A classroom/laboratory activity to analyze CO2 emissions data by using Riemann sums for the calculation of area under the curve.
Tag: Asia
Video: Indian Monsoon
Climate Science Education Series
Developed by Science Media Center, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
Reading: Human Migration and Displacement
A reading from ‘The Epicenters of Climate and Security: The New Geostrategic Landscape of the Anthropocene’ by The Center for Climate and Security on human migration and displacement caused by climate change. It describes the impacts of climate change on voluntary and forced human migration and displacement through examples from South Asia, the Middle East and western China.
Students will learn about the key drivers and impacts of climate change that influence migration and displacement. They will also understand the role of climate change in increasing the likelihood of regional conflict.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
- How does climate change affect migration and displacement?
- What are the reasons behind involuntary and voluntary migration and displacement?
- What are the four drivers of migration that result from climate change?
- What role does climate change play in the likelihood of regional conflict?
About the Tool
| Tool Name | Migration and Displacement in a Changing Climate |
| Discipline | Social Sciences, International Relations |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Human Migration, Displacement, Conflict, Security, Peace and Conflict Studies |
| Climate Topic | Climate and Society |
| Type of tool | Reading |
| Grade Level | High school, Undergraduate |
| Location | Global, South Asia, Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, China |
| Language | English |
| Translation | |
| Developed by | Robert McLeman in Epicenters of Climate and Security: The New Geostrategic Landscape of the Anthropocene eds Caitlin E. Werrell and Francesco Femia |
| Hosted at | The Center for Climate and Security |
| Link | https://climateandsecurity.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/12_migration-and-displacement.pdf |
| Access | Online/Offline |
| Computer Skills | Basic |
Reading: Climate-Informed Development to Mitigate Global Poverty
A feature story on a comprehensive report by the World Bank that describes the threat of climate change to poor people and the ways to offset it through adaptation and mitigation strategies.
Read More “Reading: Climate-Informed Development to Mitigate Global Poverty”
Reading: Conflict and water wars
Reading: Coping with Climate Change
Reading: The Locust Plague of East Africa
An article titled ‘A plague of locusts has descended on East Africa. Climate change may be to blame’ by Madeleine Stone in the National Geographic that discusses the relationship between the 2019-20 desert locust swarms in East Africa and climate change. The article focuses on how rising sea surface temperatures, storms and cyclones, changing ocean circulation patterns caused by human activity may have triggered this trans-oceanic disaster and destruction of food supply.
Students will learn about how climate change triggered the mass migration of the desert locusts over East Africa. They will also learn about the unseasonal cyclones and storms that led to unusual locust breeding that resulted in the widespread destruction of crops and disrupted the food chain in East Africa.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
- What are desert locusts?
- Is climate change responsible for the current locust outbreak in East Africa? Discuss.
- How is the locust plague causing food insecurity in some countries?
About the tool:
| Tool Name | A plague of locusts has descended on East Africa. Climate change may be to blame |
| Discipline | Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Locust Plague, Desert Locust, Food Security, Species Migration, Agriculture |
| Climate Topic | Climate Change and Food Security; Climate and Agriculture |
| Type of tool | Reading |
| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Location | Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen |
| Language | English |
| Translation | |
| Developed by | Madeleine Stone |
| Hosted at | National Geographic |
| Link | Link |
| Access | Online/Offline |
| Computer Skills | Basic |
Reading: Climate Change and Locust Swarms
An article titled ‘Q&A: Are the 2019-20 locust swarms linked to climate change?’ by Daisy Dunne in Carbon Brief that discusses the potential link between climate change and the locust outbreak in East Africa and surrounding regions. The article discusses how climate change has influenced heavy rains, unusual storm activity and a change in the ‘Indian Ocean Dipole’ from East Africa, the Middle East, parts of Asia to Western Australia. The article further tracks the beginning and spread of the outbreak causing mass crop failure.
Students will learn about how climate change potentially led to the mass breeding and outbreak of desert locusts in East Africa and surrounding regions. They will also learn about how changing weather patterns, rising sea temperatures and altered oceanic currents can provide breeding grounds for desert locusts. Students will further learn about what makes desert locusts resilient, allowing them to migrate and cause mass crop failure in many countries.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
- What countries were affected by the locust plague of 2019-20?
- What weather conditions are favourable for locust breeding?
- Is climate change responsible for the current locust outbreak? Discuss.
- How is the locust plague causing food insecurity in some countries?
About the tool:
| Tool Name | Q&A: Are the 2019-20 locust swarms linked to climate change? |
| Discipline | Environmental Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Locust Plague, Desert Locust, Food Security, Species Migration, Agriculture |
| Climate Topic | Climate Change and Food Security; Climate and Agriculture |
| Type of tool | Reading |
| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Location | Africa, East Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, India, Pakistan |
| Language | English |
| Translation | |
| Developed by | Daisy Dunne |
| Hosted at | Carbon Brief |
| Link | Link |
| Access | Online/Offline |
| Computer Skills | Basic |
Reading: Bark Beetle Outbreaks in Bhutan
A reading that discusses ecosystems, biomes, food chains, and food webs and how the balance of an ecosystem can be disrupted by climate change induced insect outbreak. This reading by Dr. Kaka Tshering and Chimi Tshering, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER), Bhutan; and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria discusses how global warming can potentially impact ecosystems in the forests of Bhutan. It further describes strategies to predict climate change induced bark beetle outbreaks in the forest ecosystems of Bhutan using GIS, Climate, and Phenology data.
