Youth climate strikers: 'We are going to change the fate of humanity' | Environment The students striking from schools around the world to demand action on climate change have issued an uncompromising open letter stating: “We are going to change the fate of humanity, whether you like it or not.” The letter, published by the Guardian, says: “United we will rise on 15 March and many times after until we see climate justice. We demand the world’s decision makers take responsibility and solve this crisis. The Youth Strikes for Climate movement is not centrally organised, so keeping track of the fast growing number of strikes is difficult, but many are registering on FridaysForFuture.org. “For people under 18 in most countries, the only democratic right we have is to demonstrate. The letter says: “We are the voiceless future of humanity ... The strikes have attracted some criticism and Kampus said: “We wanted to define for ourselves why we are striking.” Taylor said: “The rapid growth of the movement is showing how important it is and how much young people care.
8 Good TED Talks to Help You With Public Speaking Anxiety (Infographic) January 22, 2017 Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking, is a common thing among a large number of adults. There are several reasons that factor in this phobia from social/psychological anxieties to speech pathologies. But regardless of what it is that makes some people shun away from facing an audience, glossophobia can be overcome through self-help (e.g reading books that tackle the problem, watching videos…etc), coaching, or even through direct assistance from professionals. In today’s post, we are sharing with you some excellent tips on how to overcome public speaking anxiety and deliver engaging talks.
Met Office confirms new UK record temperature of 38.7C | UK news The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.7C – has been confirmed by the Met Office. The measurement, taken at Cambridge Botanic Garden last Thursday, was subject to quality control and analysis by meteorologists over the weekend. The previous record of 38.5C was recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003. The recording was taken at a Met Office climate observation site at the University of Cambridge. Some observation sites report monthly, meaning there is still a chance that higher temperatures were recorded elsewhere. Countries across central and western Europe were gripped by exceptionally high temperatures last week, with Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands also breaking national temperature records. Scientists have said July is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, and 2019 is expected to be the second hottest year. “Temperatures in parts of north Africa, for example, have risen by around 2C. “However, we can expect new records to be set regularly.
Why Burning Platforms Don't Work | Forbes Fear can be a motivator – but does fear motivate the right kind of actions and behavior? Research has shown that fear leads people to be more conservative - taking fewer risks and preserving the status quo. Activating fear in people makes them less likely to want to change the current situation. Gregory Berns, Director at the Center of Neuropolicy at Emory University, says “The most concrete thing that neuroscience tells us is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off.” The evolutionary purpose of negative emotions such as fear and anger is to narrow focus on immediate problem solving and to allow short periods of intense activity fueled by adrenaline. A few years ago, I worked with a manufacturing organization that was in a rapidly consolidating industry. Game-changing innovation requires thinking and operating differently today than yesterday. But burning platforms do exist – threats are real.
Thousands of Belgian students are skipping class to protest against climate change | #TheCube Carrying colourful signs wth slogans in English, French, and Dutch, over 30,000 students streamed through the streets of Brussels on Thursday for the third consecutive week of protests against climate change. The demonstrations were inspired by the actions of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, 16, who took a stand against global warming in August 2018 and has since then become a symbol of youth engagement on environmental issues. Her actions have trickled down inspiring youth all over Europe to take to the streets: last Friday, more than 60,000 students across the continent, with large groups convening in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, protested calling for more government action to slow down climate change. Thunberg herself was expected to show up for a student march on Friday in Davos, Switzerland, where world leaders, entrepreneurs, and business people are gathered for the 2019 edition of the World Economic Forum. "We have one message: clean the planet for the future!"
TEDxESL | ESL discussion material based on TED talks Greta Thunberg to Attend New York Climate Talks. She’ll Take a Sailboat. Want climate news in your inbox? Sign up here for Climate Fwd:, our email newsletter. Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, will cross the Atlantic Ocean in mid-August on an open-cockpit racing yacht to attend a United Nations summit meeting on global warming. “Good news! The trip to New York is expected to take two weeks. She has called the two conferences “pretty much where our future will be decided” because nations will be pushed to further reduce emissions of the planet-warming gasses that come from burning fossil fuels. Ms. The boat she plans to take, Malizia II, is outfitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate electricity. Boris Herrmann, who will skipper the boat, said the voyage would not be the luxury cruise that a high-tech yacht might conjure in the popular imagination. “There’s really zero comfort on this boat,” Mr. Ms. Mr. Mr. A few weeks later Ms. Ms. The Malizia II will drop Ms. “She has a long way to go,” he said.
