Lesson Plan for Social Studies: Climate Change

Standards Established Goals: This lesson presents an overview of climate change around the world. Students examine the problems people encounter when faced with extreme climate related events and look at recent lessons learned from natural disasters. This lesson also asks students how they could make changes in their lives to minimize their contribution to climate change by researching organizations that address climate change. By understanding the effects of climate change on both developing and developed countries, students have the ability to make better decisions about the environment. National Council for Social Studies Standards: III. Peoples, Places and Environments V. Individuals, Groups and Institution IX. Global Connections X. Civic Ideals and Practices Students will know: The definition of climate change What groups of people are affected by climate change Names of agencies and organizations that address climate change How to get involved Transferable Concepts/Links Man-Made Disasters, Natural Disasters, Poverty, Developing World Public Health Humanitarian Agencies Non-governmental organizations Course Connection: Global Studies, Geography Geography Social Studies Social Studies

Students will be able to: Identify effects of climate change in different parts of the world Analyze different problems people encounter with climate change Examine ways agencies and organizations are dealing with the issue of climate change Develop an individual action plan to limit their contribution to climate change

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 worlds 19 largest cities from Jakarta to Shanghai are under threat from sea level rise 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 brought 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. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed in 1988 by the two united UN Environmental Programme (UNEP) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide objective information about climate change to the public and to policy-makers. IPCC is made up of scientists and experts from all over the world and promotes the UN goals of human development. 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 floodsthat will put millions of people in low lying regions at risksevere 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 VicePresident 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 UN 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 flooded 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: 1) Ask the students what they think is the definition of climate change. Write their answers on the board. 2) Give the students the definition of climate change. According to IPCC, climate change refers to a change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g. using statistical tests)by changes that persists for an extended period, usually decades or longer. It refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity. The work of the IPCC is important to the current policy for addressing climate change. As a result of the first IPCC Assessment Report, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change went into force in 1994. The Second Assessment Report of 1995 contributed to the outcome of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The Third Assessment Report (TAR) of 2001 was used to further develop policy in the UNFCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The Fourth Assessment Report was released in late 2007 and findings are incorporated in the learning activities. Share these facts with you students: According to the most recent IPCC report changes in climate patterns have occurred in the following ways in the last 50 years: It is very likely that cold days, cold nights and frosts have become less frequent over most land areas, while hot days and hot nights have become more frequent. It is likely that heat waves have become more frequent over most land areas. It is likely that the frequency of heavy rainfall has increased over most areas. It is likely that the incidence of extreme high sea level has increased globally since 1975. As a result of climate change, glacial lakes are enlarging and increasing in number; ground instability in permafrost regions and rock avalanches are increasing; changes in some Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems have predators at high levels of the food web. Activity II: 1) Divide the class in pairs. Assign the following countries to each pair of students: Australia, Bolivia, Bhutan, Canada, Finland, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, Spain, Tajikistan, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

2) On a large map in the classroom, ask the students to locate their assigned country using a pushpin. Two colours should be used: one to represent developing countries; the other developed countries. This exercise will illustrate how climate change has affected developing and developed countries. 3) Have the students find 3-4 different articles about climate change related events such as heatwaves or floods in the last ten years. Use online newspapers, database of online periodicals from your library or www.un.org/news . 4) After the students find the articles, ask them to answer the following: a. What were the different types of climate change activity in their assigned country? b. What problems did people face after the extreme climate change events? c. Was the country assigned a developed country or developing country? d. What do you think are some of the precautionary steps your assigned countries should take in another catastrophic event? Answers can include:

Activity III: Download and hand out copies of chapter 8 from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on human health from www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.htm . Ask students the following: 1) Who will be affected the most with climate change? 2) What are the indirect and direct consequences from these climate related events? 3) Do natural disasters affect both men and women equally?