Students will learn about the life cycle of the bark beetle and how bark beetle outbreaks tend to occur due to increased temperatures. They will further understand the factors responsible for the susceptibility of forest ecosystems to bark beetle outbreaks in Bhutan and how climate and phenology data can be used to mitigate the effects.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
- How does climate change induced warming affect bark beetle outbreaks?
- Discuss how frequent bark beetle outbreaks have made forest ecosystems of Bhutan unstable.
- Discuss how the use of GIS, phenology, and climate data helped to preempt bark beetle outbreaks and protect the susceptible forest ecosystems of Bhutan.
About the tool
| Tool Name | Predicting Bark Beetle Outbreaks using GIS, Climate and Phenology Data |
| Discipline | Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Ecosystems, Food webs, Bark Beetle, Phenology, Forest Ecosystem |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Biosphere |
| Type of tool | Reading |
| Grade Level | Undergraduate |
| Location | Bhutan |
| Language | English |
| Translation | |
| Developed by | Kaka Tshering and Chimi Tshering |
| Hosted at | Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research (UWICER), Bhutan; and University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria |
| Link | http://www.uwice.gov.bt/admin_uwice/publications/publication_files/Reports/2018/Predicting%20Bark%20Beetle%20Outbreaks%20using%20GIS,%20Climate%20and%20Phenology%20Data_UWICER%20Technical%20Note%202018.pdf |
| Access | Online/Offline |
| Computer Skills | Basic |
Video: India’s Climate Change Policies
A video lecture on India’s climate change policies and governance by Navroz Dubash, Center for Policy Research. This video lecture is part 2 of a 2-part lecture series titled ‘Climate Change: Policy and Governance: Global Negotiations and Domestic Policy Making’ of a MOOC. This MOOC has been developed by the National Resource Center on Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, India. The video discusses the history of India’s climate change policy. It also includes discussions on public narrative and policy frameworks through two main themes:
- India’s changing climate narrative: This section focuses on the history of India’s climate change policy and the change in public climate change narrative. The section discusses climate equity,
- Emerging climate policy framework: This section discusses the current policy framework and stakeholders in mitigating climate change
The lecture discusses specific climate change impacts such as decreased agricultural yields, increased rainfall, melting of glaciers and water scarcity that directly affect the economic development of India. Dubash explains India’s growing energy needs and the potential threat that climate change may have on the development of the energy sector. Additionally, the lecture discusses India’s current carbon emitting position with regards to other countries such as the U.S.A and China, creating an upper limit of emissions. The lecture also discusses the potential synergy of development and climate mitigation through the concept of “ urban co-benefits” where sectors like transport can develop to include mitigation techniques. Dubash also discusses the current institutional landscape for climate governance that starts with governing bodies such as the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2007 and continues with the National Action Plan in 2009. Lastly, the lecture discusses the three pledges that India, as part of the Paris Agreement, has undertaken to carry out:
- Decrease emission intensity by 33-35% by 2030
- To convert from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources by 2030
- Sequester 2.5-3.0 billion tons of carbon dioxide in the forest sector by 2030
Students will learn about the history of India’s climate change policies. They will also learn about the climate change narratives in India and how it has been influenced by inequity, social impacts such as poverty and water scarcity and geopolitical drivers such as foreign policy, country alliances and global economic development. Students will further learn about the institutions and local governing bodies that influence climate change policy making. They will further learn about India’s current position within global climate mitigation initiatives and the competition of development within countries.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
- Discuss the history of India’s climate change policies.
- Discuss the change of climate change narratives in India over the last 20 years.
- How does the debate between development and climate change mitigation influence climate change policy making?
About the tool
| Tool Name | W10 CO8 LO2 Climate Change: Policy and Governance: Global Negotiations and Domestic Policy Making |
| Discipline | Social Sciences, Public Policy |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Public Policy, Climate Change Policy, Governance, India Climate Change Policy |
| Climate Topic | Policies, Politics and Environmental Governance |
| Type of tool | Video (36 mins) |
| Grade Level | Undergraduate, Graduate |
| Location | Asia, India |
| Language | English |
| Translation | |
| Developed by | Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune |
| Hosted at | YouTube |
| Link | Link |
| Access | Online |
| Computer Skills | Basic |
Reading: Climate Change-Related Human Migration in Bangladesh
A reading to learn about climate change-related human migration and the term “climate refugees” through an example in Bangladesh.
Read More “Reading: Climate Change-Related Human Migration in Bangladesh”
Lesson Plan: Climate Change Impacts in Nepal
Mobile App: UAE Environment Information and Statistics
This app provides environment and climate-related information for the UAE.
Read More “Mobile App: UAE Environment Information and Statistics”
Teaching Module: The Impact of ENSO and Human Activities on River Hydrology (a case study of the Huanghe River)
A teaching module to learn about the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) by performing calculations and analyzing results for Tahiti and Darwin (Australia), and for the Huanghe River in China.
E-learning Course: Understanding and Addressing Climate-related Challenges from China’s Perspective
An e-learning course to understand the science of climate change, climate change-related challenges, and opportunities/solutions to address these challenges for the world, in general, and for China, in particular.