Climate Project Overview
OER PROJECT: CLIMATE OVERVIEWINSPIRING A GENERATION OF IMPATIENT OPTIMISTSOER Project: Climate is designed to help students move past uncertainty and doubt to better understand the causes, impacts, and potential solutions to the climate crisis.COURSE GOALS1. Examine the facts, impacts, and promising solutions to better understand the climate crisis.2. Advance awareness, interest, and the skills needed to address climate change through civic action, education, and career readiness.3. Evaluate information to engage in constructive discussion and move past pessimism and inaction. Unit 1—Introduction to Climate ChangeLesson 1.1—Understanding Climate ChangeThere’s no simple definition for climate change, but a shared understanding is crucial to addressing it. • Opener: Climate Change Is...• Infographic: Small Parts, Big Impacts• Data Exploration: How Do We Know Climate Change Is Real? • Activity: Claim Testing: Earth’s Climate RecordLesson 1.2—Climate DisagreementIf the scientific community agrees that climate change is real, why do some people deny it? • Article: “Understanding Climate Change Disagreement” • Activity: Claim Testing: Evaluating Authority• Closer: Exploring Climate DisagreementLesson 1.3—The Case for Climate OptimismWhen all the news about climate change is doom and despair, is there any reason for hope? • Opener: A Different View• Video: A Case for Optimism• Article: “The Need for Climate Optimists”Like all OER Project courses, Climate Project is free and available for anyone to use. The flexible course plan can be taught as a day-, week-, or semester-long experience.Check out our PD offeringsfor teaching support and explore lesson highlights below!
2Climate OverviewLesson 1.4—International Climate GoalsCan international priorities and policies help—or hinder—climate action? • Article: “Understanding 1.5° C”• Activity: From Policy to ActionLesson 1.5—The History of Climate ChangeWhat can the story of our planet’s past teach us about the choices we face today—and the future we want to build? • Video: Climate History and Our Future• Activity: The Industrial Revolution and Climate Change Unit 2—The Impacts of Climate ChangeLesson 2.1—Evaluating Climate ImpactsUnderstanding the impacts of climate change is the first step in addressing them. How is climate change affecting us?• Video:How Will Climate Change Continue to Affect Us?• Activity: Climate Change Impacts ProfilesLesson 2.2—Direct Impacts of Climate ChangeExplore the effects of climate change on Earth’s natural systems now and in the future to understand why even small amounts of warming can have big impacts. • Infographic: Does Half a Degree Really Matter?• Activity: Mapping a Climate FutureLesson 2.3—Indirect Impacts of Climate ChangeHow is climate change impacting people and communities? • Activity: The Health Impacts of Climate Change• Assessment: The Impacts of Climate ChangeLesson 2.4—Climate VocabularyUnderstanding—or misunderstanding—can depend on a single word or phrase.• Activity: Climate Vocab Trivia Unit 3—Adaptation and InnovationLesson 3.1—Evaluating Climate SolutionsExplore how adaptation and mitigation solutions work together to highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to climate action. • Opener: Categorizing Climate Solutions• Article: “How Can We Take on Climate Change?” • Activity: Exploring Climate Solutions
3Climate OverviewLesson 3.2—Climate Change AdaptationDiscover the most effective solutions for helping individuals and ecosystems adapt to climate change.• Infographic: Resilient Cities• Video:Why Fish Farmers Need a Better Weather Forecast• Activity: Adaptation Solution ResearchLesson 3.3—The Need for Climate InnovationWe’ve made a lot of progress, but key challenges remain. • Article: “The Solutions We Have and the Innovations We Need” • Closer: Climate Innovation BracketLesson 3.4—Effective Climate ActionExplore what needs to happen in our government, corporations, and communities to take on climate change.• Article: “Working the Levers of Climate Action”• Video:How Can We Respond to Climate Change?• Activity: Exploring the Levers of PowerLesson 3.5—The Green PremiumWhat are the costs of climate action—or inaction? Investigate how the price tag of climate changes impacts our ability to solve the problem.• Infographic: The Green Premiums• Video:Green Premiums: The Extra Cost to DecarbonizeUnit 4—DecarbonizationLesson 4.1—The Grand Challenges51 billion tons of greenhouse gases every year. Make sense of a number that big by exploring the Grand Challenges.• Infographic: The Grand Challenges• Activity: Grand Challenge Image Sort• Closer: Personal EmissonsLesson 4.2—Decarbonization SolutionsWhile there’s no magic bullet to solve climate change, some solutions will make more of an impact. • Video:Can We Make Electricity Without Fossil Fuels?• Activity: Grand Challenge Solutions Research • Activity: Climate Solutions Debate
4Climate OverviewLesson 4.3—Implementing Decarbonization StrategiesDiscover how we can move from goals to action through government policies at local, national, and international levels.• Activity: Implementation Plan• Closer: Climate Policy NewsLesson 4.4—A Climate FutureExplore how a future with climate change might look based on our current path, and what can be done to shape the future we want to see.• Article: “A Climate Future: Food Systems”• Activity: Climate Expert Exploration Unit 5—Taking ActionLesson 5.1—Climate Action: Career PlanExplore different careers contributing to climate solutions to discover if you could be one of the experts we need. • Article: A Climate Workforce• Activity: Climate Career ExplorationLesson 5.2—Climate Action: Climate Solutions PresentationThe Climate Solutions Presentation is an opportunity to educate people in your community about climate change.• Activity: Climate Impacts Interview• Activity: Climate Solutions PresentationLesson 5.3—Climate Action: Policy Analysis and AdvocacyExplore ways to support climate action through government policy.• Video:Why Does Policy Matter?• Activity: Policy Letter WritingLesson 5.4—Climate Action: Civic ActionApply what you’ve learned in the course to carry out civic action in your community. • Activity: Civic Action Plan