Why cheap renewables are stalling

The Conversation
Wed, 15 May 2024

Last summer, the northern hemisphere was the hottest it has been for 2,000 years.

The warnings of climate scientists are at fever pitch: halt the burning of coal, oil and gas or risk catastrophic warming of at least 2.5°C. With solar and wind energy plentiful and supposedly cheap to harvest, why is ditching fossil fuel so hard anyway?

Imagine weekly climate newsletter

This roundup of The Conversation’s climate coverage comes from our weekly climate action newsletter. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 30,000+ readers who’ve subscribed.

Renewable sources generate nearly a third of the world’s electricity – and a handful of new studies suggest that rapidly decarbonising the remainder is possible.

In fact, some evidence suggests the transition needn’t be all that painful.

Read more: Summer 2023 was northern hemisphere's hottest for 2,000 years, tree rings show

Shovels at the ready

“Over half of Africa’s people – about 600 million – lack access to even the bare minimum of electricity,” say Christiane Zarfl and Rebecca Peters, environmental systems analysts at the University of Tübingen.

“The tough question to answer is how access can be extended without adding to global warming by relying on fossil fuels.”

When Zarfl and Peters analysed publicly available data on hydro, solar and wind energy in Africa, they found that enough was in the pipeline in Nigeria and Zimbabwe to make fossil power obsolete in both countries by 2050.

Even more encouraging was their conclusion that 76% of Africa’s power needs in 2040 could be met by renewables if existing plants work at full capacity and all planned projects are built.

Read more: 76% of Africa's energy could come from renewable sources by 2040: here's how

The pair acknowledge that hydropower, Africa’s leading renewable source to date, is not expected to turn a profit after 2030. Happily, wind and solar can make use of existing dams – with floating photovoltaic panels on reservoirs, for instance.

Hybrid projects could see solar and hydropower plants combine. Supawit.S/Shutterstock

Solar and wind power can generate electricity on almost any surface sufficiently exposed to the elements (your roof could be a good candidate).

Andrew Blakers, a professor of engineering at Australian National University, calculated how much space was needed to build the panels, turbines and power lines necessary for decarbonising Australia’s electricity and was startled by the result.

Read more: No threat to farm land: just 1,200 square kilometres can fulfil Australia's solar and wind energy needs

“All we need is 1,200 square kilometres,” he says.

“That’s not much. The area devoted to agriculture is about 3,500 times larger at 4.2 million square kilometres. The area of land that would be taken away from agriculture works out at about 45 square metres per person – about the size of a large living room.”

Renewable energy can be generated on land reserved for another purpose. Panels and turbines that are spaced out to maximise how much sun and wind each one catches offer room for crops to grow and livestock to graze, Blakers says.

The mix of shade and rainfall exposure created by solar panel arrays could even have ecological benefits according to Matthew Sturchio, a PhD candidate in plant and ecosystem ecology at Colorado State University.

“In some cases, mixed conditions like these, with varying levels of light and water, can be a good thing. A well-tested concept in restoration ecology – the science of restoring damaged ecosystems – is that environments with more variety support more diverse mixes of plants and animals.”

Read more: Solar power occupies a lot of space – here's how to make it more ecologically beneficial to the land it sits on
Not so fast…

If the technical barriers to zero-carbon power are falling then the economic ones appear more stubborn.

The growth of the US offshore wind industry, which began sending power to north-eastern states earlier this year, has stalled due to rising costs.

“Several big hitters, including Ørsted, Equinor, BP and Avangrid, have cancelled contracts or sought to renegotiate them in recent months,” says Christopher Niezrecki, director of the Center for Energy Innovation at UMass Lowell.

“Altogether, projects that had been cancelled by the end of 2023 were expected to total more than 12 gigawatts of power, representing more than half of the capacity in the project pipeline.”

Read more: Why US offshore wind power is struggling – the good, the bad and the opportunity

You’ve probably read how cheap it is to generate electricity from the sun and wind. These estimates tend to be averaged over the entire lifetime of a project, which may be 20 years for the average wind turbine.

This obscures how expensive (and laborious) it is to get approval for and build a solar or wind farm in the first place.

“One of the largest contributors to the cost of generating renewable energy is the upfront cost of raising investment,” says Matteo Gasparini, a DPhil candidate in climate and finance at the University of Oxford.

“Banks tend to lumber riskier investments with higher interest rates, and so these rules could make it more expensive to finance the construction of wind and solar farms.”

Investors baulk at putting their money into anything that might later be buffeted by unforeseen costs. According to Gasparini’s research, European banks see renewables as a bigger liability on their balance sheets than fossil fuels.

Read more: Why banks consider renewable energy to be a riskier investment than fossil fuels

“Our analysis showed that the average estimate of risk among EU banks for high-carbon sectors of the economy was 1.8%, compared with 3.4% for low-carbon sectors (calculated as Euros a bank expects to lose with each unit of lending).”

Oil and gas: still a better bet for banks. 

Sean Hannon acritelyphoto/Shutterstock

The transformation of our climate-damaging energy system doesn’t have to be at the whim of banks and investors. If the fate of humanity is at stake, shouldn’t people have more control over the process?

