An audio podcast titled ‘Climate Change and Literature: Reading Change’ that features Dr. Jemma Deer, Harvard University Center for the Environment. The podcast discusses the role of literature to understand and deal with climate change. The podcast discusses how analysing literature can allow for various interpretations and perceptions of climate change and the anthropocene. The podcast further discusses how literature allows for physical traces of society to be tracked and linked to climate change and nature, hence can potentially influence solutions.
Students will learn about the role of literature in understanding climate change and human society. They will also learn about the influence of literature on perceptions of climate change. Students will further learn about how understanding the anthropocene can influence climate change policy and solutions.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How does literature help understand climate change?
What is the anthropocene?
How can interpretations of literature influence how society responds to climate change?
About the tool
Tool Name
Climate Change and Literature: Reading Change
Discipline
Humanities, English
Topic(s) in Discipline
Literature, Anthropocene
Climate Topic
Climate and Society
Type of tool
Audio (28 mins)
Grade Level
Undergraduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Alice Evatt, Henry Tann
Hosted at
The Oxford Research Center in Humanities, University of Oxford
A reading by Dipesh Chakrabarty, The University of Chicago titled ‘Postcolonial Studies and the Challenge of Climate Change’ that discusses the link between globalization and global warming. Chakrabarty discusses this link through the writings of Homi K. Bhabha, that aims to stretch post colonial thinking to include the reality of climate change and global warming. The reading also discusses the challenges that climate change issues pose in a “neoliberal” capitalist world. Chakrabarty highlights the three images of human that currently exist:
The universalist-Enlightenment view of the human with the ability to exercise rights
The globalized view of the human
The human as a geological force that changes the climate
Chakrabarty makes this distinction to understand the current debate between society, globalization and climate change. Through the writings of Homi K. Bhabha, the reading discusses ‘the postcolonial criticism of the human’ and ‘the human in the anthropocene’ that focuses on issues such as anthropogenic global warming, degradation of the natural environment and the development of humanity.
Students will learn about postcolonial globalization and climate change. They will also learn about the criticism that postcolonial thinkers have about the current age of the anthropocene and the increasing changes in the climate. Students will further learn about the attempts that postcolonial thinkers have made to ensure that climate change and global warming are part of the human reality for future preservation of the environment. Additionally, students will learn about the failed recognition that society gives to the interdependence of humans on nature and its natural beings.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is the link between globalization and climate change?
How do postcolonial thinkers criticise the age of the anthropocene?
Discuss the three images that postcolonial thinkers have created for the human
How can postcolonial studies about the anthropocene inform the future?
About the Tool
Tool Name
Postcolonial Studies and the Challenge of Climate Change
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
Postcolonial Studies, Cultural Studies, Neoliberalism, Anthropocene, Globalization, Capitalism
Climate Topic
Climate and the Anthroposphere; Climate and Society
Type of tool
Reading
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Dipesh Chakrabarty New Literary History (Vol 43, 1)
An article published by Yale Climate Connections on resources for teaching climate fiction. The article features Elizabeth Rush, a climate fiction educator at Brown University, who discusses the ways in which climate fiction can create a relationship between humans, their environment and technology. The article provides educators a list of climate fiction novels and short stories. Cli-Fi resources reviewed in the article include ‘The Tamarisk Hunter’ by Paolo Bacigalupi, ‘Gold, Fame, Citrus’ by Claire Vaye Watkins, ‘Monstro’ by Junot Díaz, ‘New York 2140’ by Kim Stanley Robinson, and ‘10:04’ by Ben Lerner.
Through the Cli-Fi books listed, students will learn about climate change and the importance of Cli-Fi.
Use this tool and the resources listed therein to help your students find answers to:
How does climate fiction link society, climate change and technology?
How can cli-fi provide solutions to mitigate climate change?
About the Tool
Tool Name
What’s on your climate fiction syllabus?
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
Climate Fiction, Cli-Fi, Literature
Climate Topic
Climate and Society
Type of tool
Reading
Grade Level
High School, Undergraduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Yale Climate Connections with Elizabeth Rush, Brown University
A video by John Broome, University of Oxford, on how ethics and philosophy impacts climate change policies. This video discusses the influence of philosophy on decision making and how it can specifically bring a paradigm shift in climate-related policy making.
