Get inspired by the Climate Detectives Teams and make a difference in protecting Earth

Climate Detectives

Climate Detectives is an ESA school project run in collaboration with its ESERO network throughout Europe. The project challenges students to ‘make a difference’ in understanding and protecting Earth’s climate. Students identify and investigate a climate problem by observing their local environment and by collecting and analyzing Earth Observation data, from satellite images to local weather measurements. Based on their investigation, teams propose a way to help reduce or raise awareness of the climate problem. At the end, all participating teams share their research findings.  

We asked teachers and students that took part in the project what they enjoy the most in Climate Detectives and what their message to future teams would be. We highlight below some of the inspirational testimonies that teams shared with us and their suggestions to make a difference! 

Mussel researchers 

Primary School of Makrygialos, Pieria, Greece 

Participating in Climate Detectives project was something special for our team. The students enjoyed to take action working out of the school. They acted by doing research and involving their families and the local community in it. After their participation in the project, they realized how important it is to be all together in changing harmful habits against the environment, to inform and sensitize the local community. They can now see and recognize pollution in the sea and on the coast, while several children have said that they will follow their parents' profession of mussel farming, only now they will know how to do it the right way without polluting the marine ecosystem. Finally, after the project our school established an action of local coast cleaning on June 5th of each year, at the World Environment Day, in cooperation with the local Municipality.  

Don't be afraid, dare, collaborate with your  local community, and take action! You can't imagine how much good you can do in your place and consequently the environment. This is the message that emerges for future teams and that came out after our own engagement. Different ideas, collaborations and action in the field are the key points that will lead future climate detectives to embed a new philosophy towards climate and environment. Let's think about what is harming the environment around us and what we can do to change it. Let's be part of the solution and learn by doing! 

Litter Ninjas 

Barnet, UK 

Climate Change is perhaps one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing today and it remains at the top of the political agenda across the globe. It is now indispensable to do everything we can to treat the apocalyptic issue. To make a worthwhile difference, we could: 

• Learn and educate: understand the science behind climate change and how it affects our planet. Educate yourself and others on the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adopting sustainable practices.  
• Participate and collaborate: small actions could make a big difference. Explore the emerging technologies and think through to develop tech-savvy solutions that could lead to minimizing carbon footprints and reducing fly-tipped waste. Working together with like-minded individuals and organizations could amplify efforts and bring meaningful change.  
• Advocate: Be custodian of the planet, write to your local elected officials and advocate for policies to protect the planet.  

Go Green  

Primary School S.Conca, Gaeta, Italy 

Our team enjoyed proposing to adults a concrete solution to an environmental problem that we investigated with a lot of effort. Along our investigative journey, we realized that we have a duty to give a voice to animals who cannot be put into words but who are making it clear to us that they are no longer comfortable living in a world that does not respect them or their habitats. Many of us have decided to be park rangers to protect both the plants we have planted and all the flora and fauna around us. 

As a team we feel like saying this to future Climate Detectives teams: 

our experience has taught us that the most important thing to protect the earth's environment is teamwork without gender disparity. At the beginning of the project, it was not easy to work together because everyone wanted to excel, especially the boys, then we realized that only by acting together and concretely could we find the common strategy to safeguard nature and animals. Our advice is to confront each other, share, help each other, support each other, listen to each other, because that is the only way to find winning solutions. Another small piece of advice is not to let environmental support end with the end of the project but to continue it. We, even today, monitor the growth of the Aleppo Pines that we planted because their growth is our greatest satisfaction. 

Les éco-justiciers  

Etablissement francais Philippe Seguin, Sousse, Tunisia 

What we appreciated the most about our participation in Climate Detective was its objective: to make a difference! In fact, several projects simply ask us to study the consequences of the environmental crisis, without going further... but Climate Detective encourages us to find solutions, to get involved as young citizens, and it is only through this that we can change things! 
This competition has strengthened our bonds as students. Indeed, we did not count the hours of work we spent together as they were rich in laughter and emotions! 
Finally, thanks to this project, we have also learned more about marine biology (some students in the group even plan to work in this field in the future) since we are working on Posidonia (an aquatic plant). We realized the importance of these ecosystems in capturing CO2, and we learned that all biomes were essential on Earth (even those that we do not see!) 

La Carrasqueta 

IES Fray Ignacio Barrachina, Ibi, Spain  

Walk, Observe and Change Climate, this is our motto. By walking through the natural environment that surrounds you, you learn which species live with us and which places we must preserve. As you walk, you talk to hikers who enjoy nature like you, and they tell you about the changes that the forest, river, lakes or seas are undergoing. Observing is looking carefully, taking data like detectives. Thus, changes in the Earth and in the climate can be discovered. Our eyes are the microscopes that discover the species with which we live and have to conserve. The Sentinel satellite observes and records all these changes over time. Changing the climate is possible when you have reasons, data and illusion. Cheer up! 

