During our Remembrance Focus Week, students learnt about the impact of war on the environment. Students learnt that, while the human cost of war is undeniable and profound, the environment also suffers immense and often-overlooked consequences. Beyond the immediate destruction, conflicts disrupt ecosystems, deplete natural resources, pollute the environment, and jeopardise the health of our planet for generations to come.
In tutor time activities and assembly, students learnt about specific examples of the impact of war on the environment, from the impact of toxic gases used in WW, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the burning of oil wells in Kuwait, the devastation and destruction in Gaza and the impact of open-air burn pits in Afghanistan. A BBC video of the destruction of the environment in Gaza can be accessed here. After examining the effects of conflict on the environment, students were asked to consider whether these places were fit for human habitation and, if not, how this leads to the displacement of people as refugees.
As part of the focus week, the Year 7 Eco Reps also visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to lay a wreath on behalf of The Friary School.
Sam Sullivan, Assistant Headteacher, said: “Through their studies this week, students can make more informed evaluations of political concepts such as immigration, conflict and equality.”
