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1C L E A N C L I M A T E A C T I O N S C H O O L

SCHOOL

CLEAN

ClimateAction

TEACHER RESOURCE

2 C L E A N C L I M A T E A C T I O N S C H O O L

Teacher ResourceThe Clean Climate Action School Teacher Resource is designed to lay the groundwork for a series of learning experiences for middle school learners to explore the interconnected topics of climate change and environmental action.

Please make use of the explorations in this guide however you see fit. Adapt them, modify them, extend them as needed! If you have any feedback on how this resource can be improved, please let us know at [email protected].

About Clean FoundationClean Foundation (“Clean”) is a registered charity which provides the knowledge, tools and inspiration needed to encourage the individual actions that lead to a positive environmental shift, including through the provision of environmental education. For more information, please visit clean.ns.ca.

AcknowledgementsWe would like to begin by respectfully acknowledging the traditional territory in which we work and teach as the ancestral unceded homelands of the Mi’kmaq People.

Clean wishes to acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, represented by Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Province of Nova Scotia, represented by the Department of Education and Early Childhood development, in creating this Teacher Resource.


Table of Contents

Introduction

Rationale and Purpose 4

UN Global Goals 5

Climate Change Backgrounder 6

Concepts and Principles 10

Approach 11

Activities Index and Curriculum Alignment 12

Learning Experiences

Section 1 - Climate Change Mechanisms

LE 1 – Investigating CO2 14

LE 2 – Measuring the Albedo Effect 21

LE 3 – Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect 30

Section 2 – Climate Change Impacts

LE 4 – Examining Ocean Acidification 37

LE 5 – Carbon Sink Potential of Water 44

LE 6 – Carbon Uptake by Elodea 50

LE 7 – Observing Thermal Expansion 55

LE 8 – Citizen Science Insights 60

Section 3 – Climate Action

LE 9 – Fake News Analysis 66

LE 10 - Exploring Green Careers 68

LE 11 – Measuring Our Carbon Footprint 72

LE 12 – What’s Your Carbon Food-Print? 74

LE 13 - Design a Living Wall 78

LE 14 – Formulate a Community Action Plan 81

Appendices

A Curriculum Alignment 90

B Additional Resources 96

C Citizen Science Resources 98

D Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives 101

E Fake News Activity Resources 103

F Living Wall Resources 108

G Glossary of Terms 109


IntroductionThe United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) states, “Climate change is one of the most critical global challenges of our time.” By the time students are in grades 5-8, most of them are familiar with the terms “global warming”, “climate change”, “fossil fuels”, etc; however, they probably don’t truly understand what they mean. Additionally, global warming may be alarming for children who feel powerless to control their environment. This guide takes a positive approach, showing you how you can actively engage your students in learning about the challenges of climate change while at the same time helping them discover how they can be part of the solution.

This Teacher Resource contains a variety of resources designed to lead teachers and learners in exploring science, technology, education, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), alongside climate, sustainability and energy subject matter through situated, hands-on and active learning opportunities for students. We designed this resource as a support and an extension to our Clean Climate Action School workshops for Grade 7 and 8 Nova Scotia public school classrooms. However, the learning experiences and other materials contained in this guide are equally suitable for anyone (educator or learner in any context) interested in learning more about why and how our climate is changing. Furthermore, the activities in this resource are designed to develop a sense of individual empowerment, armed with the inspiration, tools and perspective to take action to protect and preserve the environment.

Objective: Enhancing empowerment for positive environmental and social change.

Outcome. To equip learners with the attitudes, skills and tools necessary to effect positive environmental and social change in their communities.

Purpose. We do not only want to equip youth with an understanding of the key contemporary challenges confronting our society; we also want to equip them with the attitudes and tools to do something about them. Why? Because the solutions to the complex challenges confronting our society will only arise though informed and committed action on a global, national, regional, local and individual scale. Schools have a vital role to play in preparing our young people to take their place as informed, engaged and empowered citizens who will be pivotal in shaping the future of our communities, our province, our country and our global environment.

Approach. The learning experiences contained in this guide have been designed to progressively facilitate action through: conveying relevant information, building understanding, improving skills and ultimately facilitating sustainable actions.1 The resources integrate problem-solving, hands-on learning, and cooperative learning, fostering leadership, entrepreneurship, teamwork, interpersonal communications and individual resiliency skills among participating learners.

1 Monroe, M., Andrews, E., & Biedenweg, K. (2007), “A framework for environmental education strategies”, Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 6, 205-216. See also Bray, B. & Cridge, A. G. (2013) “Can Education Programmes Effect Long Term Behaviour Change?”, International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research, 2:1, 27-33.


The World’s Largest Lesson:United Nations Sustainable Development GoalsThe purpose, rationale and approach of this Guide is broadly aligned with the spirit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted on September 25th, 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda.2

To achieve the goals, the United Nations states “everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and [individuals]”. Success therefore depends on educating all citizens – especially children – about the underlying issues and actions available to address them.

Discussion of these topics will better position students to participate in their communities with the knowledge, perspective and skills necessary to understand and develop solutions to contemporary environmental and social challenges as active, engaged and empowered citizens.

