Lesson Plan for Science: Climate Change
Standards Established Goals: This lesson presents an overview of climate change and makes the relatively complex science easier to understand. To understand climate change, students examine the myths that surround the issue, including the recent debates on the effects of climate change on the environment. This lesson also analyzes how students can make changes in their lives to minimize their contribution to climate change. By understanding the science behind climate change, people have the ability to make better decisions about the environment. National Standards for Science: Science as Inquiry Understanding of Natural Systems Personal and Social Perspectives Transferable Concepts/Links: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry and understand concepts Energy in earth system, Geochemical cycles Personal and community health, natural resources, environmental quality, natural and human-induced hazards Science as a human endeavor, nature of scientific knowledge Course Connection: All sciences Earth Science Earth Science
Nature of Science
All sciences
Students will know: The definition of climate change
Students will be able to: Analyze the supporting evidence and science behind climate change Distinguish the myths and the realities of climate change Develop an individual action plan to limit contribution to climate change
How to research the science behind climate change
The names of organizations that study climate change How to get involved in environmental issues
Materials: Access to the internet or if unavailable hardcopy sources on climate change as determined by the instructor
Learning Activities Background Information Sixteen of the world’s 19 largest cities from Jakarta to Shanghai are under threat from rising sea level caused by warming of the oceans. Everywhere, the environment is changing in response to human activity. People in developing countries will be both first and worst affected with global change.
Climate change refers to the impact of an ever warmer planet caused by increased levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that are trapped in the atmosphere. A gradual increase in temperature has major consequences for animals, plants and weather patterns. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes 2,000 scientists and experts from 154 countries, has warned in the latest report that the damage could be irreversible. In early 2007, the IPCC published a report which stated that there will be serious consequences unless people act: rising sea levels; more frequent and less predictable floods—that will put millions of people in low lying regions at risk—severe droughts; famine, particularly in Africa and Central Asia; and the loss of up to a third of our plant and animal species. Diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will be spread more easily. Awareness of climate change is growing and the public pressure to do something about it is building. The IPCC shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former United States Vice-President Al Gore for efforts to disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change. One of the first important steps to deal with global warming was the adoption of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1992. However, as greenhouse gas emission levels continued to rise around the world, it became evident that only a firm and binding commitment by developed countries to reduce emissions could make countries act on climate change. In 1997, 69 nations approved the Kyoto Protocol, an addition to the treaty which has more powerful and legally binding measures. As of December 2007, 177 nations had ratified the Protocol. The Protocol requires developed countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions below certain levels. These targets must be met between 2008 and 2012 and add up to a total decrease in emissions of at least five per cent against the baseline of 1990. The Protocol places a heavier burden on developed nations than on developing countries. Because under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”, developed countries can pay the cost of cutting emissions, and they have historically contributed more to the problem. In December 2007, the world community gathered on the Indonesian island of Bali to begin hammering out how they would deal with greenhouse gas emissions post-Kyoto. The goal was to save the climate that has nurtured man for millennia and head off a scientific forecast for super-hurricanes, collapsing ice sheets and flooding coastlines. The Bali meeting inaugurated a two-year process of intensified negotiations on a new agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2009.
Activity I: Definition (Bell Ringer Activity) Climate change has been the source of debate for many years lead way to that left many inaccurate opinions and information about the facts. As a result, it is more important than ever to have a good working knowledge of the scientific methods and how scientists use it. It is also important to use knowledge to become critical thinkers, separate good from bad science and reach an understanding so that students can make informed decisions. 1. Tell the students the following: You are at a friend’s house watching television. Both you and your friend saw on the news how extreme temperatures are related to climate change. Later in the evening, you are having dinner with his family. Your friend’s parents are both climate scientists and you would like to ask them questions about climate change. Have the students complete the following statement and write their responses on the board: The question that I would really like to ask you (the friend’s parents) about climate change/global warming is… The instructor can present other questions or statements as needed. The students can identify which
questions they would like to research. 2. Students are given a time frame for their research as determined by the instructor.
