toward a climate literate, energy aware, science savvy society
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Toward a Climate Literate, Energy Aware, Science Savvy Society
The Essential Principles of Climate Science Literacy
Mark S. McCaffreyAssociate Scientist III
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)University of Colorado at Boulder
Preface
Establishing Coordinates
Colorado’s New Energy Economy
A NASA-funded professional development program for teachers
Making Climate Hot Effectively Communicating Climate Change Workshop for scientists, teachers, students and citizens
The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences Education and Outreach Group
The GLOBE Programhttp://www.globe.gov/
Engaging Youth to Understand Climate
• weather-water-climate• carbon-energy-climate• air pollution-human health-climate• ecosystems-biodiversity-climate Text
Climate Literacy Energy Awareness Network
CLEAN Collection CLEAN Strand Map CLEAN Community
CLEAN Pathway
Bruce Bueno de MesquitaGames Theory Analyst
Modeled the future of COP15 targets, and predicted that most countries will renege on them.
No democratic government will seriously limit CO2 if it will hurt its citizens economically.
Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Predictioneer's Game, Chapter 12 (New York: Randon House, 2009).
Dr. James Hansen- NASA
1988
2009
Paleoclimatologist James WhiteUniversity of Colorado at
Boulder
Climate change may: Happen sooner (abruptly) than laterBe much worse than anticipated
Suggests moving inland and northward to survive
What’s the Goal?Behavior Change (Mitigation)
Reduce individual/collective emissions Foster more sustainable systems/lifestyles
Preparation for Changes (Adaptation) Engage with broad stakeholders Business, government, public health
Education/Literacy Support informed decision-making Cultivate science savvy societies
All Benefit From Personalized/Localized Feedback and Relevance
Chapter 1
The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy
Plan B:
“If you can graduate climate-literate graduates in every area – people who are going to become leaders in business, government, non-profit organizations and legal systems....
Toni NelsonProgram DirectorAmerican College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
...If you can get a shift happening in their education and climate-literacy, then you shift the whole culture around climate.”
Toni NelsonProgram DirectorAmerican College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment
Reviewed and Endorsed by
U.S. Climate Change Science Programnow the U.S. Global Change Research Program
http://www.climateliteracynow.org/
& Energy Awareness (CLEAN)
Climate LiteracyUnderstanding the influence of
climate on society…
Photo: Scott Bauer
Understanding the influence of climate on society…
and society on climate
1) Sun Drives Earth’s Climate
2) Complex Interactions
4) Natural Variability and Change
5) How Climate is Studied
6) Human Activities & Impacts
7) Consequences of Climate Change
3) Life & Climate Connected
Emerging Best Practices
Combine & Integrate Climate Science with Solutions &Opportunities
Elementary Level: (Keep it simple)Local weather & seasonal observations & systems
Middle Level: (Expand Scope)Regional climate processes & systems
Secondary & College Level: (Self & Society)Global climate change science, solutions & systems
http://strandmaps.nsdl.org/
http://strandmaps.nsdl.org/
Guiding Principle For Informed Climate Decision
Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts
Climate information can be used to reduce vulnerabilities or enhance resilience...
The impacts of climate change may affect the security of nations.
Humans may be able to mitigate climate change or lessen its severity by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations...
A combination of strategies is needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions...
Humans can adapt to climate change by reducing their vulnerability...
Actions taken by individuals, communities, states, and countries all influence climate.
The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system
1.
Solar Energy Solutions1.
TextClimate Is Regulated By Complex Interactions Among Components of the Earth System
2.
TextWind, Geothermal, Hydro Power, Storage, Nuclear
2.
Text
Life on Earth Depends on, Is Shaped By, and Affects Climate
3.
Text
Food, Bio-Fuels & Bio-Char 3.
Climate varies over space and time
4.
through both natural and man-made processes
Daily, Seasonal & Regional Energy Patterns and Solutions
4.
Text
Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies, and modeling
5.
Text
Integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Beyond
5.
Text
Human activities are impacting the climate system
6.
Text
6.Strategies to minimize impacts
Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives
7.
Building Resilient, Sustainable Communities
7.
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_Literacy_Handbook
Chapter 2
Out of Thin Air
CARBON
Out of Thin AirFood & Energy
Carbon & Climate
~10 Tons of Air per square meter+14 pounds per square inch at sea level
Jan Baptist van Helmont1580-1644
Mini-atmospherein basement of
Royal Institution,London
John Tyndall(1820-1893)
99.9% of Atmosphere Doesn’t Capture Heat
99.9% of Atmosphere Doesn’t Capture HeatBut some “trace” gases do
Water Vapor
The “Greenhouse Effect” allows liquid water to exist and life on Earth to flourish
Watts per square meter
Svante Arrhenius1859 - 1927
International Geophysical Year1957-1958
NAS
NAS
“Our industrial civilization has been pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at a great rate....
By the year 2000 we will have added 70 percent more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere...
If it remained, it would have a marked warming effect on the earth’s climate, but most of it would probably be absorbed by the oceans...
Conceivably, however, it could cause significant melting of the great icecaps and raise sea levels in time.”
Planet Earth: The Mystery with 100,000 CluesNational Academy of Sciences1958
How well do US college graduates understandimportant science ideas?
1. A seed grows into alarge tree. Where didthe mass of the treecome from?
2. What if I told youthat the mass comesmainly from thecarbon dioxide in theair?
How well do US college graduates understandimportant science ideas?
1. A seed grows into alarge tree. Where didthe mass of the treecome from?
2. What if I told youthat the mass comesmainly from thecarbon dioxide in theair?
How well do US college graduates understandimportant science ideas?
