What is Climate Change?

       What is climate change?

"Climate change (sometimes called global warming) is the process of our planet heating up. Our planet has already warmed by an average of 1°C in the last 100 years and if things don’t change, it could increase by a lot more than that. This warming causes harmful impacts such as the melting of Arctic sea ice, more severe weather events like heatwaves, floods and hurricanes, rising sea levels, spread of disease and the acidification of the ocean." WWF Introduction to Climate Change.

Now watch the video below and answer the questions by clicking on this icon →   next to title.

You can activate the full screen mode by clicking on this icon → 

Video Credits: Al Jazeera English What is Climate Change? | Start Here

After watching the video, discuss your answers in class with the help of your teacher.

Reading Activity

    Reading activity: Global warming.

What causes the greenhouse effect?

 What causes the Greenhouse effect?

"Global temperatures have been rising for over a century, accelerating in the past 30 years, and are now the highest on record. Human activity is releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases are carbon dioxide, surface level ozone, water vapour, methane, nitrous gases, and CFCs. The biggest contributor to the warming effect is carbon dioxide, which is released by burning fossil fuels for energy, farming, and destroying forests. These emissions are causing the greenhouse effect – trapping heat and making the Earth warmer to an extent that can’t be explained by natural factors alone. This is affecting weather patterns and habitats, plants and animals. People and wildlife often can’t keep up with the changes that are happening to their homes." WWF What is Climate Change?

Greenhouse Gases

      Find out more about Greenhouse Gases!

Take a look at the following pictures. You can learn more about Greenhouse Gases and now they affect Global warming.

Act up!

You might think that you are too young to do anything about Climate Change. You might also think that even if you do something you are only one person against the whole world. Well, think twice! Greta Thunberg and Jack Harries (with his twin brother Finn) started to fight Climate change from a very young age. 

    Young people can make a difference.

1. Ask your teacher to divide the class into two groups: 

Group A is going to watch Greta's speech at TED Stockholm.

Group B is going to watch Jack's video.

2. Watch the video individually and make notes about important facts in Greta's aand Jack´s lives. Then, in your group compare your notes with your classmates and create a profile on the activist.

3. Now it's time to tell the other group what you know about the activist you watched in the video.

4. Ask your teacher to arrange the whiteboard/blackboard in two columns. If you're doing it digitally, you can create a shared document and project it.

5. Choose a spokesperson and write on the board (or the shared document) the most important/relevant information you have on the activist.

6. Compare both profiles and decide which one you think is doing the most to save the planet.

How big is your Carbon footprint?

     Carbon Footprint Calculator.

"Our carbon footprint measures the total amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of our daily actions. It’s measured in the tonnes of carbon we produce each year. Each person’s carbon footprint depends on the things they do that impact the planet. It includes the amount of electricity they use and where this comes from, how much they travel, what they eat, where they go on holiday, how much stuff they buy and how much rubbish they throw away." WWF Introduction to Climate Change

   Calculate your carbon footprint.

Click on the picture below to access the WWF Carbon footprint calculator and answer all the questions to know how big your environmental footprint is. 

Share your result with your partner and see how different/similar you are. Then, with the help of your teacher, discuss the results in class and think of ideas to reduce your carbon footprint.

Passive houses

    Passive Houses

It seems clear that the Climate is changing and extreme weather phenomena are becoming quite common. For that reason, we must change the way we build our houses taking into account environmental issues. Take a look at the following website where you will find 10 new houses that have been adapted to the new climate reality: 

Ten climate-resilient homes that have adapted to the realities of global warming

Which of the 10 houses do you like the best? Why? Share your answers with the rest of your classmates.

Now, watch this video and write down the 5 main principles of a passive house:

Video credits: Undecided with Matt Ferrell Exploring Passive House Design - 90% Energy Savings!

Complete those principles with more ideas by clicking on the following picture:

Finally, apart from saving energy and limiting your CO2 emissions, you need to make your house climate change resilient. In order to do so, read the following article and write down the 5 key points:

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/5-ways-make-buildings-climate-change-resilient

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Design your Climate Change resilient home

  Designing your Climate change resilient home

In the learning pill "It's raining cats and dogs" you made your own weather forecast. For this project, you are going to make a new one but this time you have to imagine that you are in the year 2060. What will the weather be like then? What will happen if we don't do anything to stop Climate Change? Then, think: what type of building must we build in order to survive in those conditions?

  Follow this steps to complete your project.

1. Form a group (max. 5 people)

2. Ask your teacher to create a class in  so she/he can give you access to a collaborative book. 

3. Create the weather forecast for a day in the year 2060 using  .

4. Paste your weather map on a page of your digital book on storyjumper and record your voice with the weather forecast.

5. Now it's time to design the house of the future. Taking into account all that you have learnt about Climate Change and Climate-proof houses, design the perfect house for the year 2060. Remember that not only is the appearance important, but you must also design it to be energy efficient and climate resilient! You can use  as well for the creation of the pictures showing your house and all the details about it.

6.  Add the pictures of your house to your digital book and record your voice explaining everything about your fantastic climate-resilient building.

7. When all the books are ready, it's time to show your creations to the rest of the groups and assess the work they have done. Use the template called "Co-assessment: climate-proof house" provided in the section FILE ATTACHMENTS and decide which is the best house of all.

8. Your teacher will assess you using the rubric called "Project assessment rubric" also provided in the FILE ATTACHMENTS section.

Good Luck!