Activity II: Research Some of the statements and questions should include the following: Resources: Statement 1: “Lots of things can impact climate – so there’s no reason we should single out CO2 to worry about.” Statement 2: “Temperatures in some areas aren’t increasing, so global warming is a myth.” Statement 3: “The warming scientists are recording is just the effect of cities trapping heat, rather than anything to do with greenhouse gases.” Statement 4: “Antarctica’s ice sheets are growing, so it must not be true that global warming is causing glaciers and sea ice to melt.” Statement 5: “Scientists disagree about whether humans are causing the Earth’s climate to change.” Statement 6: “The hole in the ozone layer causes global warming.” Statement 7: “Climate varies over time, so any change we’re seeing now is just part of a natural cycle.” Statement 8: “Global warming is a good thing, because it will rid us of frigid winters and make plants grow more quickly.” Statement 9: “Global warming is the result of a meteor that crashed in Siberia in the early 20th century.” Statement 10: “There is nothing we can do about climate change. It’s already too late.” Statement 11: “How do we know that the increase in atmospheric CO2 is anthropogenic (caused by humans)?” Statement 12: “Are there evidences for “global warming” episodes in past Earth history?” Statement 13: “Are we simply headed into an “interglacial period” of warmth?” Statement 14: “What is the greenhouse effect? How does it work? What is Keeling’s Curve and how does it relate to climate change?” Statement 15: “What are greenhouse gases? What are the residence times for these gases? How does synergy of greenhouse gases influence climate change?” Statement 16: “How are computer models designed and used to assess climate change?” Statement 17: “What evidence do we have for climate change provided by the oceans?” Statement 18: “What evidence do we have for climate change provided by the atmosphere?” Statement 19: “What evidence do we have for climate change provided by living organisms?” Statement 20: “What evidence do we have for climate change provided by glaciers and ice cores?” Statement 21: “How is global warming affecting the CO2 cycle? What changes in the CO2 cycle are we seeing? What are sinks and forcings?” For each answer have the students include the following: What was the science (Field work? Laboratory science? Computer modeling? Etc.)? Was the science valid (Repeated by others? Was it applied? Does it predict future outcomes? Was it peer reviewed? Etc.)? Who were the scientists (What institutions do they represent? What is their field of expertise? What was their motivation? Etc.)? In your opinion is the answer valid and good science? Why or why not? Not valid answers do not always mean bad science because more research may be required.
Works Cited
Have the students cite their sources. Answers Statement 6: While a depleted ozone layer would allow more UV radiation to reach the surface of the Earth. The atmosphere is primarily heated from below by the release of energy from the surface of the Earth. Statement 9: There is no good scientific evidence linking a meteor crash in Siberia with global warming in a cause-and-effect relationship. The hypothesis proposed that the meteor crash resulted in an increase of CO2 released into the atmosphere from volcanic activity resulting from the crash. Statement 14: The greenhouse effect: Heat trapping atmospheric gases prevent energy radiated outward from the surface of the Earth to escape. This causes an increased warming of the atmosphere. How does it work?: Incoming radiation is of a shorter wavelength and passes through the atmosphere fairly easily. Energy radiated back out toward space from earth’s surface is a longer wavelength and pass through the atmosphere as well. Some of this outgoing energy is trapped by gases in the atmosphere and causes the atmosphere to warm. Keeling’s Curve: Keeling’s Curve is a graph of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere dating back to the 1950’s. The graph shows a general trend of increasing concentrations of CO2. The graph also shows a fluctuating curve that illustrates seasonal variations of CO2 in the atmosphere. Statement 15: Greenhouse gases: These are various atmospheric gases that readily absorb longer wavelengths of radiation produced by the surface of the Earth. Residence Times: Carbon Dioxide: ~ 100 years. Methane: ~ 10 years. Nitrous Oxide: ~ 100 years. GHG synergy: While synergistic effects are probable, this is an area where more studies need to be conducted to determine what these effects will be. Statement 21: Sinks and Forcings: Sinks are parts of the carbon that “take up” introduced carbon. Forcings are parts of the carbon cycle that “introduce” carbon to the cycle Presentation Divide the class into groups. Assign questions to each group and have the students present their answers to the class.
Evaluation/Extension Activities
1) Find three nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and research the following: a) How do they raise awareness about climate change? b) How do they address climate change? c) How would you get involved? 2) Imagine that you are starting an NGO. What would it be called? Based on your research on #1, which ideas would you adopt for your NGO? What kind of problems do you think developing and developed countries would have in climate related events? Do you think they would be affected in the same way? Why or why not? Answers might include: Developed countries have more resources to address the needs of their people after a natural or man-made disaster. Conflicts over resources could result from climate change. People may also become internally displaced. 3) Find three UN humanitarian organizations that play a vital role in helping communities during man-made or natural disasters. How do the agencies provide humanitarian assistance? Answers may include: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) partners with key agencies such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), NGOs and other UN agencies, including World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF to deliver basic necessities such as shelter, food, clean water and health care services. Headquartered in New York and Geneva, OCHA has regional offices in Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean. The World Food Programme (WFP), a UN agency, is at the forefront of many emergencies. WFP assesses the needs of the people and handles the logistics of distributing food by partnering with governments, other UN agencies and NGOs to protect the lives of the people. 4) What Can You Do? Share these facts with your students: According to the IPCC, global emissions of greenhouse gases have increased to 70 per cent between 1970 and 2004. Humans contribute to the increased level of carbon dioxide that is released into the air when they burn coal, oil and natural gas. When people cut down trees, carbon dioxide stored in trees escapes into the atmosphere. Cows and flooded rice paddies release methane gases. If people do not take steps to slow greenhouse gas emissions, it is possible that levels could triple by the year 2100.