2 United Nations, “The Global Goals for Sustainable Development” https://www.globalgoals.org/ Accessed 2019.


Climate Change BackgrounderChanges in the climate have been happening for hundreds of thousands of years, and until recent centuries, most of these changes were naturally occurring, for instance, because of ice-ages and then post-glacial periods. The present-day is not the first time carbon dioxide (CO2) and other so-called greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere have been high. So what’s the difference now?

What Causes Climate Change?

The Greenhouse Effect is a naturally occurring and essential process that is regulated by nature. The Earth is warmed directly by energy from the sun and re-radiates that energy into the atmosphere. But greenhouse gases (GHGs) act like a blanket around Earth, trapping some of the sun’s energy in the atmosphere before it can be released. Much like the way a greenhouse keeps in heat due to a physical barrier, heat is absorbed and trapped by GHGs and this causes the atmosphere to warm. The Greenhouse Effect enables the Earth to be a livable planet by moderating the Earth’s temperature (contrast Venus and Mars for extreme planetary examples).

However, due to the burning of fossil fuels and other activities, humans are adding more heat-retaining gases into the atmosphere than are needed, throwing off the natural balance, resulting in an enhanced Greenhouse Effect. Some GHGs have a lifespan in the atmosphere of several centuries; this is important to understand because the warming will continue for decades to come, even if we curb our behaviour tomorrow.

Weather vs. Climate

It is important to recognize that many people do not know or see the difference between weather and climate – but these terms are not interchangeable. The difference between weather and climate is the measure of time. Weather is what conditions of the atmosphere are like over a short period of time (hour-to-hour, day-to-day, season-to-season), and climate is how the atmosphere “behaves” over relatively long periods of time (typically 30 years or longer). Climate is the average of weather over time and space. Therefore, when we talk about climate change, we talk about changes in the long-term averages of daily weather.

Climate Change vs. Global Warming

Although related, these two terms are also not interchangeable and should not be substituted for one another. Global warming refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperature near the Earth’s surface. Climate change is a broader term that refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period: in other words, changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns, among other effects, that occur over several decades or longer. Global warming is causing climate patterns to change, in often opposing ways. For instance, even while global temperatures are increasing, we have observed more severe winters.

How are Humans involved in Climate Change?

Starting with the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century until today, changes in the climate have been mainly the result of human activities3. Evidence from several methods that measure long term changes in climate – such as ice cores, pollen counts, boreholes, atmospheric surveys and long-term continuous records of temperature.

The Industrial Revolution shifted human labour to machinery and kickstarted the era of combustion engines – including the automobile – and, as a result, the excessive burning of fossil fuels, releasing chemicals that include CO2. Pressure from an increasing population places strain on our industrial agricultural systems, requiring ever increasing amount of available land and application of fertilizers, which both released more GHGs.

3 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – Climate Change – The Physical Science Basis 2007


Anthropogenic (or human-caused) climate change results from the increase in GHGs through a range of activities, including:

• Burning of fossil fuels for energy production, industrial processes and transportation, including the shipping of products (train, truck and container ships);

• Land-use changes including deforestation, since trees, plants and soil naturally store carbon;

• Agricultural practices (farm animals release methane gas, and nitrous oxide is released from the overuse of synthetic fertilizers);

• Release of fluorinated gases (e.g. chlorofluorocarbons, or CFC’s) from industrial processes, and the use of refrigerants and other consumer products.

These activities release GHGs into the atmosphere at unsustainable rates and are forcing natural cycles to overload which then results in changes to our climate. Our lives are directly connected to the climate and the environment. The Earth is a closed system, full of intertwining cycles that require balance – we are dependent on it, though it is not dependent on us.

What are the Impacts of Climate Change?

Over the past century, human activities have released large amounts of GHGs into the atmosphere. These gases in the atmosphere retain heat which in turn causes the global surface temperature to rise. And the rate of warming in Canada, especially in the North, is double that of the global average. Between 1950 and 2010, average temperature over land in Canada has increased by 1.5ºC. Over the next 100 years temperature is projected to rise another ~1 to 5ºC4. But the temperature increase depends on our collective societies’ actions to reduce emissions.

Increased heat and GHG concentrations in the atmosphere result in impacts to the Earth system. The impacts of higher global temperatures include:

• Rising global temperatures both on land and sea (average over the year and around the globe)

• Glacier, permafrost and sea ice melting

• Sea level rise due to sinking land (subsidence) and melting glacial ice

• Increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events

• Changes in precipitation, resulting in more frequent and severe droughts and floods

• Changes in freshwater availability

• Coastal erosion from storm-related flooding

• Loss of biodiversity and habitat reorganization

• Acceleration of the pace of climate change due to the albedo effect, ocean chemistry changes and permafrost melting (positive feedbacks)

• Coral bleaching (due to warmer waters, they expel the algae in their tissue which causes them to lose all colour and die)

Another important and related impact of higher amount of the greenhouse gas CO2 in the atmosphere is ocean acidification. Higher CO2 cause change the chemistry of our oceans and waterways. Carbon dioxide is soluble in water and when it dissolves, it makes the water more acidic, which lowers the pH.

4 Canada’s Changing Climate, Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2019.


Higher atmospheric CO2 means that the water will become progressively more acidic over time. This has important impacts on all marine life, but especially on shellfish.

Future Projections for Nova Scotia5

• Sea levels could rise by almost 1 metre by 21006 if things continue on same trajectory. It is also important to note that sea levels would be rising around Nova Scotia even without climate change because of subsidence, a slow sinking of land that is leading to natural erosion of coastal areas.

