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International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 9, Issue 9, September-2018ISSN 2229-551881POETRY AS A VALUABLE TOOL FORCLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION FORGLOBAL SUSTAINABILITYsustainability will certainly require lifelonglearning. Both young and old, male andfemale,black or white, need education which may beBenjamin Anabaraonye,Ifeyinwa Awele Nji,James HopeABSTRACTClimate change education is vital for preparingcommunities, countries and continents for the impacts ofclimate change and to learn how to adapt and mitigateeffectively for global sustainability. Poetry has beendiscovered through our literature and participantobservation as a valuable tool for climate changeeducation which will enable us to achieve the sustainabledevelopment goals. This study explores how poetry canbe effectively and efficiently used in climate changeeducation which in turn brings about sustainabledevelopment.This paper is therefore, a clarion call for usto rise to our responsibility for global sustainabilityusing poetry as a valuable tool for climate changeeducation.Keywords—climatesustainability, ation is the bedrock of the society and thewings on which we can achieve our sustainabledevelopment goals. Education for globalBenjamin Anabaraonye is an educationist, researcher and theCEO of the BENJY POETRY AND MUSIC GLOBALCONCEPTS,NIGERIA.Email: benjaminshines@gmail.comIfeyinwaAweleNji is a lecturer and researcher at the Institute ofEducation, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.Email: ifeyinwa.nji@unn.edu.ng.formal or informal to help them achieve their life goalsand collectively achieve the United Nations sustainabledevelopment goals.From the peasant farmer to the university professor,everyone must embrace lifelong learning for continuousimprovement and development. There is need forlifelong learning to help address the ugly situations suchas climate change which is threatening our globalsustainabilitytoday. It is therefore vital for us to learnabout the valuable tools which we can use in our 21stcentury for climate change educationwhich in turn helpus to achieve our sustainable development goals.Climate change education is vital for everycommunity,every country and every continent on ourplanet today for global sustainability.James Hope is a legal practitioner,researcher and partner with theBENJY POETRY AND MUSIC GLOBAL CONCEPTS,NIGERIA.Email: jamhope20@gmail.comUNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGEThe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changedefines climate change as statistical variations thatpersist for an extended period, typically decades orlonger. Weather reflects short-term conditions in theatmosphere. Climate, on the other hand, refers tothe average temperatures and precipitation ratesover an extended period of time. When these rateschange over time, it can result in profound impactson our planet. Impacts like rising sea levels, moreextreme weather events, like droughts and floods,melting glaciers, shifts in ecosystems, etc.[7][5]Climate change brings about changes inprecipitation levels, a rise in sea level, and morefrequent and intense weather events. And it canthreaten our access to such basic needs as food,water, health and shelter. It also has a profoundimpact on our educational sector. Of the manyproblems generated by our economic and industrialprogress, climate change is one that dominatesmedia headlines in recent memory. The currentIJSER 2018http://www.ijser.org
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 9, Issue 9, September-2018ISSN 2229-551882According to Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainianbusinessman and philanthropist ,”Art, freedom andcreativity will change society faster than politics”[8].warming trend of the Earth’s atmosphere thatstarted with the industrial revolution has givenscientists, educationists, politicians, and individualsaround the world cause for great concern. Dramaticreductions in seasonal sea ice at the Earth’s poles,rising sea-level, shifts in precipitation patternsleading to extended droughts or flooding, and morefrequent extreme weather events are just some ofthe effects of climate change.Below is one of those climate change poemsadvanced by the BENJY POETRY AND MUSICGLOBAL CONCEPTS:PLANT A TREETrees provide us with oxygen.Trees help keep the environment clean.Trees help to purify the air;Increasing moisture as they transpire.CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION FORSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTPoetry is a vital and effective tool which can beused in the global response to climate change. Ithas the capacity to help people easily understandthe impact of climate change and global warming,encourages changes in their attitudes and helpsthem mitigate and adapt to climate change forglobal sustainability.Trees help to prevent water pollution.Trees help to prevent soil erosion.Trees conserve energy.It is so beautiful to plant a tree.Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases.Trees provide shade for the masses.Trees cool the streets and the cities.Trees create economic opportunities.IJSERThrough its Climate Change Education forSustainable Development(CCESD), UNESCO aimsto make climate change education a more centraland visible part of the international response toclimate change. The programme aims to help peopleunderstand the impact of global warming today andincrease "climate literacy" among young people[6].The use of poetry in climate change educationencourages creativity and increases climate literacyamongst the students and teachers.It also enhancesinnovative teaching approaches to climate changeeducation in primary schools,secondary schools andin the Universities.THE BENJY POETRY AND MUSIC GLOBALCONCEPTSThe Benjy Poetry and Music Global Concepts isone of the new companies in Nigeria which amongother things is very passionate about climate changeeducation. This passion to see the environment keptclean and green has led to a lot of study andresearch work on climate changeeducation,adaptation and mitigation. This has alsoengineered the writing of climate change poems tohelp promote the right attitudes and behaviorsneeded to safe-guard our environment.Trees are like the lungs of the planet.Preserver and greener of the earth.Trees matter beautifully and truly.Be dutiful to plant a tree.Trees provide a canopy.A shade for the hungry.A shade from the raging heat.A beautiful place for retreat.Trees provide food.Trees provide wood.Trees combat climate change.When properly managed.Trees slow runoff and hold soil in place.As beauty and bliss, they embrace.Trees help us appreciate nature.Plant a tree for the future.Copyright 2018 by Benjamin Anabaraonye[2].CASE STUDY: POEM “PLANT A TREE”REVIEW BY JAMES HOPEBenjamin Anabaraonye’ spoem “PLANT A TREE”has ignited the global call to everyone to plant aIJSER 2018http://www.ijser.org
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 9, Issue 9, September-2018ISSN 2229-5518tree. His call to plant a tree is in line with themandate of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs). The impact of man on the environment hasbeen seen as a primary cause of climate change(global warming). In the poem, greater emphasiswas made on the importance of having trees in ourhomes and societies. He can’t agree less withRichard ST. Barbe Baker when he said that“It is notmerely that the world is bettered by saving,replacing, and multiplying trees. It is that an aim ofthis kind becomes an impulse towards developing amood and an outlook which will increasingly makeit natural to think for the future, for other people, forgenerations yet unborn. Planting a tree is a symbolof a looking-forward kind of action; lookingforward, yet not too distantly”[3] Each nation hasthat responsibility and obligation to ensure that theenvironment is protected and sustained againstfurther damages and destruction. He made this callby using the following poetic technique:For the call to combat climate change in theinternational world, He aligned himself with thisstanza:“Trees provide foodTrees provide woodTrees combat climate changeWhen properly managed”.This poem is a way of encouraging theparticipation, co-operation, and understanding ofthe population towards combating climate changeproblems. The education of our youths and childrenabout the values of sustainability is our mostimportant ally for the huge cultural change we seekin the world today. Thank you for adding a voice tothis[4].Below is a second poem advanced by the BENJYPOETRY AND MUSIC GLOBAL CONCEPTSwhich further helps to illustrate how poetry can beused efficiently and effectively in educatingcommunities, countries and continents aboutclimate change adaptation and mitigation for globalsustainability.Do enjoy the poem:IJSER1)THEME: The central theme of the poem iscentered on planting a tree for the betterment of theworld and curbing the menace of climate change.GO GREEN, KEEP CLEAN2)TONE: The tone of the writer is approving,hopeful and demanding.3)MOOD: The writer’s mood is inviting, candid,urging, emotional and very passionate about thesubject matter.4)IMAGERY: Imageries were also used, such as“Trees help to purify the air” “Trees provide shadefor the masses”5)STYLE: The poem contains seven stanzas witheach having an end rhyme of AABB. The poetexhibited a style of capitalizing each beginning line.6)TECHNIQUES: The use of Simile „„Trees arelike lungs of the planet” The use of so manyPersonification ”Preserver and greener of theearth” ;The use of Repetition “trees” ;The use of Hyperbole “lungs of the planet”.The use of Conjunction “Trees absorb odors andpollutant gasses.”83Go make the world a better placeBeautifully occupy your spaceGo spread joy and beauty everywhereSpread like a breath of fresh air.Go green, Keep cleanKeep the simple laws of hygieneOur planet is our responsibilityOur vision is to make it green truly.Go green, Keep cleanStay cool, Stay keenKeen to put in your very bestTo clean and tidy our environment.Go make the world a better placeAs beauty and bliss sweetly embraceGo spread joy and beauty everywhereSpread like a breath of fresh air.Copyright 2018 by Benjamin Anabaraonye[1]IJSER 2018http://www.ijser.org
