Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2008, 2009
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Webster University, Undergraduate Course Syllabus
SCIN 1010 Topics in Physical Science: CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARNING?
Instructor: Tara De Porte
Daily topics include:
• Understanding Climate Science
• Climate Impacts---case studies from europe, us, asia, africa, other
• The Social Side of Climate—Human rights, migration, gender and poverty
• Climate Change Policy –from local to global
• The Economics of Climate Change—Business and Costs to Economic Development
• Communicating Climate: Reporting on Climate Change
• Climate Solutions: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies throughout the world
• Developing Informative & Activist Outreach Materials
• Climate activism in the Education, Business, Government and Public Sectors
• Introduction to environmental consulting practices and certification strategies
Instructor will evaluate students’ work as follows:
Description: Percentage:
Attendance/Participation 20%
Presentations 25%
Homework 25%
Final Project 30%
Students and Instructors will be asked to evaluate the course in a form to be handed out during week 7 of the term.
WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Homework, subjects to be dealt with in the lesson, assignments, presentations, and examinations
Week 1:
Date: June 29, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 1 Understanding Climate Science
Guest Speaker: (invited) Climate Scientist/Researcher from KNMI: The Dutch National Institute for Weather, Climate Research and Seismology
http://www.knmi.nl/about_knmi/index.html
Prepare for this session Homework due for Day 1:
1. View An Inconvenient Truth the film
2. Come to class with your top 3 questions about climate change
Required Reading:
1. Climate Literacy: "The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences", A Guide for Individuals and Communities (17 pages)
http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/Literacy/default.php
2. Climate Change, The Big Picture: Clearer, Make a Difference with the Facts about Climate Change, Met Office, United Kingdom, 2008 (9 pages)
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/myths/bigpicture.pdf
3. Global Warming Myths and Facts, Environmental Defense Fund (~2 pages)
http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=1011
4.Hansen, J., 2008: Tipping point: Perspective of a climatologist. In State of the Wild 2008-2009: A Global Portrait of Wildlife, Wildlands, and Oceans. W. Woods, Ed. Wildlife Conservation Society/Island Press, pp. 6-15.
http://pubs.giss.nasa.gov/docs/2008/2008_Hansen_1.pdf
5. Scientists: Pace of Climate Change Exceeds Estimates, Washington Post, February 15, 2009 (~2 pages)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/14/AR2009021401757.html
Recommended Reading:
1. IPCC 4th Assessment Report 2007, Introduction, Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 (20 pages)
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm
Recommended Websites for Review:
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change
http://www.pewclimate.org/
The International Panel on Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch
International Research Institute for Climate & Society
http://portal.iri.columbia.edu
The Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/hadleycentre/
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/
NASA’s Earth Observatory
http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov
United States Environmental Protection Agency Climate Change Programme
www.epa.gov/climatechange
Date: June 30, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 2 The Social Side of Climate Change: Climate Impacts--- Human Rights, Migration, Gender and Poverty
Prepare for this session 1. Homework Assignment Due for Day 2:
Using the Data from the Human Development Reports 2007/2008 (HDR
Data by country: http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/) and your own
brainstorming ideas, choose either your place of origin or another country to
determine the following:
-The major contributors to climate change from your country
-The major impacts of climate change in your community/country
-Actions you can take and local resources for taking action in your
community
-Also select three photos to support your case study from http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/ please bring a printed copy or a memory stick to show the photos during your presentation
Please prepare a one-page paper to share with the class, including the above information. Do be sure to site all references that you use!
