Climate Change Awareness
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of today. It poses risks to human health, economies, and ecosystems through more frequent extreme weather events. Understanding climate change allows us to implement positive change. This category recognises students who demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of how human activities can affect Earth's climate.
This award is open to students who have submitted an entry into any category. If their entry meets the following criteria, students can choose to be considered for this award.
- demonstrate knowledge of how human activities can produce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
- demonstrate awareness of how carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases affect climate
- demonstrate steps that can be taken to reduce carbon footprint.
- For middle and senior years, demonstrate knowledge of how carbon is cycled through the Earth’s spheres in a global system.
Please refer to the competition booklet for the full eligibility criteria.
Examples of how students may be considered for this award:
Recycled Bugs
- Creating bugs that can survive in an environment that is affected by climate change e.g. polar regions, low lying regions
- A "Be Crocwise" art or craft that uses recycled materials
- Testing materials for carbon capture efficiency, planting trees to absorb CO₂
- Showing practical ways to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
- The Carbon Cycle: From Sky to Soil
- Beating the Heat: How to Cool the Planet by Cutting Emissions
- What’s Your Carbon Footprint?
- From Fossils to Future: Replacing Fossil Fuels with Clean Energy
- Trapped Gases, Trapped Heat: Why Reducing Emissions Matters
- Build a model of a sustainable house with solar panels, rainwater tanks and insulation
- Make a digital slideshow or animation showing the journey of CO₂ from cars to the atmosphere and how planting trees helps absorb it
- An interactive game teaching ways to reduce household emissions
- Design a board game where players earn points by making eco-friendly choices like recycling, using public transport, or planting trees
- A “day in the life” of a student making low-emission choices like walking to school, using reusable containers, and turning off lights
- Write a report on how solar energy is used in remote NT communities to reduce reliance on diesel generators and lower emissions
- The CO₂ Challenge: How Can We Cut Emissions Fast?
- A robot that detects energy waste in a school building
- Invent a simple device like a solar-powered fan or light for use in homes to reduce electricity use from fossil fuels, or a low-cost methane capture system for cattle stations
- Explore how traditional land management practices e.g. cool burning help maintain ecosystems and reduce carbon emissions