1. A seed grows into alarge tree. Where didthe mass of the treecome from?
2. What if I told youthat the mass comesmainly from thecarbon dioxide in theair?
A seed grows into a large tree. Where did the mass of the tree come from?
What if I told you that the mass comes mainly from the carbon dioxide in the air?
Plants draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
Carbon Dioxide
CO2
O=C=O
Carbonic Acid
CO2
H2O
O2
Photosynthesis
Text
tThus, plants’ massactually comesfrom “thin air”.
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
light + 6CO 2 + 12H 2 0 --> C 6 H 12 O 6 +6O 2
QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
light + 6CO 2 + 12H 2 0 --> C 6 H 12 O 6 +6O 2
TextSunlight + water + carbon dioxide = carbohydrates (sugars) + O2 + water
Over millions of years, the carbohydrates are transformed into “hydrocarbons” or fossil fuels like coal.
One gallon of gasoline = 98 tons
of biomass (buried solar energy)
One gallon of gasoline = 98 tons of biomass(buried solar energy)
Chapter 3
Fear Factor
Carbon Legacy of US
Female = ~6X Per Child Her Lifetime
Emissions
Murtaugh & Schlax (2009)
Text
The Concrete Jungle: Environmental Awareness and Experiences of Nature Among Urban Youth
Dr. Susie StrifeUniversity of Colorado at Boulder
What types of environmental problems are children aware of?
How do they feel about these problems?
How do they perceive and talk about the future state of the earth?
Environmental Awareness•Awareness of global problems & feelings/emotions • Sources of environmental information• Children’s perceptions of the future
Encourages children to tell their parents: “If you care about me, don’t give me a world that will heat up by four-to-five degrees.”
“Now is the time for a National Energy Education Act.” July 2008
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu chatting with his boss, who as
Senator proposed a Global Warming Education Act
http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/
~700 Colleges & Universities Pledge to Develop Carbon Neutrality Plans, Courses & Education Experiences
Anthony Leiserowitz- Yale Forum on Climate Change & The Media
Chapter 4
Naive & Missed Conceptions
National Science Education ContentStandardsNRC, 1996
•Climate mentioned nine times
•Human impact on climate notmentioned once except:
“In areas where data or understanding are incomplete, such as the details of human evolution or questions surrounding global warming, new data may well lead to changes in current ideas or resolve current conflicts.”
Climate Literacy Missing in Action
Not well addressed in State Science Education Standards
30 states do note impacts of anthropogenic change
19 states don’t mention at all
17 states focus on mechanisms
7 states note fossil fuels impacting climate
5 states note land use changes impacts
3 states focus on mitigation strategies
Kastens & Turrin, 2008
Climate Literacy Missing in Action CIRES Study of Colorado Teachers
– 1/3 Earth Science teachers don’t includeclimate change
– Many teachers don’t think it “fits” intocurriculum
– Like general public, teachers have their ownmisconceptions and/or misinformation
Dr. Sarah WiseCIRES Visiting Fellow
Less than 50% formally address climate change Only a third of Earth and Physical Science
teachers had professional development about climate change About 10% had been actively discouraged from
doing so
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
In summer we’re closer to the sun
Axial tilt is reason for the seasons
Schneps, 1985
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Air is invisible and weightless
Air has density and momentum
AAAS, 2007
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Climate is averaged weather
Weather & Climate are different processes and studied differently
Naïve & Misconceptions Science ConceptNaïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
How could a few trace gases warm the entire planet?
+99% of gas concentrations in atmosphere don’t capture heat
Oh, and by the way, it’s not really like a greenhouse
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Global warming caused by ozone hole
Global warming caused by human activities, especially burning fossil fuels
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Solar radiation bounces/reflects off Earth
Incoming UV and visible are transformed into outgoing IR heat
Gautier, 2006
Global warming is just natural cycles
Human activities warm the planet
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Energy is stuff from the ground (that we’re running out of)
Fossil fuels = concentrated buried solar energy
Rule, 2005
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Carbon is destroyed when burned
Energy is converted into work/heat; matter is rearranged but not destroyed
Madsen, 2007
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Cars run on gas. Electricity comes from a power plant.
Energy for transportation and electricity is generated by burning fuel to make heat.
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
We’ll be able to soon reverse global warming
The accumulation of GHG in the atmosphere is difficult to slow, let alone reverse
Sterman &Sweeney, 2007
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Plants get their mass from water and nutrients through their roots
Plants get mass from “thin air” and experience seasonal cycles
Hershey, 2004
Naïve & Misconceptions Science Concept
Chapter 5
Closing the Loop: Beyond Carbon
Calculators & Polar Bears
Concentrated Buried Solar
Energy
Burning coal, created in climate
of the past, impacts future climate
Based on EIA Annual Energy Review 2001 (EIA, 2003).
Microwave Oven
Footprint Calculators in Tons CO2
CO2 Converted Into Watts
Adapted from “The Game Plan 1.0” Saul Griffin, 2008 Creative Commons
Adapted from “The Game Plan 1.0” Saul Griffin, 2008 Creative Commons
Adapted from “The Game Plan 1.0” Saul Griffin, 2008 Creative Commons
Adapted from “The Game Plan 1.0” Saul Griffin, 2008 Creative Commons
Adapted from “The Game Plan 1.0” Saul Griffin, 2008 Creative Commons
Use Photos and Videos from Cellphones with GIS to monitor environment and actions
Participatory Sensing
Climate Literacy Video Contest•Must be scientifically accurate
•Peers vote on best creative work
•Local and regional contests
•National and international competition
•Big prizes!! Nobel Prize for Climate
Education
Green(solution)Grey(problem)
Rich
Poor The Fourth Quadrant
“When we try to pick out
anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.”
John Muir
mark.mccaffrey@colorado.edu
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