Required Reading:
1. Choose and review Country Data for Homework
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/data/
2. Look at climate change impact photos at http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/
3. Climate Wrongs and Human Rights – Executive Summary, Oxfam International, September, 2008 (4 pages)
http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/files/bp117-climate-wrongs-human-rights-summary-0809.pdf
4. Terry, Geraldine . No climate justice without gender justice: an overview of the issues, Gender & Development, VOLUME: 17 ISSUE: 1, Mar 2009 (15 pages)
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/download/?download=http%3A%2%2Fwww%2Einformaworld%2Ecom%2Fsmpp%2Freferrerlink%3Fart%3D10%2E1080%2F13552070802696839
5. Listen to: The Hague Debate: Adress by Yvo De Boer, Executive Secretary
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 21 May, 2008 (~3 minutes)
http://download.omroep.nl/rnw/smac/cms/hague_debate_yvo_de_boer_en_080523hdydb_44_1kHz.mp3
or read content at:
http://www.rnw.nl/internationaljustice/080521-yvo-deboer
Recommended Reading:
The Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world, Pages 58-88
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2007-2008/
IPCC 4th Assessment Report 2007, Chapter 3
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm
Listen to:
Experts Say Climate Change Drives Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa By Nancy Palus, Dakar, 20 March 2008, Voice of America
http://www.voanews.com/english/figleaf/mp3filegenerate.cfm?filepath=http://www.voanews.com/mediaassets/english/2008_03/Audio/mp3/palus_Senegal_Immigration_20mar08.mp3
or read at: http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-03/2008-03-20-voa33.cfm?CFID=173954941&CFTOKEN=72664198&jsessionid=de30860aac78796216703947fc6c4b5e3725
Listen to: Poverty Reduction, Disease Control and Climate Change by Jeffrey Sachs, Radio Economics, November, 2005. 43 minutes
http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?podcast=1670|2&t=1
or download: http://www.acidplanet.com/components/DownloadAsset.asp?asset=1670|2&t=8438
Climate Change and Forced Migration, January 2008
www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/47a316182.pdf
Vidal, John. Climate change to force mass migration, The Guardian, May 2007
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/may/14/climatechange.climatechangeenvironment
Mary Robinson: Climate change is an issue of human rights
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-robinson-climate-change-is-an-issue-of-human-rights-1059360.html
Recommended Websites:
International Institute for Sustainable Development—Climate Change
http://www.iisd.org/climate/
Woodrow Wilson Center for Environment Change and Security
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1413&fuseaction=topics.item&news_id=405368
Chicago Public Radios Weeklong Series on Environmental and Conflict
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1413&fuseaction=topics.item&news_id=405368
Gender CC: Women for Climate Justice
http://www.gendercc.net/
Oxfam Climate Change Program
http://www.oxfam.org/en/climatechange
Date: July 1, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 3 Climate Policy & Climate Change Financing Mechanisms
Guest Speaker: Kelly de Bruin, PhD candidate, Wageningen University
http://www.enr.wur.nl/UK/Staff/debruin/
Prepare for this session Homework assignment due for day 3: ClimatePolicy Examples from Around the World
1. Find one example of climate change policy on a national, regional or local level from your place of origin. Come prepared to discuss/present your policy example.
Required Reading:
1. Climate Policy: International Timeline, The Climate Group (2 pages)
http://www.theclimategroup.org/facts_and_actions/the_global_situation/climate_policy
2. Climate Policy: A global deal post 2012, The Climate Group (1 page)
http://www.theclimategroup.org/facts_and_actions/the_global_situation/climate_policy/global_deal/
3. E.P.A. Clears Way for Greenhouse Gas Rules, NY Times, April 17, 2009 (3 pages)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/18/science/earth/18endanger.html?_r=1
4. Climate change the biggest loser of G20 summit, warn environmental groups, The Guardian, April 3, 2009 (1 page)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/03/g20-climate-change-stimulus-package
5. UNFCCC Fact sheet: Financing climate change: Investment and financial flows for a strengthened response to climate change (5 pages)
http://unfccc.int/files/press/backgrounders/application/pdf/fact_sheet_financing_climate_change.pdf
Recommended Websites:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
http://unfccc.int
History of International Climate Change Policy (up until 2005)
http://www.whrc.org/policy/climate_change/index.htm
Environmental Treaties and Resources Indicators
http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/entri/index.jsp
U.S. Climate Policy
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/policy/index.html
International Institute for Sustainable Development—Climate Change
http://www.iisd.org/climate/
United Nations Environmental Program Financing Division
http://www.unepfi.org/
World Bank Climate Program
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/ENVIRONMENT/EXTCC/0,,menuPK:407870~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:407864,00.html
Date: July 2, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 4 Climate Change and Economics: The Business Perspective
Guest Speaker: (Invited) Representative, The Rotterdam Climate Initiative
Prepare for this session Homework due for day 4:
Select a corporation or small business to do a climate change assessment and business plan. You should use http://www.gemi.org/businessandclimate/ as well as other sites to help step you assess the following:
• One to two paragraph summarizing your business
• One to two paragraph summary of your businesses risks affiliated with climate change in impacts
• Your strategy to mitigate risk and to reduce climate change impacts
• A short implementation strategy, including any suggested partnerships
Please bring a two page report with the above to class for sharing. Remember to site all sources!