• Annual precipitation could increase by 100mm from the 1980s.

• We could have seven-fold more hot days (over 30) than in the 1980s.

• By 2080, there will be fewer days with snow than in the 1980s.

• Average annual temperature could increase almost 4 degrees by 2080 from 1980 levels.

• Longer growing seasons for agriculture with high potential for growing new species – this could mean higher yields but this is short-term.

• Introduction of new species or expansion of existing species (e.g. deer ticks) due to species migration in search of more suitable habitats.

• Loss of local species northward as temperatures become too warm and/or dry and habitats become unlivable or competition for habitat is too high.

• Invasion from insect pests may threaten particular plant species.

• Shifts in seasonal timing (phenology): This may mean that seasonal timings that have evolved over millenia may be disrupted – for instance, the emergence of a particular plant species would no longer be properly timed to coincide with the arrival of a particular insect that is needed for its pollination, or the annual migration of a particular bird species may occur after its insect food source has already emerged.

5 Canada’s Changing Climate, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2019.6 Nova Scotia Environment. Open Data portal: accessed February 2020.


What are the Consequences of Climate Change?

Significant impacts for society and human systems include:

• Human health (mental and physical) – spread of disease, such as Lyme disease, through the proliferation of deer ticks; increased respiratory illnesses; increased rate of anxiety (especially considering impacts on livelihoods and personal security)

• Economy – loss of livelihoods with damage to infrastructure and way of life; damage to coastal areas and sites of cultural significance

• Transportation – damage to roads, bridges, waterways

• Food security – changes in growing seasons and local growing capabilities

• Water security – saltwater intrusion due to floods and storm surge; increased potential for drought

• Energy security – energy grid vulnerability (blackouts)

• Infrastructure – require changes to buildings, wharfs, bridges, and relocation away from susceptible locations

• Natural environment – increased forest infestations, higher fire risk, coastal damage

• Note that this list is not exhaustive; furthermore, most of these consequences are interrelated and compound other effects.


Concepts and Principles

Principles of Climate Literacy

Climate literacy is an understanding of the climate’s influence on us and society and our influence on the climate. The following principles form the basis for the specific learning objectives encapsulated by the explorations contained in this teacher resource. The activities engage with these principles, building on and supporting student exploration of the concepts across subject matter areas.

Essential Climate Principles 7

1. The Sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system.

2. Climate is regulated by complex interactions among components of the Earth system.

3. Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate.

4. Climate varies over space and time through both natural and human-made processes.

5. Our understanding of the climate system is improved through observations, theoretical studies and modelling.

6. Human activities are impacting the climate system.

7. Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

8. Humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.

Fundamental Concepts

The explorations contained in this teacher resource engage with the following concepts:

• Climate Change Mechanisms • Heat• Carbon cycle• Greenhouse Effect• Albedo Effect

• Climate Change Impacts• Ocean acidification• Sea-level rise• Thermal expansion• Phenology and Seasonal cycles• Etuaptmumk

• Climate Change Action• Carbon footprint• Netukulimk and Stewardship • Community and Interconnectiveness • Youth empowerment

Note: You will notice some words and concepts that may be unfamiliar in this document, such as Interconnectiveness, Netukulimk, Etuaptmumk (Two-eyed seeing). We encourage you to refer to Appendix D for additional reading on this topic.

7 Modified from “Climate Literacy – The Essential Climate Principles of Climate Sciences”. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA. 2009.


Learning Experiences

Approach

Climate change and sustainability-focused explorations in this guide meet general and specific curriculum outcomes, with a focus on critical thinking skills and an inquiry approach to learning.

Educational reform has embraced inquiry-based learning for its ability to inspire, and to create innovative, curious thinkers. This shift away from the “banking” model of education, that relies on the passive acquisition of facts, signifies a shift towards the adoption of a transformative and constructive educational approach, whereby authentic engagement and meaningful learning can be fostered. By posing questions that might not necessarily have answers, learners become adept at solving problems and a sense of their own agency in their learning.

Digital tools, such as PASCO CO2 and temperature sensors, are incorporated in many of the learning activities. PASCO sensors have been supplied to all schools in Nova Scotia (Ayva Canada), which use the free SparkVUE app for connecting, controlling and visualizing the data. Experimentation with these tools confer many advantages for inquiry-based learning - integrating digital technology into data collection, analysis and visualization improves data literacy, and strengthens cross-curricular learning, problem solving skills, and critical thinking.

Structure

The learning experiences are divided in three sections in this guide that reflect these three stages of learning complexity, from understanding basic mechanisms, to exploring climate change impacts, to evaluating human activities and formulating a community action plan to mitigate climate change.

The explorations in this guide begin with an engagement phase, an exploration phase with inquiry, research or experimentation followed by a synthesis/reflection and/or action phase. Each has the same structure: Title with Guiding Question, Background, Objective(s), Concepts and Keywords, Materials, Learning Activities with Engagement, Exploration, Analysis and Reflection phases. Where you see questions in italics, these are suggested questions to pose to the class, open to modification and elaboration at your discretion!

These individual learning experiences are interdisciplinary in nature, are often appropriate for a range of grade levels and are not necessarily stand-alone: as such, these explorations can be revisited through the lens of various subjects as a feature within the school year planning. This approach facilitates adaptation to multi-level classrooms, as a school-wide initiative and can be adapted to the needs of learners.