Answers can include: 1) The poor, elderly, children, traditional societies, farmers and coastal populations will be the affected as a result of climate change. Even developed countries are not prepared to deal with the extreme events associated with climate change. 2) Malnutrition, unsafe water, death, injury, mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, internal displacement, floods, storms, fires, droughts and diseases would result from climate related events; diseases include malaria, cholera, dengue fever, meningitis and diarrhea. 3) During natural disasters, women experience increased levels of domestic violence and post-traumatic stress disorders; granting women loans to rebuild houses improves their self confidence and social status. Share these facts with your students: Heatwaves have caused deaths and affected the health of populations in North America, Europe and East Asia. Between 1980 and 1998, 18 heatwaves killed approximately 3,400 in India. In 2003 alone, 3000 people died in Andhra Pradesh, India. In August 2003, a heatwave in France killed more than 14,800 people. Over half of the reported deaths were the elderly over the age of 75. During the same period, Belguim, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom total deaths were close to 35,000. Floods cause damage to infrastructure such as road and buildings. Floods are the most frequent natural weather disaster. In 2003, 130 million people in China experienced some type of flooding. In 1999, 30,000 people in Venezuela died in floods and landslides caused by storms In South Asia and Latin America, floods in tropical cyclones cause many deaths. Drowning is cited as the major killer in low-lying areas, particularly in Bangladesh. Activity IV: Download and hand out copies of chapter 6 from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report on coastal systems and low-lying areas from www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.htm . 1) Ask the students the definition of low-lying areas. 2) Give the students the definition of low-lying areas. According to the IPCC, low-lying areas refer to coastal areas. About 23 per cent of the worlds population lives within 100 km from a coastal area. The area is less than 100 m above sea level. Coastal areas attract people, economic investments and urban development. As a result, people are three times more likely to live in low-lying areas than anywhere else in the world.

3) Have the students identify coastal zones. 4) What problems will coastal areas have with climate change? Answers can include:
Table 6.8.Key hotspots of societal vulnerability in coastal zones. Controlling Factors Examples from this Chapter
Coastal areas where there are substantial barriers to adaptation (economic, institutional, environmental, technical, etc.) Coastal areas subject to multiple natural and humaninduced stresses, such as subsidence or declining natural defences Coastal areas already experiencing adverse effects of temperature rise Coastal areas with significant flood-plain populations that are exposed to significant storm surge hazards Coastal areas where freshwater resources are likely to be reduced by climate change Coastal areas with tourist-based economies where major adverse effects on tourism are likely Highly sensitive coastal systems where the scope for inland migration is limited Venice, Asian megadeltas, atolls and small islands, New Orleans

Mississippi, Nile and Asian megadeltas, the Netherlands, Mediterranean, Maldives Coral reefs, Arctic coasts (USA, Canada, Russia), Antarctic peninsula, small island nations such as Tuvalu and Maldives Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean, Rio de la Plata/Parana delta, North Sea West Africa, Western. Australia, atolls and small islands

Caribbean, Mediterranean, Florida, Thailand, Maldives

Many developed estuarine coasts, low small islands, Bangladesh

5) What are some of the lessons learned from recent extreme events? Answers can include:
Box 6.5. Recent extreme events lessons for coastal adaptation to climate change Climate and non-climate related extreme events that had major consequences for coastal systems, provide important messages for adaptation to climate change. Scientific literature and government reports emanating from hurricane and cyclone impacts (e.g., Cook Islands (Ingram, 2005); Katrina (US Government, 2006); Australia (Williams et al., 2007), flood impacts (e.g., Mumbai (Wisner, 2006)) and the Boxing Day Sumatran tsunami (UNEP, 2005; UNOCHA, 2005) include the following: An effective early warning communication and response system can reduce death and destruction Hazard awareness education and personal hazard experience are important contributors to reducing community vulnerability Many factors reduce the ability or willingness of people to flee an impending disaster, including the warning time, access and egress routes, and their perceived need to protect property, pets and possessions Coastal landforms (coral reefs, barrier islands) and wetland ecosystems (mangroves, marshes) provide a natural first line of protection from storm surges and flooding, despite divergent views about the extent to which they reduce destruction; Recurrent events reduce the resilience of natural and artificial defences In the aftermath of extreme events, people suffer from mental health problems. Uncoordinated and poorly regulated construction causes vulnerability Effective disaster prevention and response rely on strong governance and institutions, as well as adequate public preparedness.

Coastal erosion, coral bleaching from increased temperatures, internal displacement Climate change and sea-level rise provide challenges in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs are eight time bound targets aimed at halving the number of people who live in extreme poverty or who lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. They also aim to increase the number of children who complete school; decrease the rate of greenhouse emissions; reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS; and halve the number of people who suffer from hunger. Funding resources away from sustainable development projects to address climate related events may reverse progress that has already taken place. Activity V: 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 peoples 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?

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? 3) Have the students write a one page reflection about what they have learned. What myths did they have about climate change? Resources: The following are some 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 Gateway to the UN Systems Work on Climate Change www.un.org/climatechange/index.shtml World Meteorological Organization www.wmo.ch The Pew Center on Global Climate Change www.pewclimate.org