Renverser le culte de l’urgence : une nécessité pour assurer la croissance | Revue Gestion Article initialement publié le 29 octobre 2018 Déjà en 2003, Nicole Aubert, avec la collaboration de Christophe Roux-Dufort, publiait le livre « Le culte de l’urgence » aux Éditions Flammarion. Les auteurs dénonçaient que le cellulaire, à cause de l’instantanéité qu’il procure et engendre, crée un sentiment d’urgence et l’amplifie. 15 ans plus tard, le cellulaire est devenu un téléphone intelligent sur lequel on reçoit une quantité phénoménale d’informations à lire, à assimiler et à traiter dans un temps record sur des plateformes sociales ou collaboratives, lorsque ce n’est pas via texto, par courriel ou par téléphone. L'urgence, un sentiment amplifié par les moyens de communication modernes Les communications à l’ère du monde du travail et des affaires connectés n’ont fait qu’augmenter l’angoisse généralisée des employés, gestionnaires et dirigeants. LIRE AUSSI : « Gestion du temps à l’ère 4.0 : prendre une pause pour renouveler son rapport à la performance »
Reading Exercise - Endangered Species intermediate Did you know that the Arctic is warming faster than any other place in the world? Find out what this means for our polar bears in this reading exercise. You can find the meaning of the words in bold by checking the vocabulary list below, and you can check your understanding by doing the Endangered Species Comprehension Quiz. Polar Bear Makes the List In spring 2008, the polar bear was placed on the endangered species list. The polar bear is the first animal that has been classified as endangered due primarily to global warming. The polar bear's habitat is more vulnerable to global warming than many other species. It is not only the polar bear that is at risk in the Arctic. It is important that animals such as the polar bear make it onto the endangered species list. Vocabulary
Greta Thunberg: ‘They see us as a threat because we’re having an impact’ | Culture Greta Thunberg. This time last year she was unimaginable. Then, pretty much from nowhere, there she was: small and slight, a girl just turned 16, the way-too-young odd person out on a panel of adults sitting in front of the world’s economic powers at Davos last January. The ancient Greeks had a word for this: parrhesiastes. Thunberg is Swedish; she was born in 2003 and lives in Stockholm with her younger sister Beata, her mother, a singer, and her father, an actor. She was 15 when she began taking days off her education to sit in front of the Riksdag in Stockholm, declaring she’d do this till Sweden reduced carbon emissions in line with the Paris agreement. Earlier this month Opec declared Thunberg, and with her the other young climate activists, the “greatest threat” to the fossil fuel industry. This voice lets us know we’re in disavowal, and that we’d better wake up. Questions from famous fans Maisie Williams Actor What can people reading this do today to make an impact? Jeremy Corbyn MP
Podcast: The Phoenix Encounter Method: Lead Like Your Business is on Fire, With Sameer Hasija | Change Management Review Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | In this podcast, Change Management Review Editor-In-Chief Theresa Moulton interviews Sameer Hasija, Dean of Executive Education and Professor at INSEAD, which is ranked by the Financial Times as among the world’s top three business schools; and author of The Phoenix Encounter Method: Lead Like Your Business is on Fire (McGraw-Hill; October 27). Sameer’s teaching focusses on using a process lens to understand new levers of innovation. Sameer’s current research uses an economics lens to understand the design and management of technology, knowledge, and information intensive service systems. Questions for Podcast What is the Phoenix Encounter Method, and how did it come about? Share This Story, Choose Your Platform! Podcast: Play in new window | Download Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Sameer’s teaching focusses on using a process lens to understand new levers of innovation. Questions for Podcast
Reading Exercise - Pollution upper-intermediate Did you know that pollution causes premature death all over the world? Learn about the main types of pollution and their associated health risks in this reading exercise. Water, Air and Soil Contamination Pollution is an environmental concern for people throughout the world. Water in many developing countries is contaminated with toxic chemicals, also known as toxins. Air pollution is a growing problem throughout the world. Soil pollution is also a major concern, both in industrial and developing countries. As more people move to urban centres, premature deaths caused by pollution are expected to increase worldwide. Vocabulary