Students will be introduced to philosophical concepts such as moral philosophy, value theory, decision theory, and intuition of neutrality. They will also learn how to use these theories in climate change decision making related to economic policies. Additionally, students will also learn how incorrect interpretation of certain philosophical thought leads to errors in value judgements.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How does philosophy influence climate change decision making?
What is value theory? How can it be used to understand the value of climate related human deaths?
How does ‘intuition of neutrality’ lead to amoral policy making?
About the Tool
Tool Name
John Broome | Climate change ethics: Life and death
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Ethics, Public Policy, Value Theory, Decision Theory
A guidebook of gender-sensitive approaches to climate change policy for city planning. It discusses the different ways in which women and men are affected by climate change. This guidebook includes discussions on gender inequalities such as gender division of labour, gender differentials in income, gender biases in decision making, and other factors contributing to climate vulnerability.
Students will understand how climate change impacts genders differently. They will also learn the importance of gender sensitivity in formulating climate change policies. Students will be introduced to gender sensitive climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience in cities.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How does climate change affect genders differently?
Give a few reasons why climate change policies should use a gender-sensitive approach
What are the priorities for gender-sensitive climate policies at urban levels?
About the Tool
Tool Name
Gender and Urban Climate Policy: Gender-Sensitive Policies Make a Difference
Discipline
Humanities, Social Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Gender, Gender and Climate Change, Gender Inequality, Urban Planning, Public Policy, Climate Change Policy, Climate Vulnerability
Climate Topic
Climate and Society, Policies, Politics, and Environmental Governance
Type of Tool
Reading
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
–
Developed by
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
Series of two E-Learning Courses on Introduction to Climate Change and Climate Science
Following are two online courses in Climate Change and Climate Science by the National Resource Centre (NRC) on Climate Change at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune as part of the Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India.
A video lecture by Amitav Ghosh, author of ‘The Great Derangement: Fiction, History, and Politics in the Age of Global Warming’ as part of a 4 part lecture series delivered at the University of Chicago’s Randy L. & Melvin R. Berlin Family Lectures. In this video lecture, Ghosh discusses the link between history and climate change. The video also discusses impacts of climate change on historical narratives of capitalism and imperialism in Asia.
Students will understand the role of climate change in shaping history. They will further understand how global warming has contributed to shaping societies in the Asian continent.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the link between climate change and history.
Discuss how climate change influenced the history of South Asia.
About the Tool
Tool Name
The Great Derangement: Literature, History, and Politics in the Age of Global Warming
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
History, Political History, Imperialism, Colonialism, Non-fiction, Literature, Climate Fiction
Climate Topic
Climate and Society
Type of tool
Video/ Micro Lecture (1 hr 13 mins)
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Amitav Ghosh at the Berlin Family Lectures, The University of Chicago
A video lecture that discusses how the social sciences have evolved to address issues of climate change by D. Parthasarathy. This video lecture is part 1 of a 2-part lecture series titled ‘Climate Change and Society: Culture, Politics, And Social Dynamics’ 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 lecture focuses on the threat and vulnerability of the human population to climate change viewed through the lenses of the social sciences and climate sciences. This lecture discusses how social vulnerability is understood in the social sciences as “vulnerability and adaptation as representing the set of socio-economic factors that determine people’s ability to cope with stress or change” and how it is understood in the climate sciences as “vulnerability is the likelihood of occurrence and impacts of weather and climate related events, and capacity of population groups to reduce vulnerability”.
The video further discusses how the social sciences have contributed to the understanding of vulnerability by discussing concepts of social inequalities like caste, religion and social status. It also highlights the impact of climate change in developing countries. Additionally, the lecture discusses the need for a transdisciplinary approach and how the social sciences can further contribute to the understanding of climate change and societal impacts. These include:
Ethnographic insights: Studies that could discuss cultural values and political relations that influence climate related knowledge and the perception of climate change. This could help formulate better adaptation policies
Historical perspective: History can be used to understand traditional mechanisms of adapting and coping and understanding societal collapse, survival and sustainability.
Holistic view: Studies that discuss the changing forms of consumption and production and their consequences such as migration and refugee crises.
