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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
- And the Winner Is … the Slowest!
- Biden Administration to Announce First National Heat Protections for Workers
- Judge Orders Biden Administration to Resume Permits for Gas Exports
- Debris Flows After Wildfires in New Mexico Threaten Towns
- Is Organic Produce Worth the Higher Price?
- A String of Supreme Court Decisions Hits Hard at Environmental Rules
- A Rare White Buffalo Calf Arrives in Yellowstone With a Message
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- Port infrastructure delays threaten UK’s transition to net zero, industry says
- Wind, rain and floods as Hurricane Beryl tears through Caribbean – video
- Biden unveils rules to protect millions of US workers from extreme heat
- ‘My escape is going north’: heatwaves begin to drive tourists in Europe to cool climes
- Growth is enriching an elite and killing the planet. We need an economy based on human rights | Olivier De Schutter
- Brutal California heatwave to coincide with Fourth of July wildfire risks
- Hurricane Beryl: Caribbean leader calls out rich countries for climate failures as ‘horrendous’ storm makes landfall
Climate Solutions from Union of Concerned Scientists
- How the Supreme Court’s Chevron Decision Benefits Big Oil and Gas
- Infrastructure at Risk in Your Hometown: New Map Shows What Will Flood as Sea Level Rises
- New Analysis Pinpoints Critical Infrastructure Threatened by Rising Seas in Hundreds of Coastal Communities
- Necesitamos acción urgente para crear la resiliencia costera al aumento del nivel del mar
- How to Protect Coastal Infrastructure at Risk from Sea Level Rise
- Infraestructura en riesgo en su ciudad: Un nuevo mapa muestra lo que se inundará con el aumento del nivel del mar
- It’s Danger Season–Is Our Nation’s Infrastructure Ready?
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.