Some learning experiences may be best organized as whole class activities, some as individual carousel stations done in small groups using a workshop approach, while others may be best seen as data collection that happens for a couple of minutes every day over several months followed by analysis. Potential modifications for other grade levels or opportunities for cross-curricular extensions would be included in Notes at the end of the learning experience. Most have a blackline master (BLM) worksheet, handout or resources at the end of the learning experience or in one of the Appendices.

Curriculum Alignment

These learning experiences are aligned with the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 2019 Streamlined Curriculum Science and Social Studies Outcomes for 7 and 8. While the language may be specific to Nova Scotia, including competencies and skills, the activities are broadly applicable and may be adapted to learning experience for other Grades and in other provinces or countries.

The focus on outcomes is Science and Social Studies, and for each exploration, extensions in other disciplines (Technology, Mathematics, Arts, etc.) are included, where appropriate. We encourage teachers to work together to incorporate an authentic interdisciplinary approach with themes that strengthen conceptual knowledge and skills and competencies, weaving across disciplines and grade levels.


Climate Change Learning Experiences Index

Section Learning Experience

Name Workshop Alignment Grade(s)

Page

Mechanisms 1 Investigating CO2 All 7, 7~, 8, 8~

2 Measuring the Albedo Effect All 7, 8~

3 Demonstrating Greenhouse Effect

All 7, 8~

Impacts 4 Examining Ocean Acidification

All 7, 7~, 8~

5 Carbon Sink Potential of Water

Extended (3 and 5 hr ) 7, 8 and 8~

6 Carbon Uptake by Elodea Supplementary 7 , 8~

7 Observing Thermal Expansion Supplementary 7, 8~

8 Citizen Science Insights Supplementary 7, 7~, 8

Action 9 Fake News Analysis Supplementary 7, 7~, 8

10 Exploring Green Careers Supplementary 7,7~, 8, 8~

11 Measuring Carbon Footprint Supplementary 7, 7~, 8, 8~

12 What’s your Carbon Food-print?

Supplementary 7, 7~, 8, 8~

13 Design a Living Wall Supplementary 7, 7~, 8, 8~

14 Formulate a Community Action Plan

Full Day (5 hr only) 7, 7~, 8, 8~

Notes: Activities that are not in the 2 hr, 3 hr extended and 5 hr Full Day workshops are noted as Supplementary. Grade 7 and 8 renewed curricula are indicated with the ~ symbol.

Refer to Appendix A for alignment with specific outcomes for the existing and renewed curricula.


Section 1

Climate Change Mechanisms

LE 1 Investigating CO2

LE 2 Measuring the Albedo EffectLE 3 Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect


Learning Experience 1 - Investigating CO2

How and why does the amount of CO2 in the air around us vary from place to place?

BackgroundDirect measurement of the CO2 concentration in real-time in the classroom, by plants, around the school and outdoors are powerful, demonstrating absorption (drawdown from photosynthesis) and emission (release from respiration or combustion). The ambient reading also allows learners to compare local CO2 measurements to current and historical measurements.

Objectives• Learners will investigate how carbon dioxide (CO2) varies by location in a given space based on proximity to plants,

animals, and combustion products.

• Learners will use a digital CO2 sensor to take measurements.

• Learners will understand that the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is higher than historical levels.

Concept and KeywordsConcentration, Emissions, Carbon Dioxide, Respiration, Combustion, Absorption, Photosynthesis

Materials• PASCO CO2 sensor (charged)

• Tablet or smartphone with pre-loaded SparkVUE app (free)

• Plants (any type, including houseplants, will suffice)

• Candles and lighter/matches (optional)

• Investigating CO2 Measurement Worksheet BLM or science journal

Safety• The PASCO CO2 sensors are not waterproof on their own: use the protective sleeve if the learners decide to submerge

the sensor in water.

• Standard precautions for flame.


Learning Activity

Engagement

1. Discuss the sources of CO2 emission or absorption in the classroom.

• Ask: Why do we care about carbon dioxide? What is it?

• Where do we expect that CO2 measurements would be high? Why?

• Where would they be low? Why?

• What about outside?

• Why would it be higher or lower?

Have students generate more questions about the sources of CO2 that could contribute to climate change.

Exploration

2. For detecting gas concentration in air:

a. Carefully remove the PASCO CO2 sensor from its box and turn it on (blinking red light). (Note: You may also refer to online documentation and videos by PASCO about connecting and using probes).

b. Pair the sensor via Bluetooth and SparkVUE app (select from the options on the left hand side panel). When paired with the device, the light on the sensor turns green.

c. Note: For best results, calibrate each sensor outside before starting measurements with the class.

d. Begin a new experiment in the SparkVUE app.

e. Select a format for data output: display CO2 concentration by ppm (parts per million).

f. Ensure the sensor is selected, paired and operational before.

g. Display the results.

3. Identify testing areas for groups of learners to investigate (indoors, outdoors, in closed spaces in the school, near a candle flame, near a plant, near someone’s breath, etc. – be creative!). Group size depends on the number of sensors available.

a. Have students take measurements. Allow the CO2 sensor approximately 1 minute to stabilize.

b. Record the CO2 measurement in the appropriate place on the worksheet.

c. Repeat in several different testing areas until the worksheet is complete.

d. Turn off the CO2 sensor when all measurements are complete. Hold for 1-2 sec until the light stops flashing. The unit may then be recharged via micro USB cable.

