A video micro lecture by David Archer, The University of Chicago, titled ‘The Economics of Climate Change’ which is a part of an e-learning course on science and modelling of climate change. This video discusses the ‘tragedy of commons’ to understand how climate change impacts society. The lecture also introduces concepts like ‘external cost’, ‘internal cost’, ‘carbon tax’ and ‘cap and trade’ when discussing carbon emissions and pollution. Archer discusses the advantages of using economic mechanisms to ensure carbon emissions are controlled.
Students will be introduced to the basic economics of climate change. They will also learn about the advantages of various economic schemes that can help ensure reduced carbon emissions and control environmental damage. Students will further learn about the ethical concerns that arise in the debate between the cost of climate change and the cost of mitigating climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is the ‘tragedy of commons’?
Discuss the economics of climate change.
Discuss the ethical concerns that arise due to climate change mitigation policies.
About the tool
Tool Name
The Economics of Climate Change from ‘Week 12: Mitigations’ of ‘Global Warming I: The Science and Modeling of Climate Change’ Coursera Course
Discipline
Economics
Topic(s) in Discipline
Climate Change Economics, Tragedy of the Commons, External Cost, Carbon Tax, Cap and Trade, Carbon Emissions
Climate Topic
Energy, Economics and Climate Change; Climate Mitigation and Adaptation
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
Culture, Politics, Social Dynamics, Social Inequalities, Knowledge-Ignorance Paradox, Giddens Paradox
Climate Topic
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 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
Discipline
Social Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Sociology, Anthropology, Social Inequalities, Caste, Religion, Vulnerability, Culture
Climate Topic
Climate and Society, Policies, Politics and Environmental Governance
Type of tool
Video (52 mins)
Grade Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
–
Developed by
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research , Pune, India
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 video micro-lecture by Jeff Dozier, University of California, Santa Barbara, that explains how climate change can affect the water cycle on Earth.
Students will learn that rising temperatures can affect and change precipitation patterns. They will further understand how such changes can potentially affect communities through examples from the United States.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the water cycle and its components in the classroom.
Discuss how climate change induced shifts in precipitation affect communities living in those areas.
About the tool
Tool Name
How Will Climate Change Affect It? – The Water Cycle
A short video titled ‘Marxist theory: Relevant to climate change today?’ by Graham Murdock, Loughborough University, that discusses the impact of capitalism on climate change. Murdock discusses Marx’s commentary on the breakdown of the relationship of humans with nature due the industrialization of agricultural practices.
Students will learn the foundations of Marx’s theory of Capitalism and its historical development and capitalism’s influence on climate change. They will also learn about how rapid industrialization and capitalism have contributed to global warming. They will further learn how Marx’s analysis on ecology could also provide the solutions to problems in the context of climate change
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are Marx’s main tenets about Capitalism?
What are Marx’s fundamental problems with Capitalism?
Discuss how industrialization and capitalism have contributed to global warming.
About the tool
Tool Name
Marxist theory: Relevant to climate change today?
Discipline
Economics, Social Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Marxist Theory of Capitalism, Marx, Capitalism, Political Science
Climate Topic
Energy, Economics and Climate Change, Policies, Politics and Environmental Governance
A short video by Hoesung Lee, Korea University and vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on carbon pricing and climate change. The video discusses the importance of putting a price on carbon emissions and related activities since climate change is an example of a global externality. Lee further explains the linkages of the environment with
economic growth and development.
Students will learn the concept of global warming as a negative externality. They will also understand the importance of putting a price on carbon emissions to reduce global warming and the need for global cooperation.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are negative externalities in economics?
What are the negative externalities associated with climate change?
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 video titled ‘Mental Health Issues and Climate Change’ by Lise Van Susteren, George Mason University, that discusses the link between climate change and mental health. The video discusses impacts of climate change on physical health such as inflamed brain tissue and mental health such as depression. The video also discusses the need to address individual and societal mental health impacts of climate change.
Students will learn about the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on individuals and communities around the world. They will also learn about how global warming has potentially caused food and water ‘wars’, violence and distrust amongst individuals and communities. Students will further learn of how human activity has potentially contributed to global warming and the current climate crisis.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss some impacts of climate change on physical and mental health.
What are some direct and indirect impacts of global warming and natural disasters on mental health?
A microlecture titled ‘Climate Psychiatry: The Diverse Challenges of Climate Change to Mental Health’ by Robin Cooper and Alex Trope, University of California, that discusses the impact of climate change on mental and emotional health. The microlecture includes discussions on six different aspects of climate psychiatry:
Slow moving disasters,
Acute climate disasters,
Vulnerable populations,
Extreme heat effects,
Eco-distress syndromes and
Engagement and action.
Students will learn about the health emergency of climate change. They will be introduced to the field of Climate Psychiatry and how Mental health can be impacted by disruptions associated with climate change. Students will further learn about why it is necessary to understand these disruptions in order to tackle and mitigate climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is Climate Psychiatry?
Discuss some impacts of climate change on mental health?
How do heatwaves and other disasters affect individual and community health?
About the tool:
Tool Name
Climate Psychiatry: The Diverse Challenges of Climate Change to Mental Health
A video that describes a new gene editing technology, ‘CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats’, which could be utilized in agricultural production in response to climate change. This video by Zachary Lippman, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), highlights his use of CRISPR gene editing in two varieties of tomato plants to make them flower and ripen earlier than usual.
Students will learn briefly about growth cycles in tomato plants, and their tendency to reduce yield when days are longer. They will further understand the use of CRISPR technology in tomato plants and how this approach is useful to obtain faster and higher yields of the tomato crop.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss how climate change might impact the growth of the tomato plant.