Required Reading:
Watch:
Climate Change: The Economics of and Prospects for a Global Deal, Sir Nicholas Stern SM ’88, November 19, 2007, Running Time: 1:10:10
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/536
Nordhaus on the Stern review (2 pages)
http://nordhaus.econ.yale.edu/nordhaus_stern_science.pdf
Recommended Reading:
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change
Full report: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_index.htm
Executive Summary: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/Executive_Summary.pdf
Short Executive Summary: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/CLOSED_SHORT_executive_summary.pdf
The Business of Climate Change, Lehman Brothers, 2007.
www.lehman.com/press/pdf_2007/TheBusinessOfClimateChange.pdf
Recommended Sites:
The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI)
http://www.gemi.org/businessandclimate/
Global Roundtable on Climate Change
http://grocc.ei.columbia.edu/
Pew Center Business Environmental Leadership Council
http://www.pewclimate.org/business/belc
Climate Biz
http://www.climatebiz.com/
United States Climate Action Parntership
http://www.us-cap.org/
3C: Combat Climate Change
http://www.combatclimatechange.org/www/ccc_org/ccc_org/224546home/index.jsp
Women’s Network for a Sustainable Future
http://www.wnsf.org
World Business Council for Sustainable Development,
http://www.wbcsd.org/
Carbon Disclosure Project
http://www.cdproject.net/
Greenhouse Gas Protocol
http://www.ghgprotocol.org/
Date: July 3, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 5 Climate Solutions? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Throughout the World
Prepare for this session Homework due for Day 5:
Find an article or report about an innovative adaptation or mitigation strategy to climate change. Bring a hard copy to class and be prepared to discuss.
Required Reading:
IPCC 4th Assessment Report 2007, Chapter 4 & Chapter 5 (20 Pages)
http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-syr.htm
GeoEngineering, How To Cool the Earth—At a Price, Robert Kunzig, Scientific American Magazine, November, 2008. (~10 pages)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=geoengineering-how-to-cool-earth
Why Aren’t Americans Head over Heels for Our Environment?
Tara DePorte, Alternet, October, 2008 (~4 pages)
http://www.alternet.org/story/104357/why_aren%27t_americans_heads_over_heels_for_our_environment/
Stabilization Wedges Game Summary and Overview (~10 pages)
http://www.princeton.edu/wedges/Stabilization_Wedges_Game_w8_Oct07.pdf
Recommended Websites:
International Energy Agency
http://www.iea.org/
Carbon Mitigation Initiatve
http://www.princeton.edu/~cmi/
Week 2:
Date: July 6, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 6 Communicating Climate: Reporting on Climate Change & Questions/Review of Final Project
Prepare for this session Homework Due for Day 6:
1. Students should find one article on climate change issues from a popular press sources (i.e. not from scientific journals or academic papers)
