Siziano middle school class IA students analyze Ticino River floods in Pavia, Italy; global model for climate risk

They Killed Our Climate: Pavia and the Ticino River as a Model for Global Climate Risk

The project turns 11-year-old students from class IA at the Siziano middle school into true “Climate Detectives.” Rather than passively learning climate change theory, the students took leadership of a scientific investigation into their own local territory. They used advanced technological tools, independently analyzing satellite imagery of the Ticino and Po rivers via the European platform Copernicus (Sentinel-2) to detect water level variations during floods and droughts. Additionally, they requested and plotted official weather-climate data from ARPA Lombardia. The students’ agency culminated in the creation of a website and multimedia resources, designed and produced entirely by them, to communicate the climate crisis in an accessible way.

At the heart of the project lies the connection between the past, present, and future of our region. Students conducted detailed historical research into past floods, drawing directly on the local community’s historical memory and eyewitness testimonies, while visiting ancient monuments in Pavia to observe the physical signs left by historic floodwaters. This intergenerational dialogue made it possible to compare modern scientific data with the lived experiences of elderly residents and local families. Furthermore, the project connects the school with key institutional actors: the students launched an awareness campaign targeting local municipal authorities to present their findings and push for mitigation and adaptation policies at the local level.

The project adopts an interdisciplinary whole-school approach within the middle school of Istituto Comprensivo di Siziano, integrating science, technology, history, and active citizenship. It is deeply rooted in the Pavia region by using the Ticino River as its starting point. However, the students’ most innovative breakthrough was demonstrating that Pavia serves as a “global model.” Local floods and droughts along the Ticino foreshadow what will happen on a much larger scale to coastal cities worldwide due to rising sea levels. This insight makes the educational approach highly replicable for any European school: any school community can analyze a local body of water or local phenomenon to decode and communicate a global climate challenge. The final outcomes, also shared with the Italian and European ESERO communities, demonstrate how schools can drive a culture of environmental respect and protection that extends beyond the classroom to transform the daily habits of families and institutions.

They Killed Our Climate: Pavia and the Ticino River as a Model for Global Climate Risk

2.1 | Education for Climate priority

develop green skills and competences

SDG (03) Good Health and Well-being

2.4 | GreenComp: sustainability competence focus

1.3 Promoting nature (Embodying Sustainability Values)

2.1 Systems thinking (Embracing Complexity in Sustainability)

4.2 | community peer review

Be the first one to comment

Total amount of comments 0 comments

More about the EU Login