Resournces & Activities will appear soon.

Teacher Education & Essentials of Climate Science

I would love to have more to include here! The lack of an integrated approach to Climate Change Education in the UK means that, as things stand, there seems to be no single source of essential information for teachers about the nature & causes of climate change or how its effects may be tackled in the future. The Climate Guide on this website attempts a brief introduction to the science; a few books like the "Rough Guide to Climate Change" (a bit outdated) or "How to Save our Planet" (Mark Maslin, 2021) give much more thorough coverage. Beware, however, of books from Doom Mongers and Climate Deniers! There are many good articles online, for example, this one from Sky News explaining climate Tipping Ponts. BBC News articles care searchable by topic. 

A good source of resource material on the nature & causes of climate change is Metlink (R. Met. Soc.), which has a Teachers' Guide https://www.metlink.org/weather-and-climate-teachers-guide/ and many individual climate teaching lesson resources. The T.G. explains important ideas about climate which should be understood by anyone involved in teaching about climate change. Another source of information about climate literacy, is:  "Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science". 

A good source of up-to-date data on Climate change, energy use and so on is Our World in Data, for example: https://ourworldindata.org/atmospheric-concentrations or https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-fuel 

There are some useful videos listed below - more will hopefully be added.

Good sources of news items about climate include:

Carbon Brief:  https://www.carbonbrief.org/about-us/ UK-based news on Climate issues with daily Briefing

The Conversation (UK): https://theconversation.com/uk Independent news organisation including excellent sections on Environment, Science & Technology and more. Some good articles on Climate-related matters.

Inside Climate News: https://insideclimatenews.org/ Good US-based Climate journal.

Lastly there are Online Courses to help improve your own knowledge & understanding, for example:

University of Chicago course on Global Warming & Climate Change: http://forecast.uchicago.edu/lectures.html 

University of San Diego course: "Bending the Curve: Climate Change Solutions": https://online.ucsd.edu/courses/course-v1:EXT+BtC-1+2020-WI/about 

Shorter, UK-based FutureLearn Courses: are run by the Open University and Cenex. Course descriptors below:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/sustainable-transport-and-shared-mobility FutureLearn course details.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-low-emission-road-transport FutureLearn course details.

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/everything-you-need-to-know-about-vehicle-to-grid-charging As above.


Teachers face a dilemma in tackling this subject. We need to be very honest in explaining Climate Change and in not disguising the scale of the task ahead if we are ever to be successful in mitigating its worst effects (we are long past the point of being able to "stop" it). At the same time we need to be upbeat in emphasising how our efforts to achieve sustainable change, from tiny things like littering to our career decisions and lifestyles, will determine the future of our planet. 

Video resources


Global Warming Demonstration 4 minute video showing by analogy how Earth's oceans absorb vast amounts of solar energy using a balloon and a gas lighter... a great classroom demo (over a sink?) and excellent science!

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/global-warming-demonstration/ 


The Causes of Climate Change: Why is the Atmosphere Warming? Excellent 5-minute Perimeter Institute video: explains simply and accurately how greenhouse gases (CO2, H2O, CH4, N2O, O3, & CFCs) cause global warming.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaY36yxFb1o&t=7s 


The Evidence for Climate Change. A 7-minute video which outlines evidence for climat change, including a useful comparison of the (American) public's perception and that of climate scientists. Mainly for teachers?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dquECwUfIQg 


How do Ocean Currents work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4pWafuvdrY A 5-minute TED-Ed video explaining how ocean currents transfer vast amounts of heat energy from the tropics toward the poles and also ensure the ocean surface waters are supplied with nutrients. Understanding the role of ocean currents is vital to understanding climate change. 


How does the Climate System work?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrPS2HiYVp8 A 4-minute Met Office video, summarising the Greenhouse effect, and heat transfer from low to high latitude by atmosphere & oceans.