The "Olympus Hydronauts”  

16th Primary School of Larissa, Greece 

Our project title, "Waterways of Olympus and Climate Change," focused on the impact of climate change on the quantity and quality of water in Mount Olympus (Greece) and its implications for life and crops in the semi-mountainous regions of Lower Olympus. Through actively engaging with our local community, collecting data, and conducting research, we were able to make meaningful connections between our learning and the world around us. 

The project provided my students with a unique and hands-on opportunity to actively engage with climate change and environmental issues in a real-world context, developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. What we found most enjoyable was working collaboratively and learning from experts in the field. The most impressive part for us was working with satellite data, as it provided a unique opportunity to use technology to address real-world problems. 

Teachers,  don't hesitate to take on the challenge of working on a scientific project with your students. You will develop new skills and knowledge in climate science, collaborate with experts in different fields, and see first-hand the impact that experiential learning can have on your students. It's an opportunity to teach in a meaningful and engaging way while promoting interdisciplinary learning and 21st-century skill development. 

As for you, dear students, I ask that you put your best effort, enthusiasm, and creativity into your projects! Working together with classmates who share your passion can help achieve more than you could on your own. Share your ideas and experiences through your work to inspire others and raise awareness about the importance of protecting the planet. Participating in Climate Detectives will give you the chance to find solutions to real-world problems and make a positive impact. Stay motivated and hopeful for the future and remember that every step towards protecting the environment is a step in the right direction! 

IES Francesc Ferrer i Guàrdia

Valencia, Spain  

With this project we have learned about our role in climate change and how our planet is suffering as a result. As a result, it has helped us to become more aware of how our actions can help speed up or slow down this process. Specifically, we have learned about the impact of food on the environment and the CO2 generated by the production of these products, which has made us aware that we need to change our diet and have a more varied and sustainable diet, trying to reduce the consumption of meat. Now, we consume less and in a more conscious way, and we promote and encourage our classmates and family to eat more environmentally friendly food.  

We know that there is much to change and improve in terms of saving the planet, but, thanks to this project and the information obtained, we can do more to address this issue that affects us all.  

We, as individuals, can contribute in protecting and maintaining the environment, with simple actions that can make a difference, such as reducing our consumption, separating waste, using public transport, avoiding waste, reusing objects and materials, etc.  

We must remember how important our planet is and that it belongs not only to us but also to all the other living beings that inhabit it. It is very important to preserve biodiversity and the standard temperature of the planet, and to do so it is necessary to raise awareness of the problem and promote small actions to combat climate change. Actions in which one does little, but together do a lot. 

PDS-LEBON-4NAWI6 

Pater-Damian-Sekundarschule School, Eupen, Belgium 

What we particularly liked about taking part in the Climate Detective project was the research we did as a team, the creation of the poster and the video to summarise, communicate and explain the issue we had chosen and the possible solutions we could apply in our everyday lives. Climate Detectives gave our team the opportunity to experience a real research project. It involved scientific methods, data collection and analysis of the results. What has changed since our team took part in Climate Detective is our environmental awareness. We are trying to change our habits in our daily lives and convince those we know to do the same. 

The opportunity to present our project in Bonn and meet other teams was a great experience for us. It has inspired many of us to continue our education in science. Many of us would like to go into scientific and/or technical professions such as engineering to find solutions to tomorrow's problems. This project has also allowed the girls in the team to not be afraid to go into these types of careers. 

Green Parrots Team 

Independent Bonn International School, Bonn, Germany 

Our team of climate detectives has set as its research topic the investigation of the parrot population that appeared and spread along the Rhine a few decades ago, a topic that is not only of local importance, but also affects the countries of the northern hemisphere, which cannot be called exotic. During our research, we enjoyed getting experience in observing birds and their environment, investigated their impact on the human environment and analysed in a broader dimension with secondary data how changes in climatic factors might have influenced the phenomenon. 

We consider the greatest benefit of the project to be the development of student's environmental awareness, their sensitization, and the laying of the foundations for cooperation with local professional (ornithological) organizations. Due to the international characteristics of our school, it was particularly important for us that the children could also mobilize their previous experiences from their home country, enabling a more complex examination of the phenomenon.  

As a young Climate Detectives team, we learned a lot from our project and in a broader sense to protect the Earth’s environment globally as well. We would like to draw the attention of future Climate Detectives that it is important to plant trees because parrots (and other birds) heavily rely on forest for food, shelter and nesting. It is important to reduce radiation because the radiation could block their communication and could cause them to die. It is important to pick up all your litter because it could kill animals and destroy nature. It is important to be able to live together in a habitat because the living area is getting smaller for all of us, and all kind of living things should be able to adapt to it. In climate detectives YOU can make a difference to help the environment. In climate detectives your voice is always heard. 

 

ESA Education would like to thank all teams that participated and for all the inspiring messages. Together we can make a difference to protect our planet. Happy Earth Day!