Students will learn about understanding climate risk and vulnerability from the perspective of the social sciences. They will also learn about climate change threats and vulnerability and social inequalities such as caste, religion and social status. Students will further learn about how culture influences societies to adapt, survive, and mitigate the risks of climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the role of the social sciences in understanding climate change risks and vulnerability
Discuss the social inequalities can contribute to climate change induced vulnerability in developing countries
About the tool
Tool Name
W10 CO7 LO1 Climate Change and Society: Culture, Politics, And Social Dynamics Lecture 01
A video lecture that discusses the link between politics, culture and climate change by D. Parthasarthy. This video lecture is part 2 of a 2-part lecture series titled ‘Climate Change and Society: Culture, Politics, And Social Dynamics’ 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 politics of climate change, its origin and how it has evolved over time. It further discusses the unequal impacts of climate change on societies, the problem of accountability and responsibility by countries and the ongoing debate between economic development and mitigation of climate change. It discusses the concepts of power of stakeholders, their decision making, societal vulnerability and risk. The video also discusses the current lack of representation in policy making by communities that are directly affected by climate change and hence the need for “knowledge participation”. The lecture further highlights the “social limits to climate action” that includes values, ethics, knowledge and culture which determine climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. The lecture specifically discusses four propositions to understand climate change and culture:
Values and ethics are central to politics where social units are based on ethical principles
Uncertainty leads to failure to adapt and increases vulnerability for certain communities
There is a gap between perception of risk and action
Cultural aspects are excluded when developing climate adaptation strategies
The lecture then highlights how culture defines the politics of climate change contributing to the “knowledge-ignorance paradox” which discusses the concept of “scientific illiteracy”. D Parthasarathy further discusses the Giddens paradox that highlights the four reasons for decreasing public concern about climate change:
Political campaigns by corporate organizations against policy proposals to reduce carbon emissions
The abstract and vague nature of climate science for a layman to understand
The ‘free-rider’ issue where the impact of climate change affects other countries rather than the country of origin, enabling no action to be taken to control it.
The debate between economic development and climate change mitigation in developing countries like India.
The lecture also provides four suggestions put forth by Giddens to tackle these issues:
Political leaders must be convinced to take action
Small regional climate change agreements must be made instead of international agreements where accountability and responsibility are hard to monitor.
Companies that use fossil fuels must be challenged by local companies
Promotion of local activism to influence global action
Students will learn about the politics of climate change. They will learn about the existing politics of climate change and how vulnerability, risk and uncertainty affects decision making by individuals and societies. Students will further learn about the inherent presence of societal values, ethics, vulnerability, power and risk that determine societal ignorance, knowledge and perception of climate change. Through the four propositions, they will learn about the need for a transdisciplinary approach to ensure effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Additionally, students will learn about the “knowledge-ignorance paradox’, the Giddens paradox and media representation and how this influences the public perception and concern of climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the link between culture and climate politics
How do the concepts of power, risk, uncertainty and vulnerability affect climate change policies?
Discuss the “knowledge-ignorance paradox” and its influence on public concern
Discuss the Giddens paradox and its four hypotheses and their impact on climate mitigation policies.
About the tool
Tool Name
W10 CO7 LO2 Climate Change and Society: Culture, Politics, And Social Dynamics Lecture 02
Discipline
Social Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Climate Change Overview, Culture, Politics, Social Dynamics, Social Inequalities, Knowledge-Ignorance Paradox, Giddens Paradox
Climate Topic
Climate Literacy, Climate and Society, Policies, Politics and Environmental Governance
Type of tool
Video (46 mins)
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune
A video lecture by Vibhuti Patel, SNDT Women’s University, India, titled ‘Gender and Climate Change’ that discusses gender dimensions of climate change. This lecture discusses the role of women in households and how climate change induced events such as natural and manmade disasters, water and food shortages and deforestation differentially impact them. Additionally, the lecture discusses examples of indigenous tribes and local knowledge systems. The lecture further discusses the current role of women in the climate change discourse, women’s ecological movements, and the need to include women in decision and policy making.
Students will learn about the impacts of climate change on women. They will also learn about how women are far more vulnerable to climatic events and hence the need to ensure that women are included in climate policy and decision making. Students will further learn a brief history of women’s ecological movements in India and the current role women play in reducing the impacts of climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the gender dimensions of climate change.
Discuss the symbiotic relationship of indigenous women and the natural environment.
Discuss the women’s ecological movement in India.
About the tool
Tool Name
Gender and Climate Change
Discipline
Social Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Gender, Gender Studies, Women Studies, Women’s Ecological Movement
Climate Topic
Climate and Society, Policies, Politics and Environmental Governance
Type of tool
Video/Microlecture (33 min)
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Vidya-Mitra Channel by National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology, MHRD, India
A microlecture titled ‘As climate changes, I order a salad: contemporary poetry and the strange times of climate change’ by Sam Solnick, University of Liverpool that discusses three poems that focus on temporalities associated with climate change. The video also discusses the role of media and poetry in shaping the climate change narrative. The video further discusses methods of analysing contemporary poetry.