Global Warming mini-lecture: Extracts from Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting interwoven with added animation and commentary explaining climate change. 10-minute video, mainly for teachers.

https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/420199/mini-lectures-global-warming

 

Climate Change: The Causes. An excellent 14-minute video from Teachers’ TV (alas, now defunct) which explains the principle causes & mechanisms of CO2-induced climate change in terms suitable for Secondary students. That said, the information is now a bit outdated (a figure for World population of 6.5 billion, for example!); gases like CH4 & N2O are ignored.

https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/30883/climate-change-causes


Climate Change: The Impacts. Another 14-minute video from Teachers’ TV which explains some of the impacts of climate change. Although outdated, it is well worth viewing by teachers to compare the fears expressed in 2007 with the realities of today, 15 years on, such as the ever-worsening refugee crisis, increased incidence of flooding, droughts & wildfires, melting sea ice, dying coral reefs, and more.

https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/30884/climate-change-impacts

 

13 Misconceptions about Global Warming: a Veritasium video which is well worth showing to more able (GCSE) students , especially if some have latched onto “climate scepticism”. The video is fast-moving and requires some background knowledge in order to appreciate the arguments. Highly recommended for teachers!

Either: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWXoRSIxyIU

Or: https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/164326/13-misconceptions-about-global-warming

 

What happens to emitted carbon? A brief look at rising CO2 in the Atmosphere & Oceans. 

3-minute video from University of Liverpool (suitable for Secondary students 14-16)

https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/collection/462110/climate-and-carbon


Climate Change: the Facts (BBC, David Attenborough, 2019) 1 hour documentary available on YouTube or iPlayer

Many other documentaties about climate change can be found by searching platforms such as iPlayer, All4 etc. or subscription channels like BBC Earth.


Just Have a Think:  https://youtu.be/lz6ZB23tfg0 an excellent Climate & Sustainable Energy Channel on YouTube with loads of stuff to explore!


MORE TO COME: Suggestions welcome!

Learning resources: II. Tackling Climate Change

A series of interactive quizzes aimed at improving undersanding of, and how to tackle climate issues, including: Clean Energy , Food & Farming, Industrial Innovation, Undoing Climate Change, Personal Action, Adaptation, plus Climate Economics & Politics. Many quizzes have short introductory videos. 

Note: Linked Quiz sets are the 'simple' versions; more advanced quiz sets also available (menu bar).

In https://climatescience.org/schools are many lesson plans which can be filtered by Curriculum, Age group(s), Lesson type, and more. Examples include: Electric Vehicles & Hydro-power (more to come??)

Also on this site: https://climatescience.org/olympiad Annual global competition in which students propose solutions to real-world climate issues, with cash prizes and a chance to address a UN Climate Summit. Plus,

https://climatescience.org/explore - Climate Change Youth Learning Community covering 40+ countries. 

How it Works page has short stimulus articles on many aspects of energy pduction, including: Hydroelectricity, Pumped storage, Solar Power, Wind turbines, Tidal power, Wave energy, Geothermal energy, Nuclear power, Energy storage, Power transmission, CO2 sequestration and more!

Bright Idea page: new innovations including nuclear fusion, mini nuclear reactors, carbon capture + more.

In focus page: a variety of other articles about the transition to new sources of energy.

Quizzes & Games page includes Energy technology, Renewables, Nuclear fission, Cows vs Cars + more.

Day in the Life about careers in the Energy sector.

Excellent for homework and as stimulus for follow-up discussions.

Renewables Includes exercises investigating Wind, Wave, Tidal (turbines & barrages) & Solar power

Transport for our Future Includes Fuel Cells, Electric vehicles and a look at the future of Shipping.

Batteries Excercises looking at developments in Battery technology & manufacture (RIP British Volt!)

Built Environment  Exercises that introduce Improving building design.

Nanotechnology A variety of topics from LEDs to Solar Cells and "Net-zero" computing 

Heat pumps Presentation/quiz about Domestic heat pumps 

Recycling Household Waste Presentation/quiz about the physics in separating Household Waste

Action! A look at some ways in which some communities in Cumbria are tackling Climate Change

Also: Links & Websites for Teachers, Students & Enthusiasts includes many links to websites and online articles about new innovations in tackling climate change, including Renewables, Transport, Buildings &  Urban Spaces, Recycling, Carbon Sequestration, Elements under Threat, and much more. A real goldmine!

Blog: Climate Change in Physics Short videos about aspects of physicists' work in tackling climate change

Careers in Climate Change Short videos from R. Met. Soc. about careers studing or tackling climate change.

Egypt's Benban Solar Farm Video, calculation and discussion stimilus based around N. African solar farm. 