2. Students should write a one-page synopsis of the papers citing your analysis of the following:
• Target Audience
• Legitimacy of sources/”experts” used
• Any biases of the reporter or publication
• Goal of the article
• Method of argument/presentation
• Any other interesting observations
3. Students should bring a hard copy of the articles with them to class to hand-in with their one-page synopsis.
Required Reading:
If the Media Flunked Carbon Economics 101, What Happens When Things Get Harder? John Wihbey, Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media, February 17, 2009 (~4 pages)
http://www.yaleclimatemediaforum.org/2009/02/if-media-flunked-carbon-economics-101/
Climate change: How to report the story of the century, James Fahn, Internews, 2009 (~4 pages)
http://www.internews.org/articles/2009/20090316_scidevnet_ejn.shtm
Skeptics Dispute Climate Worries and Each Other, NY Times, March 8, 2009 (~1 page)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/09/science/earth/09climate.html
Society of Environmental Journalists
http://www.sej.org/resource/index18.htm
Students should read the above page and look at a couple of the links on the page.
Global Warming Skeptics: A Primer Guess who's funding the global warming doubt shops?, Environmental Defense Fund, December 2006 (~2 pages)
http://www.edf.org/article.cfm?contentid=4870
as well as link to Exxon Mobil Memo on link above
Anthony Leiserowitz, 2005: The International Impact of the Day After Tomorrow. Environment 47(3) 41-44.
http://www.cred.columbia.edu/pdfs/publications/CRED_DayAfterTomorrow_EnvironmentApril2005.pdf
Recommended Reading:
How Much Would You Pay to Save the Planet? The American Press and the Economics of Climate Change, Eric Pooley, Shorenstein Center 2008 (~30 pages)
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/publications/papers/discussion_papers/d49_pooley.pdf
Also read the Steven Mufson's letter & Eric Pooley's response to the above article (~2 pages)
http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/publications/papers/discussion_papers/d49_pooley_full.html
Recommended Websites:
Integrity in Science Database
http://www.cspinet.org/integrity/
Society of Environmental Journalists
http://www.sej.org/resource/index18.htm
Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED)
http://www.cred.columbia.edu/
The International Institute for Sustainable Development – Reporting Services Division
http://www.iisd.ca/
Date: July 7, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 7 Copenhagen 2009: Mock High Level U.N. Conference
Prepare for this session
Homework due for Day 7: Students will be provided with a basic climate policy document simulating a synopsis of potential outcomes of the Copenhagen 2009 Climate Conference. Students will choose a country to represent as a delegate to the conference and will be expected to research/represent the interests of that country in the mock conference. Students should come to class with a set list of basic policy objectives, adaptation and mitigation strategies, and concerns of their representative country. Class will be run in a model U.N. format.
Date: July 8, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 8 Developing a Climate Outreach Project
Focus: Youth, General Public, Corporate, Local Government, University
Prepare for this session
Research and bring all relevant materials (digital versions) pertaining to your outreach project. Be sure that at least one group member brings laptop to class.
Date: July 9, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 9 Climate Activism and Presentations
Site visit to outreach locations.
Prepare for this session Practice your presentation for your specific target group.
Date: July 10, 2009 Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Lesson 10 Make-up day (if necessary)
Additional Information On The Course:
As a part of the final project and presentations, students will be developing presentations and outreach materials to help local institutions and businesses become more “climate conscious”. They will also be visiting various locations (i.e. elementary school, local business, university administration, & government official) to conduct discussions on topics covered in the course. Students will be working in groups for the final project and will be expected to equally participate in group work. Furthermore, students will select topics/groups the first day of class and will be expected to be accumulating information for their final project throughout the class (it is expected that much of the material from homework assignments will be useable for the final project).
SCIN 1010: Climate Change, Global Warning?
Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands, 2009
Class Outline and Activities
Each day of class will be divided into lectures (my own and some guests), discussion, and at least one more hands-on activity. The general format for each day will be as follows:
Lecture: 1 Hour (30-40 slides)
Questions: 30 minutes throughout
(Sometimes) Film and/or Guest Lecture: 1 Hour
Break: 15 minutes
Activity: 1-1.5 hours
Tomorrow Review: Homework & Reading
Below you will find descriptions of both the final project(s) and each day’s activity.
