Climate change: what is it and why is it happening? In this unit you will learn about the greenhouse effect, what is driving fossil fuel emissions, why temperatures are increasing, and what this means for us and our planet.
Learning objectives:
- Understand the physical drivers of the climate system and their interconnections with human activities, and analyze their impacts on natural and human systems
- Communicate complex climate-related topics to a young audience
This unit can be used in science, geography, or language classes (or similar).
Unit project:
Students will write the story of the climate crisis (max 300-400 words) for an audience that is younger than them, with the idea of breaking down a complex topic into something that can be easily understood by all. After going through the text, students should note down the who (stakeholders/actors), what (what’s at stake), when, where (setting), and why (why is temperature increasing) of climate change, then turn this into a few paragraphs as if they’re writing an explainer for a news site, a video script, or a short podcast.
Time frame:
We recommend using two classes on this unit: one class for going through the text either as a lecture or as reading and discussing; and a second class for working on the project.
Slides for the lesson are included in the pdf file.
Also attached is an example of an explainer written by a student.
Extra resources for further reading
Online resources:
IPCC Website
- Authoritative climate change science, including their Assessment Reports https://www.ipcc.ch/
- IPCC communication materials https://www.ipcc.ch/outreach-material/
Office for Climate Education
- IPCC 6th Assessment Report summarised for Teachers https://www.oce.global/en/resource/summary-ipcc-ar6/
- Educational resources on climate change science https://www.oce.global/en/resources/
NOAA Climate.gov Educator Tools
- Real-world data, graphs, lesson plans for secondary classrooms https://www.climate.gov/teaching
Our World in Data
- A free, research-based platform that explains global challenges such as climate change through clear data and visualizations https://ourworldindata.org/
World Bank
- World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/
- World Bank Country Climate and Development Reports outlines your country’s specific climate risks https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/country-climate-development-reports
Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center
- Games for every age group on themes related to climate change https://www.climatecentre.org/priority_areas/innovation/climate-games/
