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Teaching Resources for Climate Change
Classroom Activities
Introduction to Global Warming
To begin this minds-on analysis and discussion activity, students learn about the correlated increases in global temperatures and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Next, students evaluate an example that illustrates that correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
Then, students analyze several types of evidence to test the hypothesis that increased CO2 in the atmosphere has been a major cause of the increase in global temperatures. This activity concludes with a very brief discussion of how global warming has contributed to harmful effects (e.g., increased flooding) and possible student actions to reduce these harmful effects.
Food and Climate Change – How can we feed a growing world population without increasing global warming?
In this analysis and discussion activity, students learn how food production results in the release of three greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). Students analyze carbon and nitrogen cycles to understand how agriculture results in increased CO2 and N2O in the atmosphere.
Students interpret data concerning the very different amounts of greenhouse gases released during the production of various types of food; they apply concepts related to trophic pyramids and they learn about CH4 release by ruminants.
Finally, students propose, research, and evaluate strategies to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that will be released during future production of food for the world’s growing population.
Global Warming News from the New York Times
- Commercial-Scale Wind Farm Off New Jersey Coast Approved
- China Reels From Floods and a Bruising Heat Wave
- July 4 Fireworks Can Add to Air Quality and Wildfire Concerns
- El eje de la Tierra se alteró. La razón tiene que ver con nosotros
- Canada Offers Lesson in the Economic Toll of Climate Change
- A New Kind of Disaster Aid: Pay People Cash, Before Disaster Strikes
- Wildfire Smoke Is Damaging Our Children’s Lungs
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- Thursday briefing: How the Conservatives went from ‘greenest government ever’ to giving up on climate
- ‘Swallowed by the sand’: Somalia’s coastal towns succumb to the desert
- EU sets out first-ever soil law to protect food security and slow global heating
- Five ways AI could improve the world: ‘We can cure all diseases, stabilise our climate, halt poverty’
- Tuesday was world’s hottest day on record – breaking Monday’s record
- UK risks shattering global standing by dumping £11.6bn climate pledge, ministers told
- ‘Double agents’: fossil-fuel lobbyists work for US groups trying to fight climate crisis
Climate Solutions from Union of Concerned Scientists
- Smoke in Our Eyes: National Park Grandeur Degraded by Global Warming
- #DangerSeason Unleashed: Killer Heat Threatens 75 Million in US South, No End in Sight Through Next Week
- Climate Reality vs. Public Perception: Will Toxic Haze and the 2023 Danger Season Make a Difference?
- La Temporada de Peligros climáticos está aquí. ¿Qué puede significar esto para Puerto Rico?
- It’s Danger Season and Workers Need Heat Safety Protections Now—UPS Knows It
- Ask a Scientist: Top Takeaways from the New EPA Carbon Pollution Rules
- A Year After the Deadly Pakistan Floods Began, Hard Lessons About Climate Loss and Damage
Resources for Teaching and Learning about Climate Change
This annotated list includes resources that can help your students to develop a scientifically accurate understanding of the causes and consequences of global warming and climate change. This list also includes resources for learning about how to reduce greenhouse gases and how to cope with the harmful effects of climate change. When learning about climate change, it is important for students to engage with proposals to mitigate and adapt to climate change, so they can feel energized, instead of powerless. Given the nature of the topic, the approach is interdisciplinary. These resources are appropriate for middle school, high school and/or college students.