“Publicly owned systems for generating electricity could restore and expand the capacity for democratic control of a sector that provides a vital public benefit”, argue Vera Weghmann and David Hall, researchers in public services at the University of Greenwich.

Read more: A publicly owned energy industry could help tackle energy poverty and increase renewables

“After all, the job of the public sector is to serve public interest, so taxpayers’ money doesn’t get diverted to benefit private shareholders.”

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Ancient trees unlock an alarming new insight into our warming world

Rachel Ramirez, CNN
Tue, 14 May 2024 

Last summer, marked by deadly extreme heat and devastating wildfires, was the warmest in at least 2,000 years, according to new research, which analyzed weather data and tree rings to reconstruct a detailed picture of the past.

The findings offer a stark insight into the “unparalleled” warming the world is experiencing today thanks to humans burning vast amounts of planet-heating fossil fuels, according to the authors of the study published Tuesday in the Journal Nature. And it’s an alarming signal as some scientists warn 2024 is on track to be even hotter still.

Global warming is currently tracked by comparing temperatures to the “pre-industrial era,” before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels, widely defined as the period between 1850 to 1900. Under the Paris Agreement in 2015, countries agreed to restrict global warming to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Last summer, the world temporarily breached this threshold, according to the report. Using data taken from temperature instruments during this period, the scientists found the Northern Hemisphere summer in 2023 was 2.07 degrees Celsius warmer than the pre-industrial period.

But observational data from this period is sparse, uncertain and skews warmer. So, for a fuller picture of how the climate varied naturally before the start of the pre-industrial era, the study authors looked much further into the past.

To do this, they used detailed sets of tree ring records from thousands of trees across nine regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America and Scandinavia, but excluding the Tropics which lack good tree data.

Trees act as time capsules. The patterns of their rings – affected by sunlight, rainfall and temperature – provide a climate history for each year of their lives, going back centuries or even thousands of years.

This complex tree ring data allowed the scientists to reconstruct annual temperatures for Northern Hemisphere summers between the years 1 and 1849 and compare them to last summer’s temperatures.

They found the summer of 2023 was warmer than any other summer during this period.

It was at least 0.5 degrees Celsius warmer than the warmest summer during this period, the year 246 – when the Roman Empire still ruled over Europe and the Mayan Civilization dominated Central America.

At the other end of the scale, last summer was nearly 4 degrees Celsius warmer than the coldest summer the study identified, the year 536 – when a volcanic eruption pumped out vast amounts of planet-cooling gases.

A tourist cooling down in a fountain amid a heatwave in Barcelona, Spain, on July 19, 2023. - Bruna Casas/Reuters

Using this 2,000-year data set, they calculated that the summer of 2023 was 2.2 degrees Celsius hotter than the long-term pre-industrial average, before robust networks of instruments could measure the weather.

The study follows a report published in November, which found humanity lived through the hottest 12-month period in at least 125,000 years. The study, and others like it, rely on data extracted from other proxies, such as ice cores and coral reefs, which don’t give the same detailed yearly evidence as tree rings.

People use umbrellas and parasols to seek relief from the heat in Tokyo on July 30, 2023. - Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

This makes it hard to compare individual days or even years with those in the past, said Jan Esper, lead author of the study and professor of climate geography at Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany.

It is possible – even likely – last year was the hottest in at least 125,000 years, he added, but “we don’t have the data” to say for certain.

The deep dive into the year-by-year temperatures of Northern Hemisphere summers is a “worthwhile endeavor,” said Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown University who was not involved in the study.

What’s impressive, she told CNN, is “we have enough temperature reconstructions from enough places around the world to document the exceptional nature of a single year of large-scale temperature extremes.”

This “treasure chest of data” can be used to “sharpen our projections of future climate extremes,” she added.

While the study can place the extraordinary Northern Hemisphere heat into historical context, it cannot be applied on a global scale, Esper said. There simply isn’t enough tree ring data from the Southern Hemisphere and the Tropics, he said.

The study’s findings are deeply worrying, Esper said. “There are potential irreversible processes in the system, and I am afraid not of myself. I’m old,” he added. “I’m concerned for the kids.”

CNN’s Laura Paddison contributed to this report.

Researchers warn climate change is likely to aggravate brain conditions

Nina Massey, 

PA Science Correspondent
Wed, 15 May 2024 



Climate change, and its effects on weather patterns and adverse weather events, is likely to negatively affect the health of people with brain conditions, researchers have warned.

The scientists argue that in order to preserve the health of people with neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s and stroke, there is an urgent need to understand how climate change affects them.

As an example, they say that higher temperatures through the night can disrupt sleep, which could have a negative effect on some brain conditions.


Following a review of 332 papers published across the world between 1968 and 2023, the team, led by Professor Sanjay Sisodiya of UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said they expect the scale of the potential effects of climate change on neurological diseases to be substantial.

Professor Sisodiya, who is also director of genomics at the Epilepsy Society and a founding member of Epilepsy Climate Change, said: “There is clear evidence for an impact of the climate on some brain conditions, especially stroke and infections of the nervous system.

“The climatic variation that was shown to have an effect on brain diseases included extremes of temperature (both low and high), and greater temperature variation throughout the course of day – especially when these measures were seasonally unusual.

