Climate Change Education Across the Curricula, Across the Globe

Climate Change Education Across the Curricula

Tag: USA

Video/Microlecture: Global Warming and Sleep Deprivation

Posted by on in Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences

A video microlecture that discusses the potential impact of global warming on human health and sleep cycles. This video by Ryan Cross, hosted on the website of the journal Science,  describes the effects of warmer  temperatures on sleep quality in individuals in the United States. 

Students will learn how sleep is negatively affected by higher nighttime temperatures that lead to adverse impacts on human health. They will further learn how certain vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds tend to be more severely affected.

Use this tool to help your students find answers to: 

  1. How does climate change induced warming impact sleep cycles? 
  2. Discuss some negative impacts on individual health due to sleep deprivation. 

About the tool

Tool NameScientists warn of sleepless nights in a warming world
DisciplineBiological Sciences, Environmental Sciences
Topic(s) in DisciplineHuman Health, Sleep, Sleep Cycles, Sleep Deprivation
Climate Topic Climate and Health
Type of tool Video (3 mins)
Grade LevelHigh School
LocationGlobal, USA
LanguageEnglish 
Translation
Developed byRyan Cross
Hosted atScience
LinkLink
AccessOnline
Computer SkillsBasic

Video: Naomi Klein discusses ‘This Changes Everything’

Posted by on in General

A video by award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker, Naomi Klein, at the Cambridge Forum about her book titled, ‘This Changes Everything’. In this video, Naomi Klein summarizes her book and explains why she thinks that capitalism is the real cause for climate change.

Students will learn how capitalism, specifically the ‘free-market’ ideology, has ultimately led to the current climate crisis. They will further learn, through examples and case studies, about the benefactors of the market-economy, current power structures and how they impact the political economy. They will also learn about the challenges faced to restructure the global economy and current political systems.

Use this tool to help your students find answers to:

  1. What is capitalism?
  2. How have capitalistic policies caused climate change?
  3. What economic reforms can transform market practices?

About the Tool

Tool NameNaomi Klein: This Changes Everything – Capitalism vs. The Climate
DisciplineEconomics, Social Sciences
Topic(s) in DisciplineCapitalism, Free Market Economy, Invisible Hand Theory, Green Economy, Economic Policies, Economic Mergers, Atmospheric Commons
Climate TopicPolicy, Politics and Environmental Governance; Energy, Economics and Climate Change; Climate and Society
Type of toolVideo (73 mins)
Grade LevelHigh School, Undergraduate
LocationGlobal, USA
LanguageEnglish
Translation
Developed byNaomi Klein at the Cambridge Forum, recorded by GBH Forum Network
Hosted atYouTube
Linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Yyd5dxTGE
AccessOnline
Computer SkillsBasic

Classroom/Laboratory Activity: Ocean Chemistry, Ocean Acidification, and Oyster Growth

Posted by on in Chemistry

A classroom/laboratory activity to learn about the pH of ocean water, explore the potential effects of climate change on ocean acidification, and understand the possible impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms such as oysters.

Students will explore and analyze the relationship between the growth of oyster larvae and the chemistry of ocean water (aragonite saturation state) by plotting graphs for actual data from the Whiskey Creek Hatchery in Oregon, USA.

Use this tool to help your students find answers to:

  1. If ocean water became more acidic, how might it affect oyster populations?
  2. What are the possible impacts of climate change on the chemistry of seawater?

About the Tool

Tool Name Ocean Acidification and Oysters Lab
Discipline Chemistry
Topic(s) in Discipline pH Scale, Acids and Bases, Acidification, Ocean Carbonate Chemistry, Seawater Chemistry, Aragonite Saturation State, Ocean Acidity
Climate Topic Climate and the Hydrosphere
Type of Tool Laboratory Activity
Grade Level High School, Undergraduate
Location North America
USA
Language English
Translation
Developed by Hilary Palevsky, UW Oceanography
Hosted at Program on Climate Change, College of the Environment, University of Washington
Link https://pcc.uw.edu/education/classroom-resources/climate-teaching-modules/uwhs-atms-211-ocean-acidification-and-oysters-lab/
Access Online, Offline
Computer Skills Intermediate

(Image credit: Program on Climate Change, College of the Environment, University of Washington)

Classroom/Laboratory Activity: Squirrel Species Distribution and Climate Change

Posted by on in Biological Sciences

A classroom/laboratory activity to examine and analyze squirrel species distribution and habitat data (from the USA) over time, and to interpret the possible relationship between climate change and changes in biodiversity. 

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Classroom Activity: Climate Change and Phenology in Plants (Flowering)

Posted by on in Biological Sciences

A classroom/ laboratory activity to learn about phenology and phenological events, and to understand the potential impacts of climate change on periodic life-cycle events in plants, specifically, on the bloom date of North American lilac shrubs.

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Classroom/Laboratory Activity: Survival Skills—Response of Organisms to Climate Change

Posted by on in Biological Sciences

A classroom/laboratory activity to analyze the distribution of beetle, mammal, and plant species (for datasets from North America) in the past (based on fossil records), determine whether the same species exist today, and compare the past and present geographic ranges and ecosystems of these species.

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