Final Project(s): Climate Outreach
As a part of the final project and presentations, students will be developing presentations and outreach materials to help local communities become more “climate conscious”. They will also be visiting various locations (i.e. elementary school, local business, university administration,& local communities) to conduct discussions on topics covered in the course. Students will be working in groups for the final project and will be expected to equally participate in group work. Furthermore, students will select topics/groups the first day of class and will be expected to be accumulating information for their final project throughout the class (it is expected that much of the material from homework assignments will be useable for the final project).
Four Teams:
1. Climate Science-will overview climate science discussed in class and compile an annotated resource list of climate science websites.
*Data will be inputted into Climate Science Google Notebook
2. Climate Impacts- will overview climate impacts discussed in class and compile an annotated resource list of climate impacts websites
*Data will be inputted into Climate Impacts Google Notebook
3. Climate Policy-- will overview climate impacts discussed in class and compile an annotated resource list of climate impacts websites
*Data will be inputted into Climate Policy Google Notebook
4. Climate Solutions- will overview climate solutions discussed in class and compile an annotated resource list of climate solutions websites
*Data will be inputted into Climate Solutions Google Notebook
Climate Change and You! Booklet and Climate Change Outreach Project:
1. Final Project: Climate Change and You! Booklet
Final Booklet will be available on the class website and on the NYC Climate Coalition Website www.nycclimate.org as a part of the final project and presentations, students will be developing a Climate Change & You! Booklet with information they learned in the course.
The goal of the Climate Change and You! Booklet is to help summarize and apply some of the basic science, policy, impacts, and action you have learned throughout the summer session, while helping to develop your research and outreach development skills. Students will develop, as a class, different sections of the Climate Change and You! Booklet, throughout the days of the course. In addition to the full class participation, students will work in groups of 2 or 3 and select their “specialty” from the above four teams. As a specialist, it will be your job to both distill the information developed by the class (via homework and class activities) and create the final product for the general public: an annotated list of websites that are recommended for the topics in relation to local, regional, national and international resources. We will discuss definitions and expectations further during class time. By choosing your “specialty”, your team will also take the lead in teaching a class on the final day of our course to a select audience (A 4th Grade Class in Leiderdorp). Your team will be responsible for teaching students about your chosen topic and showing them the resources available for more information (see more on this part of the Final Project below: Climate Change Outreach Project). Remember, both your presentation and your online work will be used by local environmental organizations, the general public, and schools to help bring issues of climate change, impacts, and information into the community and classroom. So, I expect that your work on this project will be well researched and thought out!
Final Project must be completed and emailed by: Midnight on Thursday, July 9th, 2009.
2. Climate Change Outreach Project (2 parts)
Part 1: Teaching the ABC’s of Climate Change
As mentioned above, students will work in teams of 2 to 3 to a group. Each group will specialize in one of the following:
1. Climate Science
2. Climate Impacts
3. Climate Policy
4. Climate Solutions
Students will then be responsible for developing a 10-minute presentation summarizing their topic for a class of 4th grade students. Following the presentations, there will be a Q&A session of 5-10 minutes for the students to collectively answer audience questions. Students will be expected to cater their presentation to the level and needs of their audience and will complete their class with a hands-on solutions brainstorming activity (see Part 2: Brainstorming Solutions in Our Community). Presentations will be done on the last day of class (Thursday, July 9th, 2009) and all students will be expected to participate fully.