“Nighttime temperatures may be particularly important, as higher temperatures through the night can disrupt sleep.

“Poor sleep is known to aggravate a number of brain conditions.”

The researchers considered 19 different nervous system conditions, chosen on the basis of the Global Burden of Disease 2016 study, including stroke, migraine, Alzheimer’s, meningitis, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.

They also analysed the impact of climate change on several serious but common psychiatric disorders including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

According to the findings, there was an increase in hospital admissions, disability or death as a result of a stroke in higher ambient temperatures or heatwaves.

The researchers also suggest that people with dementia are susceptible to harm from extremes of temperature and weather events such as flooding or wildfires, as their condition can impact their ability to adapt behaviour to environmental changes.

Writing in The Lancet Neurology, the researchers say: “Reduced awareness of risk is combined with a diminished capacity to seek help or to mitigate potential harm, such as by drinking more in hot weather or by adjusting clothing.

“This susceptibility is compounded by frailty, multimorbidity and psychotropic medications.

“Accordingly, greater temperature variation, hotter days and heatwaves lead to increased dementia-associated hospital admissions and mortality.”

The researchers say it is important to ensure that research is up to date and considers not only the present state of climate change but also the future.

Professor Sisodiya added: “The whole concept of climate anxiety is an added, potentially weighty, influence: many brain conditions are associated with higher risk of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, and such multimorbidities can further complicate impacts of climate change and the adaptations necessary to preserve health.

“But there are actions we can and should take now.”

Funded by the Epilepsy Society and the National Brain Appeal Innovation Fund, the research is being published ahead of The Hot Brain 2: climate change and brain health event, which is led by Professor Sisodiya and jointly organised by UCL and The Lancet Neurology.

Extreme weather is harming our brain health, scientists say

Stuti Mishra
Wed, 15 May 2024 

Extreme weather can harm brain health and make several neurological conditions worse, researchers have found.

There is a concerning correlation between environmental changes and neurological health, researchers from University College London wrote in The Lancet Neurology after reviewing hundreds of studies spanning over half a century.

They analysed the impact of extreme weather on 19 nervous system conditions, including stroke, Alzheimer’s, meningitis, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. They also looked at serious but common psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

The researchers found “clear evidence for an impact of the climate on some brain conditions, especially stroke and infections of the nervous system”.

“The climatic variation that was shown to have an effect on brain diseases included extremes of temperature, both low and high, and greater temperature variation throughout the course of day, especially when these measures were seasonally unusual,” Professor Sanjay Sisodiya, director of genomics at University College London’s epilepsy society, said.

Dr Sisodiya said nighttime temperatures may be “particularly important” as hotter nights can disrupt sleep. As heatwaves become more frequent and longer, billions of people around the world are sleeping through higher than normal temperatures.

The researchers noted an increase in hospital admissions, disability or mortality from stroke in higher ambient temperatures or heatwaves.

Studying and understanding how extreme heat affects our health has become urgent as rising temperatures shatter records around the world.

In the past few weeks, Asia has been gripped by heatwaves that scientists have now attributed to the climate crisis.

This April was the hottest on record. A study found that 2023 was the hottest year ever and last summer was the hottest in 2,000 years.

Studies have shown that the body’s temperature needs to drop slightly for a person to fall asleep.

“Poor sleep is known to aggravate a number of brain conditions,” Dr Sisodiya said.

The impact extends beyond the realm of sleep.

The researchers found that people with dementia are at risk of more harm from extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, as cognitive impairment can limit their ability to adapt behaviour to environmental changes.

"Reduced awareness of risk is combined with a diminished capacity to seek help or to mitigate potential harm, such as by drinking more in hot weather or by adjusting clothing,” Dr Sisodiya said.

“This susceptibility is compounded by frailty, multimorbidity, and psychotropic medications.”

The researchers warned that greater temperature variation and heatwaves can lead to increased hospital admissions and deaths related to dementia.

They also said that the additional burden of climate anxiety can make things especially harder for people with existing anxiety and similar conditions. This can make it tricky to deal with the effects of the climate crisis and the changes we need to make to stay healthy.

As more people are exposed to extreme climate, the researchers said, many of the existing studies may be insufficient to fully understand the impact on brain health. They called for more studies taking current and future climate into account.

“This work is taking place against a worrying worsening of climatic conditions and it will need to remain agile and dynamic if it is to generate information that is of use to both individuals and organisations,” Dr Sisodia said.

UK

Revealed: people with cancer, arthritis and amputations among 40% denied disability benefits

Chaminda Jayanetti

THE GUARDIAN
Sun, 12 May 2024 

A high number of applications for personal independence payments from people with arthritis, MS, cancer and cerebral palsy are being rejected.Photograph: Jack Sullivan/Alamy

The government is rejecting more than 40% of applications for disability benefit from people with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy and arthritis – and one in four applications from amputees, the Observer can reveal.

Analysis of personal independence payment (Pip) disability benefit data for England and Wales shows that thousands of applicants with illnesses such as cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and emphysema were turned down by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between August 2023 and January 2024.

The Pip assessment is based on applicants’ ability to perform specific activities. The figures highlight the enduring difficulties faced by people with fluctuating conditions when applying for Pip, at a time when the government has focused on rising claims based on anxiety, autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), announcing plans last month to curtail spending on Pip.