Students will learn about the representation of climate change in contemporary poetry. They will also learn about different interpretations and approaches to understand climate change through poetry. Students will further learn of the impact of digital media on how we perceive and respond to climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are the various temporalities of climate change?
How does the media shape our experience of climate change?
About the tool
Tool Name
As climate changes, I order a salad: contemporary poetry and the strange times of climate change
Discipline
Humanities, English
Topic(s) in Discipline
Poetry, Literature, Anthropocene, Temporalities, Digital Media
A classroom/laboratory activity for Mathematics teachers to teach about Differential Calculus, specifically, about polynomial differentiation focusing on Tangent Line Problem and Curve Fitting. This activity contains yearly data of the globally averaged marine surface methane from 1984 to 2019. Methane is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions – a potential cause of global warming.
Students will learn the use of scatter plot and curve fitting to derive the polynomial differentiation function. Further this activity will allow students to predict future methane concentrations.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are polynomial differentiation functions?
Derive a polynomial function using the given methane concentration date.
Calculate future methane concentration using polynomial differentiation.
A classroom activity designed by the Poetry Society, UK that demonstrates techniques to write climate change poetry. This module provides a step by step guide in poetry writing. It uses Amanda Dalton’s poem ‘How to Disappear’ to draw on the theme of ‘disappearance’ which the reader can interpret on both personal levels as well as for the planet impacted by global warming.
Students will learn techniques of poetry writing, specifically climate change poetry. They will also learn to narrate their emotions and perceptions about climate change through poetry.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are the essential components of poetry?
What are some things that may disappear from the Earth due to global warming?
Discuss an idea for a climate change related poem.
About the Tool
Tool Name
Vanishing Acts: Connecting Climate Change and Poetry
A short video commentary by Dr Maya Dodd, FLAME University, India on ‘The Climate of History: Four Theses’ by Dipesh Chakrabarty. This video commentary summarizes Dipesh Chakrabarty’s essay on the link between history, literature and climate change. Dodd summarizes the four theses posed by Chakrabarty in his essay.
Students will learn about the link between climate change and history of the human species and the planet. They will specifically learn about the ‘Anthropocene’ and the four theses that Dipesh Chakraborty poses to better understand the evolution of human history and the environment.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the link between human history and environmental history.
What are the four theses posed by Dipesh Chakrabarty in his essay?
About the Tool
Tool Name
A Commentary By Maya Dodd on Dipesh Chakrabarty’s ‘The Climate of History: Four Theses’
An essay by Dipesh Chakrabarty, The University of Chicago titled ‘The Climate of History: Four Theses’ that discusses the link between human history and climate change. The reading discusses the environmental history of the planet, the ‘Anthropocene’ and how humans have become geological agents with respect to climate change. Chakrabarty presents four arguments in his essay. These are
Thesis 1: The distinction between natural and human history is a distinction that has to be dropped in this new era.
Thesis 2 talks about the emergence of humans as a geological force and how this “severely qualifies humanist histories of modernity/ globalization”.
Thesis 3: The Anthropocene requires us to put global histories of capital in conversation with the species history of humans.
Thesis 4 talks about how we can probe the limits of historical understanding by the cross hatching of species history and capital history.
Students will learn about the ‘Anthropocene’ and the link between environmental history and human history. They will further understand the relationship between global histories of capital and the species history of humans.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How does the crisis of climate change spell the collapse of the distinction between natural history and human history?
What is the idea of the ‘Anthropocene’ and how does it qualify humanist theories of freedom?
How do you reconcile the global histories of capital and the species history of humans in the Anthropocene?
About the Tool
Tool Name
The Climate of History: Four Theses
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
History, Cultural Studies, Anthropocene, Environmental History
Climate Topic
Climate and the Anthroposphere; Climate and Society
Type of tool
Reading
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Dipesh Chakrabarty The Climate of History: Four Theses Critical Inquiry (Vol 35 No. 2)
An article by Amitav Ghosh, author of ‘The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable’ in The Guardian that discusses the lack of climate change in fictional writing. The author discusses the evolution of the narrative in novels and why fiction writers have been resistant to include the topic of climate change in their work. He further discusses why novelists tend to address the topic of climate change through non-fiction since fiction derived from climate change deviates from trends of ‘gradualism’ in contemporary narratives and yet does not belong to ‘surrealism’ and ‘magic realism’ due to its nature of being ‘real’.