4. Students should take good notes, recording the results in the BLM or organized in a table in their science journals.


Analysis

5. Ask students to complete the questions in the worksheet, in pairs or small groups, if appropriate.

Reflection

6. Students should synthesize the results by discussing the answers from the worksheet in small groups and then report back to the larger group. Further discussion can be prompted with the following examples:

• What did we observe? How did CO2 vary around the room?

• Where were the highest concentrations?

• Would you expect that it could stay that way all day?

• What other gases are in air?

• Do these results make sense?

• Would it be similar in the city? In the forest?

• What about on a global scale?

• How much CO2 can be found in water?

• How meaningful is one measurement?

Extension

7. You may modify or extend the learning experience in these ways:

a. Over time: Use the CO2 sensor to measure the CO2 in the classroom over time; for instance, measuring CO2 over a 24 hour time period would allow students to see how CO2 levels rise during the day as students spend time in the class, and then fall in the evening. The same measurement could then be repeated outside, or in any environment students choose to

b. In different locations: Use the sensor to measure CO2 over time by leaving it in a natural setting overnight.


Investigating CO2 Worksheet

Name:________________________________________________

How does CO2 vary within a classroom environment? What are sources and sinks of carbon in our environment?

HypothesisIn this experiment you will be using carbon dioxide (CO2) probes to measure the concentration of CO2 in three (3) different areas of the classroom.

I think that the CO2 concentration will be highest in the ___________________________________ (one of your three locations) and lowest in the ____________________________________________.

Materials• PASCO CO2 sensor and SparkVUE app

• Plants

• Candles

Learning Activity1. Choose three locations in or near the classroom for testing the CO2 concentration. You want your results to vary, so

pick locations that are not too close together! And warn kids to hold the sensor away from their mouths, as the CO2 is very high in respired breath. Some possibilities include: near plants, near candles or other sources of combustion, close to lots of people, in a corner with few people, near an open door or window, etc.

a. Carefully remove PASCO CO2 sensor.

b. Pair the device via Bluetooth and SparkVUE app.

c. Begin an experiment in the SparkVUE app

d. Select a format for data output, display concentration by ppm.

e. Ensure the sensor selected, paired and operational

f. Select a testing area and begin collecting data.

g. Let the test complete.

2. Record the CO2 measurement on the worksheet.

3. Repeat test two more times in different testing areas.

Page 1Page 1



Observations

Location Time (minutes) CO2 Concentration(parts per million, ppm)

Analysis / Interpretation1. Why were there differences between the highest and lowest carbon dioxide measurements at the locations you

measured? What explains the discrepancies?

2. How do plants affect CO2 levels in the atmosphere?

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3. A “source” produces higher CO2 and a “sink” reduces CO2. Which of the locations you measured were sources and which were sinks?

4. Here is a table of historic atmospheric CO2 levels:

Year CO2 (ppm)

1850 285.2

1950 311.2

1970 325.5

2000 370.0

2019 410

a. What is happening to CO2 levels over time? What could be causing this trend?

b. How do the CO2 levels in your classroom compare to the historic levels? Why are they different?

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5. Are there any sources of error that could have affected your results?

6. What else could you measure to know more about how CO2 varies in the atmosphere? How would the results be different at another time of day?

ConclusionIn this experiment, you examined how CO2 varied within a classroom environment. What did you learn?

Page 4


Learning Experience 2 - Measuring the Albedo EffectHow does the colour of a surface influence its temperature?

BackgroundThis activity introduces learners to another component of the climate change cascade by laying the groundwork for an understanding of the Albedo Effect. As the ice caps melt and the arctic regions get darker, they absorb more solar radiation and the temperature of the planet increases. This effect cascades as the changing albedo of the polar regions leads to more solar absorption and more warming.

Objectives• Learners will investigate how the colour of a material affects how much heat is absorbed.

• Learners will evaluate the techniques and limitations of albedo modification as a geoengineering climate change mitigation strategy.

Concepts and KeywordsHeat, Temperature, Albedo, Light, Colour, Absorption, Reflection, Climate Change Mitigation

Materials• 1 Dark and 1 Light coloured roof shingle (or siding alternate material – see notes at end)

• Heat lamp

• Retort Stand

• Retort clamp attached to heat lamp

• 2 PASCO temperature sensors or thermometers

• Tablet, phone or laptop with SparkVUE

• Albedo Effect Observation Sheet

• 2 x glass petri dishes or tinfoil

• Bag of marshmallows or chocolate

• Timer (egg timer, watch, phone, etc. is suitable)

SafetyThe heat lamps get extremely hot and should not be touched for at least five minutes after being turned off.

Care should be taken with the petri dish and its proximity to the lamp.


Learning ActivityEngagement

1. Introduce the concept of light energy through a class discussion, with the following questions as a starting point:

• Is there energy in light?

• Why should we not wear black on a really hot sunny day? What should we wear instead? Why is wearing black better a smart idea in the winter?

• Has anyone ever noticed what colour roofs are? What do you think this will mean for the heat in someone’s house or in the neighborhood?

Exploration

2. Review safety concerns on regards to the heat lamp.

3. Learners begin by placing the PASCO temperature sensor under shingles. (Note: Refer to LE 1 for some tips about PASCO probes, or refer to online documentation from PASCO).