“These statistics show that Pip is not an easy benefit to get, contrary to the current government rhetoric, which says that too many people claim benefits and that they are undeserving,” said Rensa Gaunt of disabled people’s group Inclusion London.

“The high rates of Pip decisions overturned at tribunal with no additional information needed show that many disabled people are turned down for benefits they are eligible for.”

The Observer’s analysis shows that 45% of Pip applications based on MS were rejected – almost 1,100 out of the 2,451 decisions made during the six-month period.

“The Pip assessment has been failing people for over a decade,” said Charlotte Gill, head of campaigns and public affairs for the MS Society.

“Living with MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable. Pip is essential to help people manage the extra costs of MS and supports them to be more independent for longer.

“Instead of looking at cost-cutting measures, the government urgently needs to improve the Pip process so it accurately reflects the reality of living with unpredictable conditions.”

A particularly striking figure is that one in four applications from people with amputated limbs are rejected, with 207 applications turned down in six months.

“Often [Pip] assessors believe that a prosthesis can be worn constantly and do not account for rubbing, inability to wear due to discomfort, and heaviness and pain,” said Michelle Cardno, a welfare benefit lawyer and founder of Fightback4Justice, which helps people appeal against benefit refusals. “We win all [appeal] cases where a client is an amputee.”

Among the other rejection rates uncovered by the Observer were 40% of applicants with osteoarthritis and more than 40% of those with inflammatory arthritis, 40% of applications based on PTSD and 30% of applicants with Huntington’s disease or Parkinson’s.

Also rejected were half of all applications based on cerebral palsy, nearly half of those with spina bifida and nearly 40% of those with muscular dystrophy.

The data also shows nearly one in five applicants with cancer are rejected, including nearly half of those with testicular cancer, a third of those with prostate cancer and 30% of those with bladder cancer.

“Usually, it is lack of evidence of functional restriction that makes the claims fail in these cases,” said Cardno. “We submit diaries, statements from people who help and occupational therapy reports. Most of these things people would not think of or know they can get help with until they speak to us, so lack of understanding is one of the reasons many also fail.”

One of the highest rejection rates is for endometriosis, which can cause severe pelvic pain among women but often takes years for the NHS to diagnose. Just over 70% of Pip claims based on the condition are rejected.

Related: The Guardian view on disability benefit reform: the latest proposals are dangerously out of touch | Editorial

“Living with endometriosis and in chronic pain can have a devastating effect on both physical and mental health, impacting people’s careers, finances and much more, so having the option to apply and be considered for Pip can be crucial to those with endometriosis,” said Claire Kelleher of Endometriosis UK.

Across all applications for Pip during the six-month period, 54% were accepted and 46% rejected.

A DWP spokespersonsaid: “We are modernising our disability benefit system to better target it towards those who need it most and ensure people with health conditions and disabilities are receiving the right support.

“We’re encouraging everyone to have their say and respond to our consultation, which includes questions on how the Pip assessment process can be changed.”

The scientist turning Dune’s ‘water harvesting’ into reality

Rob Waugh
·Contributor
Updated Tue, 14 May 2024

Atoco CEO says the new material could make the water harvesting "we see in Star Wars or Dune a reality". (PA)


Artificial intelligence could help produce drinkable, clean water out of thin air, with the potential to support millions of people giving them access to life's most need.

Since the dawn of civilisation, human settlements have been built around water supplies - but as the population booms and the world warms, access to clean water is becoming an increasing problem. By as early as 2025, half the world’s population could be living in areas facing water scarcity, and more than two billion people already live in areas where water supply is inadequate, according to UNICEF.

Artificial intelligence could offer an answer. While recent technological developments have enabled the desalination of sea water to create "clean" water, the process is expensive and limited to coastal areas. Some scientists have turned to Atmospheric Water Harvesting, instead, using devices such as nets to collect dew or "harvest" water from fog.


More recently, however, an AI-enhanced system using a water-absorbing compound called MOF-303 could draw water from the air, even in arid regions. The inventor of the tech, Atoco, has shown off an eye-catching demonstration where a device was able to draw water from the air in America’s arid, sun-baked Death Valley.

The compound has a huge surface area even within just a gram of MOF-303

"Even in arid low-humidity regions, there is moisture in the air that we could use for drinking water or irrigation purposes, but harvesting it cost-efficiently requires advanced materials," Dr Samer Taha, CEO at Atoco, tells Yahoo News.
How does it work?

MOF-303 (the 'MOF' stands for metal-organic framework) is a material that was designed with the help of AI, and is engineered at the nanoscale with a highly complex atomic structure which helps to "trap" water molecules.

It’s an "adsorbent" (as opposed to ‘absorbent’) which means it traps water on its surface and has been designed to have a huge surface within a tiny area.


Doctor Omar Yaghi of Atoco. (Photo by Don Feria for Atoco)

Dr Taha explains: "Known as reticular materials, these substances have surface areas the size of football fields within a single gram of material, maximising their ability to trap and release water molecules

"It makes the kind of water harvesting we see in Star Wars or Dune a reality, unlocking access to water in areas suffering from drought or water scarcity."
How did AI help?