Part 2: Brainstorming Solutions in Our Community
After presenting your topics and conducting outreach on climate change to your class, you will be leading a range of activities on climate change and solutions. The class format is estimated as follows:
10-11 Climate Change Presentations (Science, Impacts, Policy, Solutions)
11-12:15 "Brainstorming Greening the School": Energy, Water, Cleaning Products, Waste, Greening, Outreach and Education
12:15-13 Lunch
13-14 Sustainability Plan Development (Each Topic Above will be a "Team")
14-14:45 Student Presentation to Class, Principal and/or Other Classes on Projects
Each group will work with students the second half of the day to help brainstorm “Greening the School”—ways that students can propose taking action in their school to help combat climate change. You will work with students to individually list ways that they can change things in their school relating to Energy, Waste, Water use, “Green” Cleaning Products, Creating Greenspace, Outreach and Education. You will receive separate worksheets to complete with your students. You will also be practicing this activity with faculty at Webster (as well as your presentations!) on Wednesday, July 8th. So, you will want to have some ideas and information about solutions within your specific topics (TBA). After completing the worksheets with the students, you will help them to develop materials (posters, letter writing, etc) to actually enact some of their recommendations. Lastly, you will work with your team of students to make a short presentation about their ideas, obstacles to getting it done, and to show off the materials they have made!
Class 1: Understanding Climate Science
Questions: 30 minutes
• What 3 things do you know (or think you know!) about climate change?
• What are your top 3 questions you have about climate change?
• What are the top 3 most important things in your life: i.e. family, health, education, etc
• What are the top 3 things you are most passionate about? i.e. music, politics, climate change....etc)
• Do you see any relation between what is most important to you and climate change?
• What links can you make between climate change and what you're most passionate about?
Lecture
• Overview of Course: 30 minutes
• Watch: Blue Man Group Clip
• Watch: Simpsons Clip
• Science Lecture: 1 Hour
Activity: 1.5 hours Climate Science and Resources for Outreach Project
Overview of Google Mail and Google Notebook
1. Everyone get gmail account www.gmail.com
2. Send email to me with your gmail address
3. Begin learning the Google Blogger, Notebook and Documents
4. Overview/questions about using google
Beginning Climate Notebooks and the Climate Change and You! Guide
1. I will share the Notebooks with you:
a. Climate Science Resources,
b. Climate Impacts Resources,
c. Climate Policy Resources,
d. Climate Solutions Resources
For each Notebook above, we will have a team (2-3 people) that will edit and select through the entries we have to compile them on the NYC Climate Coalition Website (www.nycclimate.org).
Think about which topic you want to focus more attention on for the Climate Change and You! Guide.
2. Students do searches on sites for climate science information & resources (website search)
3. Add selected Climate Science Websites into our google Notebook (separate international, nationwide and/or local)
4. For each entry, create an annotated website bibliography in the Climate Science Resources Notebook: With each website, be sure to include a good one-paragraph summary in your own words as to what you can find on the site!
Example:
Climate Change from the BBC Weather Centre
http://www.bbc.co.uk/climate/evidence/
A comprehensive website that focuses on international evidence, impacts, adaptation, Policies and links to other resources pertaining to climate change. The site gives a basic overview of the topics for the general public. Provides more detailed information for the UK.
Class 2: The Social Side of Climate Change: Climate Impacts--- Human Rights, Migration, Gender and Poverty
Watch: ABP Elephant Clip
Impacts Lecture: 1 hour
Activity: 45 minutes Students Share Case Studies
Activity: 2 hours Climate Science Continued and Impacts and Resources for Outreach Project
Climate Impacts Resources Notebook and the Climate Change and You! Guide
1. Students do searches on sites for climate impacts information & resources (website search)
2. Add selected Climate Impacts Websites into our google Notebook (separate international, nationwide and/or local)
3. For each entry, create an annotated website bibliography in the Climate Impacts Resources Notebook: With each website, be sure to include a good one-paragraph summary in your own words as to what you can find on the site!
Class 3: Climate Policy & Climate Change Financing Mechanisms
Questions: Climate Change and Economics: 30 minutes
Make a priority list with: climate change; communicable diseases; sanitation and water; malnutrition and hunger; conflicts; education; population; and migration. which is most important and which is less important?
• How are these topics related? Chose your top priority and write a paragraph as to how it relates (or might relate) to each of the other topics.
• Who do you think should decide which "big global issues" are prioritized (i.e. politicians, economists, scientists, etc)
• What is the value of a human life?
• What is the value of clean water/air?