4. Learners place a petri dish on shingle and add one marshmallow to each petri dish.

5. Each group will start a timer for each shingle and monitor the petri dishes, taking notes every few minutes in the Albedo Effect Observations Worksheet or in their science journals.

Analysis

6. Learners should complete the questions on the worksheet directly on the BLM or in their science journals.

Reflection

7. Ask students to review their answers together and then discuss the answers as a group.

• How does a reduction in the proportion of the Earth’s surface covered in ice increase heat absorption?

Extension

8. If time is available, students can further experiment by adding or removing “clouds” or “trees” (i.e. pieces of paper) that partially block or filter the light.

9. Learners could also explore some of the geoengineering proposals for climate change adaptation and mitigation, including cloud seeding, space-based solar reflectors, and the injection of reflective particles into the stratosphere which involve light reflection.

ModificationsInstead of marshmallows, you may use candle wax or chocolate. Be aware these other options are messier from a clean up point of view.

If roof shingles are not available, use 2 identical materials of contrasting colour, such as felt or paper. For best results, it is important that the properties of the surfaces are identical except for the colour, and not due to thickness, reflectivity, or other property of the material. Note: Do not use plastic due to high risk of melting.

Another approach is to put an identical amount of crushed ice or wax in two glass petri dishes over top of a black surface. Make a well in the centre of one so that some of the black material beneath is exposed. Place under a lamp and record the change in temperature and the time it takes for melting in each case.


Measuring the Albedo Effect Worksheet

Name: _____________________________________________________________

How does the colour of a surface influence temperature experienced by an object?

Have you ever noticed how a dark shirt absorbs more heat than a light coloured one? While we can’t control the sun, we can control how much heat is absorbed as one color reflects more light than the other. You will observe the temperature differences comparing white and black shingles using a PASCO temperature sensor, and you will also observe differences in how quickly marshmallow melts on surfaces of contrasting colour (white or black shingles).

HypothesisWhich colour shingle will absorb more heat?

Which marshmallow will melt faster – the one on the white or the black shingle?

Materials• 1 Dark and 1 Light Roof Shingle (or other material)

• Heat lamp

• Retort Stand

• Retort clamp attached to heat lamp

• PASCO temperature sensor

• Tablet, phone or laptop with SparkVUE

• Albedo Effect Observation Sheet

• 2 x glass petri dishes

• How does a reduction in the proportion of the Earth’s surface covered in ice increase heat absorption?

• Marshmallows

• Timer

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Measuring the Albedo Effect Worksheet Safety Warning: Do not touch the heat lamp. Only touch the switch to turn it on. Let it cool completely before touching or use special heat resistant gloves.

Learning Activity1. Begin by placing the PASCO temperature sensor under shingles.

2. Place a petri dish on shingle and add one marshmallow to each petri dish.

3. Pair the PASCO sensor and your SparkVUE app.

4. When you are ready to start an experiment in the app, turn on the lamps.

5. You will take a temperature measurement before you start (0 min). Write this down in your Observations table.

6. When you are ready, start the timer and take readings every two minutes until 10 minutes has passed. If you decide to continue the experiment for more time, remember to continue to take temperature measurements. You should also take notes/make drawings about the appearance of the two marshmallows as they melt.

7. After 10 minutes, stop the data collection.

8. Compare your data from the light shingle and the dark shingle.

9. Note: If time is available, you can repeat your experiment by adding or removing shading from clouds or trees (using sheets of paper or other materials provided by your teacher) to determine their effect.

Page 2



ObservationsNote the temperature and describe the marshmallows’ appearance over time!

Dark Shingle Light Shingle

Time Temperature Marshmallow appearance Temperature Marshmallow appearance

0 min

2 min

4 min

6 min

8 min

10 min

Page 3



Analysis and Interpretation1. Create a graph that shows the change in temperature over time. The y-axis will be Temperature in degrees Celsius and the

x-axis should be Time in minutes. Choose a scale for temperature that allows you to fit all your data on the plot.

2. On the same graph, using two colors, make two plots with lines connecting the dots representing the dark shingle and another coloured line representing the light shingle.

3. Looking at your graph, was the change in temperature consistent or did it speed up over time for each shingle? (I.e. does the slope of the line stay consistent or does it change?)

Page 4


Measuring the Albedo Effect Worksheet Page 5


Measuring the Albedo Effect Worksheet4. Based on your observations:

a. Which of the shingles melted the marshmallow faster? Why?

b. Which shingle had the highest temperature? Why?

5. What are some of the consequences of dark vs light colored shingles on a home in different times of the year?

c. Summer

Dark Roof Light Roof

d. Winter

Dark Roof Light Roof

Page 6


Measuring the Albedo Effect Worksheet6. What are some ways that humans are changing the colours of the surface Earth?

7. Based on your knowledge of the Albedo Effect can you apply your knowledge to explain:

e. why cities should install green roofs?

f. why decreased sea ice and glaciers result in further global warming?

ConclusionIn this activity, you examined the Albedo Effect. What did you learn?

Page 7


Learning Experience 3 - Demonstrating the Greenhouse EffectHow does the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere affect the absorption of heat?

