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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
- What Trump’s Environmental Record Says About a Second Term
- Oil Interests Gave More Than $75 Million to Trump PACs, New Analysis Shows
- Repression Intensifies in the Country Hosting a Major Climate Meeting
- La Bóveda del Fin del Mundo recibe miles de semillas nuevas
- Rare Autumn Drought in Northeast Brings a Spate of Wildfires
- Protecting Nature, With the U.S. on the Sidelines
- How a Tiny Panel, Up for Election, Could Steer Arizona Away From Clean Power
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- A Trump presidency could ‘cripple’ the Paris climate agreement, warns UN chief
- NSW police take legal action to prevent climate activists blockading Port of Newcastle
- Valencians question lack of warning in wake of devastating Spain floods – video
- EU emissions fall by 8% in steep reduction reminiscent of Covid shutdown
- Indigenous cultural burning managed Australia’s bushfires long before colonisation. It’s needed now more than ever, a study says
- Alaska governor awards $1m in state funds to Indigenous group backing oil drilling
- The new folk horror: nature is coming to kill you!
Climate Solutions from Union of Concerned Scientists
- Will UN Climate Talks in Azerbaijan Deliver on Finance and Emission Reductions?
- When Danger Season Collides with the Affordable Housing Shortage
- What Is FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund? What You Should Know, Why Costs Keep Rising and What We Can Do About It
- Wetland Protections Remain Bogged Down in Mystery
- Hurricanes Helene and Milton Further Proof We’re Not Ready for Fossil Fuel-Caused Climate Change
- Project 2025’s Assault on EPA, Human Health and the Environment Must Never Be Put into Action
- Cómo prepararía la Proposición 4 a California para los peligros del cambio climático
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.