Lecture: 40 minutes
Activity: 30 minutes Students share their policies
Guest Speaker: 12:30-1:30 Economics of Climate Change, Kelly de Bruin, PhD candidate,
Wageningen University
Activity: 1 hour Climate Policy Resources
Climate Policy Resources Notebook and the Climate Change and You! Guide
1. Students do searches on sites for climate policy information & resources (website search)
2. Add selected Climate Policy Websites into our google Notebook (separate international, nationwide and/or local)
3. For each entry, create an annotated website bibliography in the Climate Policy Resources Notebook: With each website, be sure to include a good one-paragraph summary in your own words as to what you can find on the site!
Class 4: Climate Change and Economics-The Business Perspective
Climate and Business Lecture: 1.5 hours
Present Homework: 1 hour
Watch: The Story of Stuff 10 Minutes
Discussion: 15 minutes
Activity: 1 hour work on final project, presentation
Day 5: Climate Solutions? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies Throughout the World
Lecture: 1 hour
Guest Speaker: 11-12pm, Sible Schone, WWF/KlimaatBureau
Activity: 1 hour Local Climate Solutions and resources (i.e. organizations, incentives for schools, households and businesses, free local resources) for Outreach Project
Activity: 40 minutes Stabilization Wedges Game (Activity)
http://www.princeton.edu/wedges/Stabilization_Wedges_Game_w8_Oct07.pdf
Climate Solutions Resources Notebook and the Climate Change and You! Guide
1. Students do searches on sites for climate solutions information & resources (website search)
2. Add selected Climate Solutions Websites into our google Notebook (separate individual, government, school and business)
3. For each entry, create an annotated website bibliography in the Climate Solutions Resources Notebook: With each website, be sure to include a good one-paragraph summary in your own words as to what you can find on the site!
Class 6: Communicating Climate-Reporting on Climate Change
Lecture: 40 minutes
Discussion: 40 minutes: Share findings of articles and recommendations to journalists, contrast sources used, etc
Activity: 1 hour Student role-play slide presentations
Activity: 1 hour Survey of people on streets about climate change
Discussion: 20 minutes Survey results
Objective:
This activity will help familiarize students with the biases in the “popular press” concerning climate change, including: sourcing of data, “spins” on the story, differences and similarities in journalistic coverage, etc. Students will also present 2-minute presentations of climate-related issues (no preparation necessary!) to be critiqued under peer review.
Activity Description
During the class, time will be allotted to discuss the findings and the “diversity in journalistic coverage” of climate change. Students will be asked to share their findings and compare/contrast the type of coverage available, sources, etc. Furthermore, students will brainstorm recommendations they would have to scientists, journalists and others to influence with the reporting on climate change issues (40 minutes).
Remaining time will be allocated to students making 2-minute presentations on specific concepts within climate change. Students will be given a slide from Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” presentation, describing a certain scientific component of climate change and will be expected to do “off-the-cuff” explanation, as if to the general public or describing to politicians, etc (i.e. assuming limited knowledge of audience). Fellow students will critique the presentations of their classmates and will pose 1 “tough questions” following the presentation. Time limit will be strict! This exercise will mimic responses to questions/arguments about climate change that students will come across in their work—from the general public, private, and/or government sectors! (60 minutes)
Class 7: Copenhagen 2009: Mock High Level U.N. Conference & Questions on Final Project
Lecture: 30 minutes Review of topics and Questions
Activity: 2 hours Mock UN Climate Policy Session
Activity: 1 hour “Catchy Climate Change”—funny ads, eye-catching videos, good gimics, creative campaigns
Preparation:
Selected Climate Policy Draft (Attached below)
Preparation for this session should include reviewing the document above (which is a draft open for input). You will have selected a specific country or group that you are doing your research and preparation (i.e. Haiti, United States, Indigenous Peoples, etc). You should analyze the document above for your specific group, thinking about what you would want to include, take out, what components with which you might have issues. The link below might help you with understanding some of the lingo through your policy research.