BackgroundThis simulation creates a high-CO2 atmosphere inside a 2-litre bottle and then allows students to observe the relationship between CO2 levels and temperature. The comparison with a 2-litre bottle with normal air serves as a reference, clearly showing the effect of high CO2 on heat absorption. While this demonstration is not fully realistic, the greenhouse effect mechanism can nevertheless be introduced.

Objectives• Learners will investigate the greenhouse effect in a simulated atmosphere.

• Learners will examine how higher carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, increases heat absorption measured by the air temperature in an enclosed space.

Concepts and KeywordsGreenhouse gas, Greenhouse Effect, Heat, Temperature, Absorption

Materials• 2 x clear 2-liter soda bottles, one labelled High CO2 and the other Air

• 2 x Heat lamp

• 2 x PASCO temperature sensors

• 2 x Cork or rubber stopper with hole for temperature sensor

• Silicone Sheet

• Alka-Seltzer tablets

• Tablet or computer with SparkVUE

• Greenhouse Effect Observations Worksheet BLM

Safety• The heat lamps get extremely hot and should not be touched for at least five minutes after being turned off.

• Care should be taken with the bottles and their proximity to the lamp - they may melt.



1. Ask students: How does the greenhouse effect work? What are the greenhouse gases? How do they trap heat?

Describe the experiment and have students commit to their Hypothesis on the worksheet.

Exploration

2. Measure 50 ml of tap water to pour into each of the 2-liter soda bottles.

3. Place one Alka-Seltzer tablet in the 2-liter soda bottle labelled high CO2.

4. Quickly place the cork with temperature probe to seal both bottles.

5. Place both bottles under the heat lamp. Alternatively, perform the experiment one at a time if there is only 1 temperature sensor available.

6. Connect the probes to the SparkVUE app and monitor the temperature inside each bottle using the software.

7. Continue to monitor the temperatures in the bottles over the period of an hour.

8. Export the data for learners to use (graphing and analysis).

Analysis

9. Learners should complete the questions on the worksheet directly on the BLM or in their science journals. The data should be provided to students for graphing.

Reflection

10. Ask students to review their answers together and then discuss the answers as a group.

Extension

11. Learners could design their own experiments, varying the materials used, the colour of the plastic bottle, and the amount of carbonation, for example.


Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect WorksheetName: _____________________________________________________________

Global warming results from higher CO2 in the air. Exactly how does an increase in CO2 inthe air result in higher heat?

HypothesisIn this demonstration, we will simulate a higher CO2 environment and compare how much it heats over time compared to normal air.

How do you think the temperature will differ after an hour comparing the High CO2 bottle and the bottle that has normal air?

Materials• 2 x clear 2-liter soda bottles – labelled High CO2 and Air

• 2 x Heat lamp

• 2 x PASCO temperature sensors

• 2 x Cork with hole for temperature sensor

• Silicone Sheet or other heat-proof covering

• Alka-Seltzer tablets

• Water

• Tablet or computer with SparkVUE

Learning Activity1. Measure 50 ml of tap water to pour into each of the 2-liter soda bottles.

2. Place one Alka-Seltzer tablet in the 2-liter soda bottle labelled high CO2.

3. Quickly place the cork with temperature sensor to firmly seal both bottles.

4. Place both bottles under the heat lamp. Or alternatively, perform the demonstration one at a time.

5. Connect the probes to the SparkVUE app and monitor the temperature inside each bottle using the software.

6. Continue to monitor the temperatures in the bottles over the period of an hour.

7. Ask your teacher for the data exported from SparkVue (graphing and analysis).

Page 1


Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect Worksheet

Observations

Temperature

Time High CO2 bottle Air-filled bottle

0 min

5 min

10 min

15 min

20 min

25 min

30 min

35 min

40 min

45 min

50 min

55 min

60 min

Page 2


Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect Worksheet

Analysis and Interpretation1. Create a line graph (on the paper provided by your teacher). The x axis shows time and the y axis shows temperature

in degrees Celsius. Use two colors to illustrate the different bottles. Don’t forget a title, axis labels and a legend!

2. In which bottle did the temperature rise most quickly? Why does this make sense?

3. The amount of CO2 in our atmosphere is rising quickly. Based on the temperature in the high CO2 bottle, what do you predict will happen to the heat in the atmosphere if this trend continues?

4. What was the purpose of including the bottle containing only air in the experiment?

Page 3


Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect Worksheet5. Why did the bottle containing only air also change temperature? Why is this important?

6. What modifications could you imagine making to this simulation that could better demonstrate the Greenhouse Effect?

ConclusionIn this activity, you examined the Greenhouse Effect. What did you learn?

Page 4


Section 2

Climate Change Impacts

LE 4 Examining Ocean Acidification

LE 5 Carbon Sink Potential of Water

LE 6 Carbon Uptake by Elodea

LE 7 Observing Thermal Expansion

LE 8 Citizen Science Insights


Learning Experience 4 - Examining Ocean AcidificationHow does increased CO2 in the atmosphere increase ocean acidification, and what impact will this have on shellfish?

BackgroundOcean acidification is a serious problem because it inhibits the growth of the shells of calcifying marine animals like oysters, clams, sea urchins, and corals. Acidification can also affect non-calcifying organisms. Some species of fish have disrupted reproductive cycles and decreased ability to detect predators in an acidified environment. This activity allows learners to develop their knowledge about how higher atmospheric CO2 results in ocean acidification. They will explore through simple experiments how CO2 dissolved in water and forms an acid, and that higher acidity of ocean water poses a serious threat to shellfish and other marine organisms.