Students will learn about the genre of Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) and how it differs from science fiction (Sci-Fi) . They will also learn about the evolution of narratives surrounding environmental phenomena in contemporary works of literature. Students will understand challenges that contemporary authors face when trying to write about ‘real’ topics like climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi)?
Discuss why climate change has not caught the collective imagination of writers.
How do history, culture and politics influence works of literature?
About the tool
Tool Name
Amitav Ghosh: where is the fiction about climate change?
A short article by Dan Bloom in The Medium about potential ways in which climate fiction (Cli-Fi) is now helping students engage with climate change and can provide potential solutions to the crisis. In this short article, Bloom, who is thought to have coined the term ‘Cli-Fi’ discusses the increase in climate fiction in the fields of education, writing, and media across the world.
Students will learn about Cli-Fi, and how it is helping with youth engagement in the current climate crisis. Students will further understand the importance of popular media in youth involvement for the climate movement.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How can Cli-Fi impact the climate movement?
Why is it important to include Cli-Fi in today’s classrooms?
A video micro lecture by Stephanie LeMenager, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, that discusses the genre of climate fiction (Cli-Fi). The video introduces this new genre of writing and includes definitions by contemporary artists, authors and filmmakers. This video further highlights new sub-genres such as ‘anthropocene fiction’ and ‘solar punk’ that have their origins in Cli-Fi.
Students will learn about the new genre of climate fiction in literature. They will also learn how authors, artists, and filmmakers portray the current global crisis and their challenges.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is climate fiction (Cli-Fi)?
How can Cli-Fi inform and provide solutions to help mitigate climate change?
About the Tool
Tool Name
What is Cli-Fi?
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
Climate Fiction, Cli-Fi, Literature, Anthropocene Fiction, Solar Punk
Climate Topic
Climate and the Anthroposphere; Climate and Society
Type of tool
Video/ Micro Lecture (2 mins 30 secs)
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Stephanie LeMenager, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
A panel discussion organised by the Getty Conservation Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council on the impact of climate change on the built environment. The lecture consists of a panel discussion that focuses on the links between climate change, preservation and future sustainability of historical buildings and modern infrastructure. The lecture also discusses how rise in temperatures, increased weather events, pollution, and frequent catastrophes can impact historical and contemporary infrastructure. The panel discusses two major themes:
What is the impact of climate change on our existing heritage and what can we do to preserve it?
What is the role of cultural heritage in preserving or delaying the impact of climate change?
Through these themes, the lecture discusses the importance of finding a solution to climate change issues to ensure continued preservation of cultural heritage, history and society.
Students will learn about the impact of climate change and global warming on the historic and modern built environment. Through examples such as termites destroying monumental buildings and homes, they will also learn about the various ways in which climate change directly impacts the natural environment and has indirect consequences on the built environment. Students will further learn the need for development to include sustainability and reuse of materials to preserve existing and future infrastructure.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
How does climate change impact heritage structures?
How does cultural heritage help preserve or slow the impact of climate change?
About the tool
Tool Name
Climate Change & Preserving Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century
Discipline
Social Sciences, Humanities, Environmental Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Cultural Studies, History, Heritage, Architecture, Built Environment, Urban Environment, Culture,, Sustainability
Climate Topic
Climate and Society
Type of tool
Video/Lecture (1 hr 36 mins)
Grade Level
Undergraduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Getty Conservation Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council
Video lectures by Amitav Ghosh, author of ‘The Great Derangement: Fiction, History, and Politics in the Age of Global Warming’ as part of a 4 part lecture series delivered at the University of Chicago’s Randy L. & Melvin R. Berlin Family Lectures. In this set of two video lectures, Ghosh discusses the impact of global warming and climate change on fiction. He discusses climate narratives in literary fiction and the lack of climate change narratives in contemporary literature.
Students will understand the importance of climate change narratives in literary fiction. They will also understand the influence of climate change on everyday narratives.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss climate narratives in literary fiction.
Why has the climate crisis been underrepresented in literary fiction?
About the Tool
Tool Name
The Great Derangement: Literature, History, and Politics in the Age of Global Warming
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