BLOG OF OUR INTERNATIONAL eTWINNING PROJECT
We created this blog as a part of our international eTwinning project. We want to write about the problems of climate changes and how can we - the young generation- help. We plan to talk to people, research data, make interviews with olders as well as with our peers, who want to make the change.
This is a winning logo of our project
Interview with grandparents
Climate changes - how do they see it
11 February 2022
For this project we wanted to know how people feel about climate changes. We’ve decided to ask our grandparents how they see it. Most of them agreed that the weather has changed, especially in winter when the temperatures are not as low as they used to be.
Half a century ago there was more snow and it was colder in winter than now. There used to be huge piles of snow and our grandparents had to wade through them if they wanted to go to school. Because of that, they sometimes had snow holidays.
There was so much snow that they could jump off the roof of the house and land without any harm. They even used to go skating on the river Orava.
Not all people have acknowledged the climate changes. Some of them think that nothing has changed in the past 50 years.
However, if we compare the data, we can see that there were lower temperatures and there weren’t as big temperature changes as today and it was freezing all winter. Nowadays there are colder and warmer periods during winter. It’s snowing and freezing one day and the next day all the snow melts.
We can also recognize weather changes in summer. The temperatures are higher - they used to be around 20-25 degrees and currently they can be even over 30 degrees Celsius.
Some people think that we don’t have 4 seasons anymore, but only 2 of them. Springs and autumns are much shorter than they used to be and summers and winters are taking over.
Winter in Slovakia -A picture taken from a classroom window after the online meeting
REPORT - What is the weather like?
28 February 2022
As requested we have written a report on weather differences between Dolný Kubín, Slovakia and Sabadell, Spain based on an online interview held on February 23, 2022.
This winter there is a lot a lot of snow in Slovakia. Last week we had about 20-30 cm. However, in Spain they did not have any snow this winter because their temperatures are above 0 degrees Celsius all winter. In Slovakia it normally freezes in the morning about -5 degrees, sometimes even -10.
We go skiing every weekend. There is a ski centre near our town. Spanish students can go skiing too, but they have to drive a car to Andora or Pyrenees so they do not go skiing very often.
During our online meeting we compared actual temperatures. It was about 1 degree in Slovakia while it was about 17 in their part of Spain.
Both countries have hot days in June, July and August and sometimes the first two September weeks. Although in Slovakia it is 25-33 degrees Celsius, in Spain there is often more than 30 degrees, usually 36. So we do not need to have air-conditioning in our homes, but in their region they have them and use them. Although it is a personal preference, Spanish students agreed that they like these high temperatures. They also often go swimming in the sea unlike us, because the sea is warm and our natural lakes are cold.
To sum it up, in our interview we found out that Slovakia and Spain have different weather conditions, which reflect our geographical areas.
Climate changes influence
March 20, 2022
In summer 2021 all our partner countries suffered from natural disasters resulting from climate changes.
Greece
The last summer in Greece forest fires destroyed more than 100,000 hectares of forest in the biggest natural disaster in the last 50 years. The cause of fires was extremely dry weather. (source : www.ta3.com)
Italy
The forest wildfires were reported in Sardinia on 24 July, then in Calabria and Sicily. Six people died. The cause was organized arson. Heavy rain stopped the fire in September. 50,000 hectares of forest were burnt. The French helped Italy by sending helicopters to fight the fire. (theguardian.com)
Portugal
In 2021 there were total of 7,114 rural fires which resulted in 26,833 hectares of burnt area. It’s the lowest number of fires and the second-lowest amount of burnt area since 2011. The most fires were recorded in 2017, with 520 Kha of burnt area. Typically the peak fire season begins in early July and lasts around 14 weeks. At least 62 people were killed by forest fires northeast of Lisbon. There were over 60 people injured. (Source: global forest watch)
Turkey
A total of 270 wildfires have started in 53 provinces across Turkey in the beginning of August 2021. While 267 of these fires have been controlled, 3 wildfires are still ravaging different areas in Antalya, Adana, Isparta, Mersin, Muğla, and Osmaniye. The fires have adversely affected forests and residential areas; thus, several neighbourhoods and villages have been evacuated. Many animals have perished amidst the fires. (Source Turkish Red Crescent)
Fires destroyed forests and cities, especially in the southwest. There were clouds of smoke in the satellite imagery. Last year's fires were the largest since 2003. Turkey was helped by many countries. The fires were caused by high temperatures.
(map -souce Wikipedia By ECHO/European Commission - https://erccportal.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ECHO-Products/Maps#/maps/3782, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=108095781)
Spain
In July Catalan firefighters battled flames day and night against a wildfire at the national park of Cap Creus in Girona, roughly two hours away from Barcelona. 350 people were evacuated from their homes as flames approached residential areas, firefighters said. The area is a natural paradise attracting many tourists, especially during the peak summer season. Over 400 hectares were lost to the wildfire.
Several wildfires were around the city of Malaga in the south of Spain in August and September. Around 2000 people were evacuated. 6000 hectares of forest were destroyed. Although the government has proof of arson, the hot weather makes it much more difficult to fight the fires in areas that are extremely dry. Also, the army helped fight the fire. (Source - www.teraz.sk)
In Spain, not only summer but also winter fires appear. Recently, there has been a fire in Roses, Catalonia in February 2022.
The Department of Climate Action of the Generalitat presented in January a shock plan for the period 2022-2025, during which it is expected to spend 72 million euros on actions against fire. The item multiplies the current allocation by six and responds to the forecast that forest fires will grow by 50% in the coming years.
Slovakia
In Slovakia there are more natural disasters because of climate changes than in the past - for example, heatwaves in summer, rainstorms, and floods. Floods are most common in spring when the snow melts and in summer when it rains a lot. These floods are sometimes followed by landslides. In 2010 our country was affected by central European floods.
In the year 2021, there was a tornado near Slovak borders, in the Czech Republic. There was property damage and injured people. Also, there were 6 victims. According to meteorologists, there has never been such a tornado in this region. These extreme weather conditions are caused by climate changes. (pravda.sk)
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