International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 9, Issue 9, September-2018ISSN 2229-5518INCLUSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE POETRYINTO THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FORSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTThere is no doubt, therefore, that poetry can be used as avaluable and viable tool to convey the message ofclimate change in schools, universities and institutionsaround the world in a very profound way.Poetry is beauty and beauty attracts. Poetry has a uniqueway of communicating to the listeners and readers themessage of hope, beauty and love that enables them toseek creatively ways to preserve our planet from globalwarming.Poetry for climate change education with its healingand therapeutic benefits can be used with mothers,fathers, children, and adolescents; battered women, theelderly, the depressed, the suicidal; those living withterminal illness, the bereaved, those with HIV, thementally ill, and even hurricane victims and soldiersreturning from war who suffer post traumatic stress.Poetry can give students a healthy outlet for surgingemotions. Reading original poetry on climate changealoud in class can foster trust and empathy in theclassroom community while also emphasizing speakingand listening skills that are often neglected in highschool literature classes. Climate change poetry can helpin language development, creative language skills,creativity, writing skills, self-expression, and in thedevelopment of natural rhythms while helping to educatethe community on climate change impacts,adaptationand mitigation.Poetry is fun and exciting and beautiful and can be usedeffectively for climate change education for globalsustainability. Inclusion of climate change poetry andanthologies into our educational system which includesthe primary schools,secondaryschools,vocationalinstitutions and universities will make it easy for ouryouths to learn about climate change impacts and how toadapt and mitigate effectively. Poetry helps to make themessage of climate change adaptation and mitigationeasily accessible and memorable to the young and oldalike.Climate change poetry also helps to bring about the84secondary schools and even our Universitiesbecause of the many benefits which we have listedabove.Our youths should be encouraged towards creativityand excellence in acquiring relevant artistic skills inpoetry for the purpose of climate change educationfor sustainable development. It is good to know thatthrough our study, we have discovered that climatechange education, mitigation and adaptation isloaded with entrepreneurial opportunities and hasthe capacity to provide employment for our teemingunemployed youths globally. Children and youthsmust be well educated on the issues of climatechange and encouraged to deploy their skills andtalents which should be used effectively to helpovercome the economic challenges facing the worldtoday. Poetry is one of those valuable tools whichcan be used to educate our young ones. As we aremade to see, no one is too small to make adifference.IJSERpromotion of peace, love, unity, beauty and otherattitudes needed to safe guard our environment fromglobal warming and pollution in order to ensureglobal sustainability.CONCLUSIONIt is our recommendation that poetry should beused as one of the valuable tools in climate changeeducation which will also enhance mitigation andadaptation. Climate change poetry should beincluded in the curricula for both primaryschools,REFERENCES[1]Anabaraonye.B.(2018) Go Green,Keep 018).Plant A 018/02/19/plant-a-tree/[3] Barker ST. R.B (1948) Green Glory: The Story of theForest of the World. Poem “Plant A Tree” Review by JamesHopehttps://projectgreeninitiative
28.12.2017 · Through its Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development(CCESD) , UNESCO aims to make climate change education a more central and visible part of the international response to climate change. The programme aims to help people understand the impact of global warming today and increase "climate literacy" among young people[6].