Ask the students the following questions:
Do you drive; use public transportation; walk or bike? Explore ways to carpool with friends and use public transportation. Try walking or biking one day of the week to get some exercise. Do you save electricity? Do you unplug your cell phone, iPod or camera when they are fully charged? Try turning off lights and the television when you are not in the room. Light up your world with energy efficient bulbs. Unplug your chargers. You can save money and lessen your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint measures the impact of people’s activities on the environment by the amount of greenhouse gases they produce. It is measured in units of carbon dioxide. Do you recycle or just throw away? Newspapers, plastic bags, bottles and cans can be recycled. Do you donate or just throw away? At the end of the school year, collect school supplies and donate to a needy school or have the school keep the extras for the following year. Give your household items and clothes to Goodwill. Save trees. Use both sides of the paper when printing assignments. Borrow your books from the library and your friends. Do you or your family support politicians who care about the environment? Vote for politicians who are environmentally friendly. If you cannot vote, write letters to your representatives. Do you take a bath or a shower? Baths waste gallons of water. Take short showers. How can you volunteer to raise awareness about climate change? Will you make these small changes to save your world?
Assignment Keeping these questions in mind, ask the students to keep a journal for a week about how they contribute to climate change in their daily lives. What are the six ways students can limit their carbon footprint?
Resources: The following are websites that you can use to have your students research climate change: United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change http://www.ipcc.ch/
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
http://unfccc.int/2860.php World Meteorological Organization www.wmo.ch Gateway to the UN System’s Work on Climate Change www.un.org/climatechange/index.shtml National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration www.noaa.gov National Center for Atmospheric Research www.ncar.ucar.edu Union of Concerned Scientists
www.acia.uaf.edu Arctic Climate Impact Assessment www.climateark.org A Climate Change Information Portal www.realclimate.org Climate science from climate scientists
Rubric: Student(s): Question that was researched:
CATEGORY SOURCES: What were the sources that were cited? SOURCES: Number of sources cited. SOURCES: Were the sources valid? SCIENCE: What was the science?
Rubric for Climate Change Lesson Plan
5 POINTS
3 POINTS
1 POINT
0 POINTS
More than 3 sources or exceeds sufficiency.
Between 2-3 sources or sufficient sources.
1 source cited or inadequate sources.
No sources cited.
At least 2 valid sources.
Uncertain of source validity. Some sc. methods were identified, but not all. Sc. methods were inferred or uncertain.
Sources were not valid.
Sc. methods were identified.
No sc. methods were found or identified.
SCIENCE: What evidence was presented for validity? SCIENTISTS: What scientists were identified? SCIENTISTS: Were institutions of the scientists included? SCIENTISTS: Fields of Expertise. (Points need not be given except for inclusion or not) SCIENTISTS: Motivation
At least 2 reliable pieces showing validity. Three or more scientists were identified. Two scientists were identified.
Uncertain evidence for validity. One scientist was identified.
No evidence for validity presented. No scientists were identified.
Institutions included.
Institutions not included. Indirectly related to climate science. Not related to climate sciences. No fields of expertise included.
Directly related to climate and climate change.
No implications of “prejudiced” science present. Explained understandably.
Implications of “prejudiced” science present.
Uncertain findings of “prejudiced” science.
No findings presented.
PRESENTATION: Question
Answer contained ambiguities.
Not answered.
PRESENTATION: Presentation.
Accurate, creative, used visual aids, answered questions from the class.
Presentations was missing 1 or 2 of the previous.
Presentation showed inaccuracies, lacked creativity and visual aids, questions could not
Presentation was not given.
be answered. PRESENTATION: Conclusion
Summary was provided and understandable.
Summary lacked relations and positions, was not understandable.
No summary was presented.
M. Mieszala & S.Kang