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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
- At the Bruce Museum, a Climate Change Exhibit Inspired by Alaska
- Trump Takes a Major Step Toward Seabed Mining in International Waters
- Interior Department to Fast-Track Oil, Gas and Mining Projects
- New Study Could Bolster Climate Laws to Make Polluters Pay
- The World Seems to Be Surrendering to Climate Change
- Catholics Expected a Revolution From Pope Francis, Just Not the One He Gave Them
- Almost Half of Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air, Report Finds
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- Will Cop30 in Belém help or harm the Amazon?
- ‘A sweeping catastrophe’: 20 years after Hurricane Katrina, a photo exhibit honors Mississippi victims
- Lifesize herd of puppet animals begins climate action journey from Africa to Arctic Circle
- Elon Musk’s xAI accused of pollution over Memphis supercomputer
- Trump denies aid for Arkansas after storms that killed more than 40 people
- Trump administration kills landmark pollution settlement in majority-Black county
- Meet the new American refugees fleeing across state lines for safety
Climate Change Posts from Nature
- Don’t overlook the mental-health costs of California’s wildfires
- Atmospheric circulation to constrain subtropical precipitation projections
- Drivers of marine heatwaves in coral bleaching regions of the Red Sea
- Warming triggers snowfall fraction loss Thresholds in High-Mountain Asia
- Polar bears and expanding sea ice in the Mid Holocene Aleutian Islands, Alaska
- More autumn tropical cyclone genesis in the South China Sea during El Niño to La Niña transition
- Optimizing afforestation pathways through economic cost mitigates China’s financial challenge of carbon neutrality
Climate Solutions from Union of Concerned Scientists
- Dear Climate Movement: They’ve Come for Our Climate Science. We Have to Stop Them.
- These Climate Policy Rollbacks Just Made Our Financial Future a Lot Riskier
- Hey Congress, Please Stand Up To the Trump Administration’s Attacks on NOAA
- 5 Reasons NOAA and NASA Cuts Will Be Disastrous for Everyone in the US
- Everyone Loses When Environmental Justice Programs are Cut
- Eliminar las traducciones de alertas meteorológicas en EE UU pone en riesgo la vida de millones de personas
- Climate at Your Door: The Climate and Housing Crisis in 11 Sobering Photos
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.