AI has been crucial to finding new compounds which have the right structure to "capture" water from the air.

Dr Taha says: "Our R&D scientists, in collaboration with scientists at University of California Berkeley, use AI to accelerate this process.

"The scientists used AI assistants as virtual research groups to conduct literature reviews, mining valuable information to guide experiments, or to perform virtual crystallisation experiments, processing experiments in weeks that would take a human team months.

The company hopes to deploy 'water harvesters' within one to two years

AI also helps the scientists "home in" on promising new molecular structures, Dr Taha explains.

“In addition to speeding up the process, AI can augment our scientists’ chemical intuition, looking beyond the expected to find new molecular structures," he says. "This means that we can advance and scale up this technology faster than ever before, to tackle water stress in the world’s most challenging environments.”
Why could this be important to tackling the water crisis?

Current Atmospheric Water Harvesting systems are useful in foggy areas such as mountains or areas with very humid air where there is dew - but can’t be used in arid areas.

Atoco’s system could work in areas where there is very little water in the air, with potential to deliver enough water to sustain life. The company envisions it being used at a village scale, with a tonne of MOF-303 capable of delivering hundreds of litres of water for around five years.

Atoco hopes to roll out a first generation of ‘water harvester’ devices within the next one to two years.

UK

KULTUR KAMPF

Curbs on sex education use pupils as ‘political football’, school leaders say

Richard Adams 

Education editor

THE GUARDIAN
Wed, 15 May 2024 

Under the proposals, primary schools in England will be limited to teaching ‘basic facts’ about conception and birth.Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA


School leaders have accused the government of using children as “a political football” over its proposals to restrict sex education lessons by age in England.

The revised guidance, to be published on Thursday, outlines what topics could be taught to specific age groups, as well as allowing parents access to teaching materials used and further restrict how teachers address gender and sexuality, after pressure from Conservative MPs.

Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told the BBC: “Pupils are being placed in the middle of a highly sensitive subject and being used as a political football for the sake of headlines when we should be focusing on their wellbeing.”

Di’Iasio added: “We do not think the government has handled the important matter of the teaching of sex education with the care it deserves. It has not consulted with school leaders and we have not seen the guidance that is planned other than through leaked reports to the media.”

Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, will propose the new age ratings for relationship, sex and health education (RSHE) in schools to ensure it is “appropriately and sensitively taught,” according to the Department for Education (DfE).

The revised guidance will restrict explicit discussions of important topics such as contraception and sexual violence until children are in year 9, the third year of secondary school when most pupils are 13.

Keegan said the revised guidance “will support schools with how and when to teach often difficult and sensitive topics, leaving no doubt about what is appropriate to teach pupils at every stage of school.

“Parents can be reassured once and for all their children will only learn age-appropriate content.”

Sex education will not be taught before year 5, and at that point “from a purely scientific standpoint”. The current guidance allows primary schools to decide whether they need to cover any aspect of sex education, based on the needs of their pupils rather than by age.

The guidance will also require schools to show parents all classroom material to be used – a key demand lobbied for by a group of Conservative MPs.

The DfE said the consultation followed “multiple reports of disturbing materials being used in RSHE lessons,” with the updated guidance aiming to ensure that content is factual and that children have the capacity to understand what they are being taught.

While the DfE’s commentary states that “the contested theory of gender identity will not be taught,” the guidance will still allow secondary school pupils to learn about legally protected characteristics such as sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

“In light of the Cass review, it is important that schools take a cautious approach to teaching about this sensitive topic, and do not use any materials that present contested views as fact, including the view that gender is a spectrum,” the DfE said.

Related: Trans guidance tells English schools to consider social media influence on pupils asking to transition

The guidance will be expanded to include a dedicated section on sexual harassment and sexual violence, including abusive behaviour such as stalking, as well as advice for teachers about how to address misogynistic online influencers.

Additional content on suicide prevention will be included in the secondary health and wellbeing section, intended to equip pupils to recognise when they or their peers need help.

Louis Appleby, chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, said: “It’s vital that young people are able to understand thoughts of suicide or self-harm that they may be feeling, and that schools are confident in addressing this most sensitive of subjects. The new guidance aims to break down the shame that can make it hard to ask for help and, crucially, places an emphasis on safe ways of coping.”

The DfE said the guidance would help young people understand the benefits of rationing their time spent online and its impact on their wellbeing, and the serious risks of viewing content that promotes self-harm and suicide.

The revisions have been under discussion within the government since March 2023, when Rishi Sunak promised to bring forward new guidance. That followed more than 50 Conservative MPs lobbying the prime minister with claims that children were being “indoctrinated with radical and unevidenced ideologies” about sex and gender.

Presenting the new guidance, Sunak said: “Parents rightly trust that when they send their children to school, they are kept safe and will not be exposed to disturbing content that is inappropriate for their age. That’s why I was horrified to hear reports of this happening in our classrooms last year.”

RSHE is a mandatory subject to be taught in all secondary schools in England, while relationships education has also been compulsory for primary schools since September 2020.

A public consultation on the updated guidance opens on Thursday and will remain open for nine weeks.

