Marina Siva and Chico Mendes ( murdered in 1988) are/were activists against the deforestation of the trees in the Amazon forest - Amazonia - the largest remaining rainforest in the world. Amazonia is often called the lungs of the planet- the trees absorb much of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere -without them climate change would be much more severe. Through her friendship with Chico she saw how her development of region was damaging her beloved rainforest. After university she got a job working with Chico. They set up a rubber tapper’s union. They tried to create protected areas of forest for people made their living by extracting rubber, nuts and medicinal plants from the forest.it would allow development of the rainforest in a sustainable way. Marina and Chico would hold empates (stand offs) to prevent the building of ranches and to protect thousands of acres of rainforests. In 1988 she decided to stand as a local politician and was elected as a a city councilor in Rio Branco. In the same year Chico, aged 44, was murdered by the son of a cattle rancher, In 1991 first extractive reserve was created in the state of Acre. In 1994 elected as a senator to represent her state in the national government In 1996 won the Goldman award - the world’s top environment award. In 2003 she became Environment Minister for Brazil. Between 2004-7 she worked to crack down on illegal logging. She made powerful enemies but deforestation of the Amazon reduced to 60%. In 2007 she was chosen as a ’ Champion of the Earth’ by the United Nations Environment Programme. 2008 resigned post - felt her powers were gradually being taken away. g Since then she has been the most successful Green politician. Stood unsuccessfully to be president 3 times. ‘This courageous and principled woman has no intention of ever giving up.’ Lily Dyu & Amt Blackwell Sources Wikipedia Earth Heroes Lily Dyu & Amy Blackwell

The weather this winter in the U.K at times has been extreme. Is it because of climate change? I have put together work about, rain and snow. These two combined have resulted in a number of rivers flooding across the country. Very heavy rain plus thawing snow has meant we have had rivers serious flooding into property in different parts of the country. The canal system with their locks and weirs have also been overwhelmed - so there is information in diagram form showing how a lock works. Plus work on fog. While looking through my Geography notes I came across lots of weather symbols - these have been included. Added Rescue Vocabulary sheet.

Harriet, with her camera at the ready, visited many countries with her husband. In 1900 she undertook her first expedition with her husband. The three year trip was to South America where they visited every country. She crossed the Andes on horseback. Gave first lecture to National Geographical Society (NGS). Her next voyage followed Christopher Columbus’s first discoveries between Europe and America visiting every country that had a Spanish or Portuguese colony. She was a correspondent for Harper’s magazine in Europe during the First World War. She was the first American journalist to visit the French trenches. In 1935 , with her husband, she did a second extended trip to South America. During her lifetime she wrote 21 articles for the NGS. Her colour photographs and adventurous travel style earned her numerous invitations to speak across the world by organizations who had never before asked a woman to speak… Harriet was the first president of the Society of Woman Geographers (1925-33). Sources Wikipedia Standing on her Shoulders by Monica Clark-Robinson

Recently there has been a lot of news about Climate Change and the number of serious fires we are now experiencing . Over the years I have created several Phrase and Vocabulary sheets. Friend or Foe/ could be a good discussion/ starting point I have included a short story when, during a dispute, the green goddesses were trundled out in England - written by myself. There are also 2 poetry aids with a few ‘couplets’ included for starters. There is also a blank ‘comic’ strip and 2 best copy sheets. I have included 3 pages from a book called Emergency - the author describes how to put out a fire and describes the use of basic firefighting equipment. There is also a page about breathing apparatus. There is a general Rescue sheet. Finally I have included information about fire-engines/lorries/trucks and other vehicles. There are lots of FREE photocopiable sheets on firemen/fighters and fire engines available on Google. Sources Challenging the Physical Elements by Tony Batchelor Wikipedia What to do in an Emergency Reader’s Digest

Earthquakes are one of the most destructive natural disasters in the world. The first sheet emphasizes the link between Earthquakes, Tsunami and Volcanoes. The second sheet require the pupil to draw pictures to show slight destruction to ruins. The third sheet gives suggestions for putting the story together, the forth sheet is a vocabulary sheet. Home at last is my attempt at a story. There is also a poetry aid. Finally there is a simple crossword and word search - answers supplied. Added general sheet on Rescue.

I have included 9 work sheets Extreme Weather Conditions Weather General Vocabulary Winter ice, frost & Vocabulary Ice, Frosts and Snow Storms Winds Beaufort Scale 2 Poetry aids (differentiated)