Several teaching resources relating to ways that we can tackle Climate Change, such as:

What is the best way to reduce CO2 levels in the Atmosphere? Series of reading-based activities looking at removing CO2 by soil management, artificial photosynthesis, reactions with volcanic rocks, and more. 

Also from this website: A number of chemistry-based resources about Batteries, including lithium mining & recycling, about Plastics, including recycling & biodegradeable plastic, about Fertilisers & sustainability, etc.

An independently-maintained bank of (mainly Earth-Science based) learning resources including some excellent ideas for teaching about Climate Change and how it can be tackled. 

Climate Change: 'net zero' emissions: a set of useful resources providing stimulus for discussion or written work about topics associated with Net Zero goals, including: solar, wind, wave, tidal, and nuclear power, biofuels, hydrogen, batteries, heat pumps, building design, carbon sequestration, changing agriculture...

Power Sources: also includes some interesting resources on geothermal power, including use of old mines. 

Paying for getting things done: Teacher resource about energy use, including much useful info and links to some class activities about energy use, including wind & solar.

Seasons and Solar Panels: Paper-based activity about orientation of Solar Panels that could be used in conjunction with practical work using solar cells, such as IoP Spark Output of a Solar Panel 

Clear Teacher Guidance & Student sheets. 

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/hub/secondary 

Written by teachers for teachers. Many resources require a small charge to access, but some are free. 

Climate change resources can be found in sections on Geography, Chemistry, Physics, Cross-Curricular etc. 

The cross-curricular resource: "Climate Response: Doers, Shoppers, Learners, Shouters" can be used with a wide variety of pupil groups and is well worth exploring.


MORE TO COME: Suggestions welcome!


Learning Resources III. More information about Tackling Climate Change

This section will comprise a selection of articles etc. which provide  stimulus material or might be used in developing worksheets & projects for students. Thanks also to Melissa Lord. More suggestions welcome! 

Carbon footprint:

https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx Carbon footprints for your home, travel, food etc. Useful!

https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/ WWF lifestyle questionnaire and carbon calculator

Sustainable Energy:

https://ourworldindata.org/renewable-energy Lots of data (maps etc) about renewable energy use.

https://www.mygridgb.co.uk/last-28-days/ MyGridGB tracks UK Energy mix in real time with graphs & maps.

https://carbontracker.org/reports/the-skys-the-limit-solar-wind/  Article: global potential of Wind & Solar.

https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/renewables International Energy Agency article:renewables.

https://www.explainthatstuff.com/solarcells.html Good article: how Solar Cells work & are being improved.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-65415529 Could Morocco solve Europe's Energy crisis?

https://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issue-86/helping-the-green-revolution Ingenia: Hornsea 1 Wind Farm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz6ZB23tfg0&t=670s Just Have a Think video comparing types of gravitational energy storage, specifically EnergyVault and Gravitricity [links to each company's promo videos]. Another similar idea (but using a slope rather than a vertical drop) at: https://aresnorthamerica.com/ 

https://www.virta.global/vehicle-to-grid-v2g Cars as energy stores (Vehicle to Grid) [also Octopus Energy ]

https://cib.bnpparibas/can-green-hydrogen-solve-renewable-energys-intermittency-conundrum/ see title!

https://www.csrf.ac.uk/blog/long-haul-lorries-powered-by-hydrogen-or-electricity/ Hydrogen or batteries?

https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/2015/09/the-pros-and-cons-of-an-air-to-air-heat-pump good explanation of heat pump ststems from Greenmatch.

https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2021-07-19/north-east-coal-mines-help-power-the-green-revolution Interesting ITV news article about extracting heat from old, flooded mine workings. 

Transport:

https://www.csrf.ac.uk/blog/long-haul-lorries-powered-by-hydrogen-or-electricity/ Comparison of hydrogen & battery power for hgv lorries (applies also to buses etc.)

https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/electric-vehicles IEA article: growth in EVs & associated issues. 

https://www.transportenvironment.org/discover/how-clean-are-electric-cars/ Comparing CO2 emissions.

https://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issue-83/replacing-the-batteries Ingenia: future battery development.

https://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact/ A must-read article from Bike radar about sustainable transport; even shows an e-bike's carbon footprint is smaller than pedal-power!

https://www.ft.com/content/ae89dcc9-6249-4cf5-9e65-9690bbb514b0 Financial Times school essay competition winner: how government subsidies for EVs might be avoiding taking real action on climate. 