Age curbs on sex education topics risk making some children vulnerable

Richard Adams

 Education editor

THE GUARDIAN
Wed, 15 May 2024 

The revised guidance is expected to restrict ‘explicit’ teaching of subjects such as contraception and abortion to year 9.Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA


When it comes to sex education in schools in England, teachers and experts agree on one thing: using age alone to determine what topics to cover and what to avoid risks leaving some children more vulnerable.

Headlines announcing the new guidance, to be published under consultation this week, focused on its bar on teaching sex education in primary schools to children earlier than year 5, when they are aged 9.

The revised guidance is also expected to set topics to be discussed in secondary schools, with “explicit” teaching of subjects such as contraception and abortion restricted to year 9.

Jo Morgan, a former teacher who now runs workshops in schools, said the proposed relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) guidance needs to guard against “arbitrary age cutoffs” that fail to support young people when they might need it.

Related: Sex education in English schools set to be banned before children are nine

She said: “You want to ensure the curriculum is very age and stage appropriate but you don’t want to be delivering things too late and leaving students at risk.

“Every school will be different, and within a school each class will be different. I was a teacher for many years, teaching sex education, and you can walk into a year 7 class or a year 9 class and have a very different experience with a different class.

“What I’d want to see is a statutory sex education that prioritises the subject and gives teachers the time and resources to tailor a curriculum to their students’ needs. Being generic, one-size-fits all, won’t work.”

Dr Katie Malbon, ​a consultant ​paediatrician and ​chief ​medical ​adviser for ​the teen wellbeing app luna, said: “Paediatricians in the NHS are seeing girls starting their periods earlier​, as young as eight years old, so restricting education around sex and contraception until after this point only explains half of the biological story, which is only going to lead to more unanswered questions.

“On top of this, surveys show that 96% of 8- to 11-year​-olds have a smartphone​, which means they can find ways to access this information in unsafe ways via internet searches and often via secret TikTok accounts – leading to misinformation and potentially distressing content being accessed.”

School leaders also fear restricting topics to fixed age groups would create more difficulties than the government thinks it will solve.

“We have serious concerns about how potential ‘limits’ would work in practice,” said Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers.

“Schools already work hard to ensure that the curriculum and teaching is age-appropriate based on the current government guidance and have the vital flexibility to respond to their own community and the needs of pupils in their schools.

“We cannot ignore the fact that some children and young people are already accessing information from different sources outside of school. It is hard to see how rigid limits on what can be discussed and when would be in the best interests of young people.”

The PSHE Association, the national body for personal, social, health and economic teaching, said the existing curriculum “has had a positive impact” since it was introduced in 2020, and hopes that the revised guidance will not reverse the progress that has been made.

Morgan said one worry is that the revision is more politically motivated than about protecting children. “My concern is that this gives the impression that relationships and sex education is somehow sexualising children and harming them, when in fact what it is doing is protecting them and is absolutely necessary. It’s more important now than ever before.”

Tories Accused Of Using Pupils As 'Political Football' Over Sex Education Crackdown

Kevin Schofield

HUFFPOST
Wed, 15 May 2024 

Matthew Horwood via Getty Images

Tory ministers have been accused of using school pupils as “a political football” over plans to crack down on “explicit” sex education lessons.

The government is reportedly planning to tell schools not to teach under-13s that they can change gender identity because it is a highly-contested area.

According to The Times, the guidance will also impose age limits on sex education for the first time.

It will say that children should not be given any form of sex education in primary school until Year 5, when lessons should be limited to the basic facts of conception and birth.

Explicit discussions of sexual acts - including conversations about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and abortion - should not take place until Year 9.

It follows concerns from some Tory MPs that school pupils are being exposed to “inappropriate” lessons at too young an age.

But a leading headteacher this morning accused the government of being more concerned about chasing headlines than the welfare of young people.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the association of school and college leaders, told Radio Four’s Today programme: “Teachers and professionals will feel that these issues are perhaps being politicised when we want well-informed and evidence-based decisions that have got clarity behind them.

“I can’t help but feel that the fact we’re hearing about these on the front page of newspapers today means that what we’re seeing is that pupils are being placed in the middle of a highly-sensitive subject and being used as a political football for the sake of headlines when we should be focusing on their wellbeing.”

He added: “Whilst we welcome a chance to look at this, we also need the flexibility to respond to whatever those particular needs are.

“But that needs to be supported by clarity in terms of the guidance, but also an ideal that that evidence has come from evidence-based research and not just something that’s been swayed by some backbenchers who feel it’s important for them to gain political points.”

However, policing minister Chris Philp said he welcomed the move towards age-appropriate sex education lessons.

He said: “Speaking as a parent, I don’t want children who are very young being exposed to inappropriate sexual material at school, and the whole trans debate is a contested political issue and that shouldn’t be taught as fact to young people.”

Age limits on sex education could see children turn to ‘less reliable sources’

Eleanor Busby, 

PA Education Correspondent
Wed, 15 May 2024 

Age limits on when sex education can be taught could risk children seeking information from “less reliable sources”, a school leaders’ union has warned.

Schools in England are set to be told not to teach children sex education until pupils are aged nine and over, with explicit conversations delayed until they are aged 13, reports suggest.