Policy Jargon Buster: http://www.copenhagenclimatecouncil.com/get-informed/climate-negotiations-updates/jargon-buster.html
Activity:
Today you will be a party to one of the question/answer and debate session of COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. This session you will be attending today is concerning climate change joint statement summary. Attendees to the conference (which is actually coming up later this year) include delegates to the Conference of the Parties 15 (COP 15), which is the "supreme body" of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC http://unfccc.int/ ) and it is the highest decision-making authority in international climate change policy.
Today’s session will be focusing on government-mandated climate change policy. The goal of this session is to create an overview document of international climate agreements that represent a “consensus” of country needs and goals. As a delegate for a particular constituency, your goal is to get as many points of legislation in the final draft to the COP15. You will put yourselves in the position of one of many key “players” in the policy development session and will have a series of Q&A sessions, debate, and—most likely—arguments throughout the session. In this session, there is going to be policy developed concerning climate change policy, however, it is up to you all to decide what, how, and to what extent (or lack thereof). Also unlike many policy hearings/sessions, you must come out of today’s activity with a beginning plan-of-action (however minimal or tremendous it might be!), which includes the following:
The Outcome
1. What are the top 10 recommendations that the policy will include?
2. What are the 3 mechanisms you propose for financing these recommendations
3. You must come up with a max of 3 sentences that summarize the stance of the COP15 on this issue.
The Players (Please Select One)
United States China India Brazil The Netherlands
South Africa Iran Australia Indigenous Peoples Youth
Women’s Caucus Russia Haiti Japan OTHER?
Prep-work (1 hour)
Each team should then critically read the material and determine what you feel are the key issues of the potential impacts of climate change policy from your assigned “point of view”; The readings assigned should give you the material necessary to define real issues and their associated uncertainties. You should also feel free to search the web for other “sources” of information that you might want to include in your argument. Remember, you are playing a role and you should try to use as many methods as possible to achieve your set goal.
The Session
The session meeting is comprised of four different, time-restrained sections, as follows:
1. Constituency Presentation “Statements” (10 minutes)
Each Country Delegate will have 5 minutes to present their “slant” on the issues, as well as the proceedings about to take place.
2. Debate and Policy Formation (60 minutes)
All groups will participate in debating the presentations from the previous section. This is where you need to actually draft your “outcomes” as required above.
3. Facilitator Wrap-up (10 minutes)
• 5 minutes for Facilitator to summarize and make suggestions
• 5 minutes comments and suggestions on process
Activity 2: Catchy Climate Notebook
“Catchy Climate” Notebook and the Climate Change and You! Guide
1. Students do searches on sites for catchy climate outreach, YouTube videos, advertisements, etc (website search)
2. Add selected Catchy Climate Links into our google Notebook (separate individual, government, school and business)
For each entry, create an annotated website bibliography in the Catchy Climate Notebook: With each link, be sure to include a good one-paragraph summary in your own words as to what you can find on the site!
Day 8: Developing a Climate Outreach Project
Questions: 30 minutes
• What 3 things do you know (or think you know!) about climate change?
• What 3 questions do you have about climate change?
• What are the top 3 most important things in your life: i.e. family, health, education, etc
• What are the top 3 things you are most passionate about? i.e. music, politics, climate change....etc
• Do you see any relation between what is most important to you and climate change?
• What links can you make between climate change and what you're most passionate about?
Activity: Work on final project(s)
Activity: Faculty presentation: 12:00-1:30
Day 9: Climate Activism and Presentations
Time: 10:00-14:45
Location: Elckerlyc International School, Klimopzoom 41, 2353 RE, Leiderdorp
Teacher: Mrs. Jackie Finch
Transportation: Bus 39 and 48
Activity: Climate Change Presentations
10-11 Climate Change Presentations
11-12:15 "Brainstorming Greening the School": Energy, Water, Cleaning Products,
Waste, Greening, Outreach and Education
12:15-13 Lunch
13-14 Sustainability Plan Development (Each Topic Above will be a "Team")
14-14:45 Student Presentations to Principal and Other Classes on Projects