Discuss the role of CRISPR in agricultural production using the tomato crop as an example.
About the tool
Tool Name
Gene editing yields tomatoes that flower and ripen weeks earlier
Discipline
Biological Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Gene Editing, CRISPR, Tomato Plant, Cultivation
Climate Topic
Climate and Agriculture; Climate and the Biosphere
A video that describes how climate change affects plants and insect pollination. This video by NASA scientist, Wayne Esaias, describes current research on impacts of climate change on pollination cycles of bees using satellite imagery.
Students will learn that global warming has potentially caused changes in flowering period that may not coincide with bee visitation periods; thus, impacting pollination in flowering plants. They will further understand the interdependence of bees and flowering plants and how climate change may affect their survival.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss, with an example, the plant-pollinator system in the classroom.
How is climate change impacting the pollination of flowers by honey bees?
About the tool
Tool Name
Sting of Climate Change
Discipline
Biological Sciences
Topic(s) in Discipline
Pollination, Fertilization, Flowering, Insect Pollination, Pollinators, Plant-Pollinator Systems
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’
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 short discussion led by Dr. Maya Dodd, FLAME University, India on Amitav Ghosh’s book, ‘The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable’, that summarizes key points of Ghosh’s work.This video includes discussions on topics such as
Why is climate change ‘unimaginable’ or ‘unthinkable’?
Why does the missing narrative of climate change require the unmasking of ‘unbelievable choices’ we have made in the past?
How did the rift in narrative between the human and the non-human come about?
How has the association of nature and culture evolved historically?
How does Western individualism as opposed to non-Western collective values affect climate action?
Why is there a need for a more philosophical approach with the contextualization of history to deal with global climate change?
Students will learn about the complex narrative of climate change and the challenges it poses to fiction. They will also learn about how non-fiction caters to a specific demographic and, therefore, the need to include climate change in fictional works to reach a wider audience. Students will also learn about the importance of using ‘realism’ as opposed to ‘surrealism’ as a way of communicating this global crisis.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Why have climate change topics been underrepresented in fiction writing?
What does Amitav Ghosh mean by ‘The Great Derangement’?
How does the evolution of historical narratives influence contemporary narratives on climate change?
About the Tool
Tool Name
A Conversation on Amitav Ghosh’s ‘The Great Derangement’
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 politics of climate change.
Students will understand the importance of political narratives in climate change writing. They will also learn about the parallel evolution of political narratives and rise in carbon emissions. Students will further understand why novelists often find it difficult to integrate politics and climate change in their writing.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
Discuss the politics of climate change.
Why is it important to discuss the evolution of political narratives and climate change?
How do political movements influence literature?
About the Tool
Tool Name
The Great Derangement: Literature, History, and Politics in the Age of Global Warming
Discipline
Humanities
Topic(s) in Discipline
Politics, Climate Politics, Literature, Fiction
Climate Topic
Climate and Society
Type of tool
Video/ Micro Lecture (1 hr 15 min)
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 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 titled ‘Mental Health Issues and Climate Change’ by Susan Clayton, The College of Wooster, that discusses the impacts of climate change on mental health. The video focuses on why it is necessary to understand and identify the impacts on mental well being in order to better plan, adapt to and mitigate climate change. The video discusses different mental disorders such as stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, chronic psychological dysfunction and depression.
Students will learn about how climate change impacts can affect mental well-being. They will also learn about multi-level impacts, such as direct, indirect, acute, and gradual, on mental health and why it is essential to identify these to tackle this global issue.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What are some consequences of climate change on mental health and well-being?
What are some direct and indirect mental health consequences of the impacts of global warming and natural disasters?
How do people adapt to and cope with the threats of climate change?
About the tool:
Tool Name
Mental Health Issues and Climate Change
Discipline
Social Sciences, Psychology
Topic(s) in Discipline
Climate Psychology, Mental Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Stress, Anxiety
Climate Topic
Climate and Health; Climate and Society
Type of tool
Video/ Microlecture (27 mins)
Grade Level
High School, Undergraduate
Location
Global
Language
English
Translation
Developed by
Center for Climate Change Communication (George Mason University)
A video titled ‘Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change’ by George Marshall, author and founder of Climate Outreach and Information Network, that focuses on how the human brain is wired to ignore climate change even though it is such a critical problem. Marshall discusses how the human brain tends to respond to threats that are direct, visible, immediate and have a defined ‘enemy’ and how climate change impacts are none of those things. He further discusses how this creates psychological barriers that prevent future climate change action.
Students will learn about the various psychological factors and mechanisms that cause humans to ignore climate change and its impacts. They will also learn that only when we understand what motivates, excites and threatens us, will we be able to make sense of the reality of the current climate crisis. Students will further learn why behavioural psychology is important in better understanding climate change and for climate change actions and solutions.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What is behavioural psychology?
What are some of the psychological barriers that prevent sustained climate action?
How can behavioural science provide solutions to the climate crisis?
About the tool:
Tool Name
Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains are Wired to Ignore Climate Change
A video titled ‘Cognition of Climate Change Denial’ by Stephen Lewandowsky, University of Western Australia, that explains how human cognition processes and responds to climate change. The video discusses different psychological and cognitive factors, perceptions, attitudes, and individual political beliefs that influence the way people address the issue of climate change.
Students will learn about different psychological factors that influence society to either accept or deny climate change. Using climate science data, they will also learn about how capitalism and politics can influence mass opinions on who could be responsible for contributing to global warming. Students will further learn how opinions, attitudes and perceptions can change the way society addresses, reacts, mitigates and adapts to climate change.
Use this tool to help your students find answers to:
What cognitive and psychological factors influence climate change responses?
How can behavioural science provide solutions to the climate crisis?