The revised guidance on relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, is also expected to tell schools to avoid proactively teaching children about gender identity and instead explain the “biological” facts about sex, according to the Times newspaper.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has called on the Government to provide evidence which shows that “rigid” age limits will improve the support, protection and safeguarding of pupils.

Meanwhile, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) has accused the Government of not handling the teaching of sex education “with the care it deserves” amid the leaked media reports.

The revised guidance is from Education Secretary Gillian Keegan (Lucy North/PA)

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “We cannot ignore the fact that some children and young people are already accessing information from different sources outside of school. This may lead to questions that need careful handling from trained professionals.

“It is hard to see how rigid limits on what can be discussed and when would be in the best interests of young people – and this may even risk them seeking information from less reliable sources.”

Mr Whiteman – who called the leaked reports “utterly disgraceful” – added: “If what has been leaked is accurate, the Government must provide the evidence which unequivocally shows that such age limits will improve the support, protection and safeguarding of children and young people.”

The Department for Education (DfE) has not yet published a consultation on revised RSHE guidance.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “We do not think the Government has handled the important matter of the teaching of sex education with the care it deserves.

“It has not consulted with school leaders and we have not seen the guidance that is planned other than through leaked reports to the media.”

On the reports that age limits will be set on what children can be taught, Mr Di’Iasio said: “There does need to be some flexibility for school leaders to respond to the circumstances in their context.

“For example, there is often damaging misinformation circulating on social media which they may need to address in order to safeguard the wellbeing of their pupils.”

The revised guidance is expected to say explicit conversations about contraception, sexually transmitted infections and abortion should not take place until Year 9, according to reports.

It comes after the Prime Minister announced a review of its statutory RSHE guidance for schools in March last year after hearing concerns that children were being exposed to “inappropriate” content.

Policing minister Chris Philp said on Wednesday that the Education Secretary’s new guidance on sex education is due to come out shortly and he expects changes to come into force quickly.

He told GB News: “As a parent as well, I don’t want my children, to be honest, to be exposed to inappropriate content at a pretty young age and nor do I want politically contested ideas like the trans issues being taught as if they’re facts.

“I think childhood is a really special time and I don’t think we need to introduce some of these ideas too early.

“So I think the changes that are likely to come are going to be very welcome and as I say, I know the Education Secretary will get on and do them as quickly as possible. As a parent I strongly welcome that.”

An independent panel was appointed to advise on age ratings in May last year as part of the review into sex education in schools led by the DfE.

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), said it would be “irresponsible” to shut down conversations on issues which affect children from a young age until the teenage years.

He said: “Schools need clear and constructive support about how to respond to the issues children and young people face, read about online and chat about in the playground.

“Primary-aged children pick up information online and need the opportunity to discuss puberty and relationships and their bodies with trusted adults.”

Jason Elsom, chief executive of charity Parentkind, said: “Transparency is the word that needs to be written all over new guidance, to make sure that parents are given the information they need.”

He added: “Parents not only want to protect the innocence of their children but also wish to see them develop a healthy understanding of relationships and sex when they themselves feel it is appropriate to do so.

“To help them be part of that journey, parents are asking schools to be completely open and transparent with the foundations they are putting in place for perhaps the most important construct a child will have.

“When schools fail to be transparent with parents, it’s natural to wonder what they’re hiding but when parents who have full transparency on what their children are being taught in RSHE are four times more likely to say they were happy with these lessons.”

Since September 2020, relationships and sex education has been compulsory in secondary schools in England, while relationships education has been compulsory in primary schools.

The DfE has been approached for comment.

Schools in England announce new 'ban' affecting all children under nine

James Rodger

Wed, 15 May 2024

Schools in England face a new ban affecting children aged up to nine. Sex education in England’s primary schools is to be banned to those aged nine and over, according to new guidance to be proposed by the government.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will tell teachers to explain “biological” facts and announce a consultation that proposes schools be barred from teaching sex education of any type before year 5, when children are nine years old.

A Whitehall source said: “Most schools are doing a great job [teaching sex and relationship education], however, there have been many concerning reports, and these limits are based on advice from an expert panel.”

“It’s never an easy balance to make to ensure children are both prepared but also able to remain children but this guidance achieves that,” the source said. The Daily Telegraph reported that the details were “still being finalised”.

The Telegraph also reported that the guidance will make clear that “gender ideology” involving discussions regarding changes of gender is a “contested subject”. A second source said: "Any other contested view: schools should ensure they are clear that it is a contested view and fairly present all sides."

The revised guidelines are said to be far more detailed on what schools can teach in sex education up to the age of 13. Up until that age, reports in the Telegraph, a national newspaper, suggest the content of sex education lessons will be limited to “basic facts” of conception and birth.

Schools in England will be expected to focus on the importance of families, friendships and ensuring that relationships are “respectful”, according to reports. This will reportedly include a discussion of damaging stereotypes and role.

The Telegraph also reports the new classes and guidelines for schools will explore the dangers of social media and online relationships.

Young children to be banned from learning about sex and gender identity

Neil Shaw

WALES ONLINE
Wed, 15 May 2024 


Age limits are set to be imposed for the first time on when children can be taught about sex education, reports have suggested. Schools will be told not to teach children any form of sex education until year 5, when pupils are aged nine, according to the Times newspaper.

