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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
- Over a Dozen Conservative Party Donors Fund Nigel Farage’s Reform U.K.
- Clearing the Way for Bicyclists, for a Healthier Planet
- Government Budget and Staffing Cuts Could Close Facilities in California’s National Forests, Memo Says
- 150 Years of Change: How Old Photos, Recaptured, Reveal a Shifting Climate
- El pensamiento de suma cero, ¿en qué consiste?
- U.S. Embassies Halt Air Quality Monitoring Abroad
- Some Green Groups Are Running Out of Cash After Trump Freezes $20 Billion
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- BP cuts boss’s pay by 30% after company misses profit targets
- Are we living through a ‘polycrisis’ or is it ‘just history happening’?
- Global sea ice hit ‘all-time minimum’ in February, scientists say
- Why are beavers being released into England’s rivers? What you need to know
- Is climate change supercharging Tropical Cyclone Alfred as it powers towards Australia?
- The fact that humans can only survive on Earth doesn’t bother Trump – and I know why | George Monbiot
- World’s biggest iceberg runs aground after long journey from Antarctica
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
- President Trump’s Cabinet of Polluters, Frackers and Climate Crisis Deniers Rushes to Gut Protections
- Delays and Disagreements: The IPCC’s Struggle to Stay on Course
- Musk is Pushing the Great American Innovation Machine to the Brink
- US South’s March Wildfires Signal Risks of a Dangerous Spring Fire Season
- What UCS Said at the Congressional Hearing on ‘Opportunities to Strengthen US Energy Reliability’
- What Does NOAA Do for Us, and How Can We Defend It?
- Political Stunts Worsen Western Water Woes
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.