their voices heard. The messages can be any comments, opinions or ideas you have relating to climate change. Messages featuring amphibians and reptiles and their habitats are encouraged!

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