Other measures set to be announced by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will prevent children from being taught they can change their gender identity, and rules out any explicit conversations about sex until they are aged 13, the newspaper said. Children would also not be taught about contraception, sexually transmitted infections, and abortion until this age.

The new guidance is reportedly part of the Government’s response following concerns that some children are receiving age-inappropriate relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). The Times reported schools will be required to provide parents with samples of the material their children will be taught to quell these fears.

RSHE was made mandatory in all schools in England from September 2020. The existing guidance outlines broad lesson modules which says primary school aged children should be taught about different types of families and healthy relationships.

Secondary school aged children meanwhile are taught more complex topics, including about puberty, sexual relationships, consent, unsafe relationships and online harms. The Prime Minister commissioned a review into the curriculum after hearing concerns, including from Conservative MPs, that children were receiving sex education lessons at too young an age.

The Department for Education said it could not confirm the newspaper reports, and that it would not speculate on leaks.

Brazil announces aid to families as Lula visits flooded south

AFP
Wed, 15 May 2024 

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the stricken Rio Grande do Sul region for a third time since the flooding began almost two weeks ago (Ricardo STUCKERT)

Nearly a quarter-of-a-million families impacted by devastating floods in Brazil's south will receive about $1,000 each towards replacing what they lost, the government said Wednesday.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the stricken Rio Grande do Sul region for a third time since the flooding began almost two weeks ago, killing 149 people and displacing more than half-a-million.

More than 100 people are still missing in the ruins of hundreds of inundated cities and towns, where tens of thousands of inhabitants have been forced to seek refuge at makeshift shelters.


The full extent of the damage has yet to be determined, but the government has already pledged $10 billion for the region, and the BRICS group of countries another billion.

"We will spare no effort to help people rebuild their lives," Lula said Wednesday in the hard-hit city of Sao Leopoldo, north of the flooded state capital Porto Alegre.

The government said it would give 5,100 reais (nearly $1,000) to each of about 240,000 affected families.

It also announced plans to purchase new homes from the private sector to give to victims currently scattered between shelters and relatives.

There are some 14,000 housing units under construction in the region, said the government, and 600 recently completed units.

Properties seized after court rulings for non-payment will also be acquired for flood victims.

The Brazilian Football Confederation said Wednesday it was suspending matches in the Brasileiro championship due to the catastrophe.

Floodwater had filled the stadiums and training facilities of Porto Alegre's two main football clubs, Internacional and Gremio.

Intermittent rains continued to fall in the region Wednesday, and at least seven rivers remained above flood levels.

ll/rsr/cjc/mls/mlr/des

Up next

Flood-stricken Brazil continues to battle rising river levels, 149 confirmed dead

LEAH SARNOFF

Tue, 14 May 2024 at 5:34 pm GMT-6·2-min read

Persistent rains and destructive flooding continue to wreak havoc in Brazil, with officials saying rising river levels signal further damage in the Rio Grande do Sul region.

As of Tuesday, 149 people were confirmed dead in the flood-stricken southern state, with 124 individuals still unaccounted for, according to civil defense officials.

More than 600,000 people have been displaced from their homes, with approximately 155,000 of those homes being destroyed, officials said.

PHOTO: Destroyed houses, damaged cars, branches, and debris are seen in Cruzeiro do Sul following the devastating floods that hit the region in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images)

In total, local agencies say 2.1 million people have been directly affected by the ongoing climate crisis in Rio Grande do Sul.

The Guaíba River in Porto Alegre, the capital city of Rio Grande do Sul, could reach unprecedented levels of over 18 feet in the next few days, according to local officials.

MORE: The worst isn't over as flooding is set to continue through the weekend in Brazil

On Monday, Brazil's Minister of Finance Fernando Haddad said the federal government is preparing direct financial assistance for families affected by the floods.

PHOTO: Men carry and move packages along a flooded street in the historical city center of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Anselmo Cunha/AFP via Getty Images)

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced National Civil Defense resources for humanitarian aid and reconstruction of damaged structures would be available to the region starting Tuesday.

"Starting today, mayors and the state government can register requests for schools, daycare centers, health units, hospitals, and equipment recovery. Just register and it will start happening immediately to serve the people," President Silva said during a live broadcast.

On Saturday, U.S. President Joe Biden released a statement on the ongoing crisis, saying, "The United States stands with Brazil at this difficult time."

PHOTO: View of a flooded street in the Cidade Baixa neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, May 14, 2024. (Anselmo Cunha/AFP via Getty Images)

"My administration is in contact with our Brazilian partners, and the United States is working to provide necessary assistance to the Brazilian people, in coordination with Brazilian authorities as they lead the response," Biden said.

MORE: Earth Day 2024 report card: Experts address America's climate change action

Over the weekend, large parts of Rio Grande do Sul saw close to 4 inches, according to INMET, the National Meteorology Institute.

The World Meteorological Organization is attributing Brazil's record rainfall to El Niño, a surface warming of parts of the Pacific Ocean.

El Niño is the same climate pattern that influences weather patterns in the U.S., frequently bringing above-average rainfall to parts of California and dry conditions in the Ohio Valley during the winter months, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.