https://www.ingenia.org.uk/ingenia/issue-88/towards-zero-carbon-aviation Ingenia: Hydrogen power future for aircraft?

https://velocys.com/projects/ Commercial projects to manufacture "greener" aviation fuel from waste.

https://www.zeroavia.com/rotterdam Zeroavia: first commercial fuel-cell powered aircraft (London-Rotterdam) in 2024.

https://velocys.com/projects/altalto/?utm_source=nshak&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nshak_1/6/2022_REG

https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/sea-transport/sailing-into-2022-with-wind-powered-cargo-ships Sailing is back!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-S7YpI7X84 Interesting ClimateAdam YouTube video: "Can Shipping go green?" 


Building Design & Construction:

https://www.carbonbrief.org/uk-homes-shockingly-unprepared-for-climate-change-says-ccc/ Conversation article.

https://theconversation.com/can-trees-really-cool-our-cities-down-44099 Conversation article about urban shade

https://materialspalette.org/palette/ Carbon Smart information on lower-impact building materials.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20180926-an-ancient-engineering-feat-that-harnessed-the-wind BBC article about ancient solutions to how to keep buildings cool. Links well with next item:

https://youtu.be/DMVIARpLY-Q Video about Madrid's Wind Garden, a modern take on ancient ideas...

https://www.unlocknetzero.co.uk/case-studies/university-of-salford-energy-house-20-under-construction Article about Low Carbon homes centred on the work being done by Salford University, Greater Manchester.

https://resilientcitiesnetwork.org/what-is-urban-resilience/ Planning and building more climate-resilient cities.

https://www.arup.com/perspectives/designing-the-fifteen-minute-neighbourhood Designing the "15-minute city"

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190822-are-there-alternatives-to-air-conditioning Living without Air-con?

https://ermensystems.ie/ventilation/ Commercial article about heat recovery ventilation systems.


Recycling:

https://www.tomra.com/en/reverse-vending Commercial article about recycling (reverse vending).

https://theconversation.com/ranked-the-environmental-impact-of-five-different-soft-drink-containers-149642 Conversation article comparing impacts of plastic & glass bottles and cans (new and recycled).

https://news.sky.com/story/millions-of-disposable-vapes-containing-valuable-metal-ending-up-in-landfill-12652211 Sky News article on Disposable Vapes: enough for 1200 car batteries a year in UK; also a cause of many landfill fires!

Industry:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/05/20/sustainability-in-the-manufacturing-industry-is-a-work-in-process/ Forbes Magazine article looking at the general picture of Sustainability in industry.

Agriculture:

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-18206-9 Free-to-download book looks at the real carbon cost of everyday foods to find out how we can all be more Carbon-Smart in what we eat. Very approachable - worth a good look!

https://www.takeabitecc.org/athome.html Article about the effect of agriculture on climate and how we can reduce it.

https://ourworldindata.org/environmental-impacts-of-food Our World in Data on the carbon cost of food production.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46459714 BBC article includes a food carbon cost calculator.

https://www.foodunfolded.com/article/the-environmental-impacts-of-greenhouse-agriculture-in-almeria-spain As titled.

https://www.wri.org/insights/just-7-commodities-replaced-area-forest-twice-size-germany-between-2001-and-2015 About agriculture's role in global deforestation - especially for cattle farming & palm oil production. 

Biodiversity:

https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2022/the-problem-of-light-pollution/ Science in School article on light pollution and its growing effects on biodiversity.

Carbon Capture:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-63858565# Article about Earthshot Prize winning Carbon Capture project in Oman, harnessing the properties of peridotite rock. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c08y955ey5kt Loads more of articles on this topic!

https://policyatmanchester.shorthandstories.com/on-net-zero/#group-CO2-Removal-i6L6NBA3xC Manchester Uni Net Zero: approaches to tackling GHG includes explanation of carbon capture technologies.

https://climeworks.com/ Commercial carbon capture article & video.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-65648361 BBC News: "Enhanced weathering" of sand from basalt quarries as a cost-effective means of helping to reduce atmospheric CO2. Also: a longer article in Physics World:  https://physicsworld.com/a/sprinkling-basalt-over-soil-could-remove-huge-amounts-of-carbon-dioxide-from-the-atmosphere/

MORE TO COME!