Objectives• Learners will compare how increased CO2 dissolved in water and everyday acids can reduce the pH of water.

• Learners will examine how acidic water can affect the structure of seashell.

Concepts and KeywordsAcidity, pH, Ocean acidification, Dissolution

Materials• 500ml beakers x4 (or similarly sized glass jars)

• PASCO pH sensor with SparkVUE, or pH indicator strips or Cabbage juice indicator

• PASCO CO2 sensor with SparkVUE

• Distilled water

• Lemon juice

• Vinegar

• Eyedropper

• Drinking straw (paper or reusable)

• Sea shells

• Glacial Acetic Acid (optional)

• Ocean Acidification Worksheet

SafetyGlacial acetic acid (optional) is concentrated acid from white vinegar. It is very strong and should be treated like any dangerous acid. Use typical procedure for handling toxic chemicals and acids.


NotesCompressed CO2 can be used to acidify water instead of blowing through a drinking straw.

If a pH probe is not available, use pH strips or cabbage juice indicator to demonstrate the change in pH. Cabbage juice indicator may be made by chopping cabbage, soaking it in hot water and straining the mixture through a coffee filter. The resulting juice turns more pink when more acidic.

Learning Activity

Engagement

1. Ask students to share what they know about acidity.

What is an example of an acid? Has anyone ever soaked an egg in vinegar? What did you observe? Can you imagine what might happen if we placed a shell in vinegar?

2. Ask what students known about how gases can dissolve in water.

Did you know that gas can dissolve in water? How do fish breathe? Where does the fizz come from in pop?

3. Discuss how a dissolved gas can then affect the chemistry of the water.

When CO2 dissolves in water, it can have an effect on the acidity of the water.

Do you think that pop is more or less acidic than water? Do you think that increased atmospheric CO2 can have an impact on the acidity of water?

Exploration

4. Ask learners to make predictions before they begin: What do they think will happen when a shell is placed in glacial acetic acid? What happens to the pH when acids are added? Is CO2 an acid?

5. Review the safety issues in using acids and the experimental procedure.

6. Carefully add 150 ml glacial acetic acid to the empty beaker.

7. Place two seashells into the beaker of acetic acid and record your observations over a period of at least 20 minutes (best result for a longer time period).

8. Place the beaker to the side and re-examine periodically.

9. Learners should make notes on the worksheet or in their science journals over time.

10. Turn on your pH sensor and CO2 sensor with the sleeve, pair it with the SparkVUE application on your tablet, phone or laptop.

11. Add 300ml of distilled water to each 500ml beaker, labelled lemon juice, vinegar and CO2.

12. Place the pH sensor inside the beaker and start a new experiment in SparkVUE.

13. Using an eyedropper, add lemon juice, 3 drops at a time, and record how many drops it takes to reduce the acidity of the water to a pH of 5 (or to shift the colour of the indicator to dark pink). Be sure to stir every three drops.

14. Repeat step 2 with the vinegar.


15. Next, insert a straw and the PASCO pH and CO2 sensor (optional) into the third beaker and add CO2 by breathing out into the straw, making a steady bubbling in the water in the beaker.

16. Note how long it takes to reduce the pH to 5.

Analysis

17. Learners should complete the questions on the worksheet directly on the BLM or in their science journals. If probes were used, the data should be exported and provided to students which they can cross check with their observations.

Reflection

18. Ask learners to review their answers together and then discuss the answers as a group.

Extension

19. Learners could repeat the experiment with water at different temperatures, and could test the impact of the presence of aquatic plants.


Examining Ocean Acidification WorksheetName: _____________________________________________________________

HypothesisWhat do you think will happen to the seashell submerged in acidic water?

PredictionsWill the pH of the water decrease (more acidic) when you add the following to water?

Will the acidity of water increase (pH decrease) when this is added?

(yes or no)

Which is most acidic?

(indicate which one)

Lemon juice

Vinegar

CO2 from your breath

Materials• 500ml beakers x3

• Distilled water

• Lemon juice

• Vinegar

• Eyedropper

• Straws (paper)

• Glacial Acetic Acid

• Sea shells

• pH Sensor and SparkVUE app, or pH indicator Strips or Cabbage juice indicator (see note at the end of experiment)

• CO2 sensor with SparkVUE app, and protective membrane sleeve fitted with O-ring (optional)

Page 1


Examining Ocean Acidification Worksheet

Safety

• Glacial acetic acid is corrosive. Do not touch it with your bare hands or ingest it. Wear goggles and gloves if using this acid!

• If using the PASCO CO2 probe, make sure to use the protective membrane sleeve, fitted with O-ring. Failure to do this will severely damage the CO2 probe.

Learning Activity1. Your teacher will carefully add 150 ml glacial acetic acid to an empty beaker.

2. Place two seashells into the beaker of acetic acid and record your observations over a period of at least 20 minutes.

3. Turn on your pH sensor and CO2 sensor with the sleeve, pair it with the SparkVUE application on your tablet, phone or laptop.

4. Add 300 ml of distilled water to each 500 ml beaker.

5. Place the pH sensor or red cabbage indicator inside the beaker and start a new experiment in SparkVUE.

6. Using an eyedropper, add lemon juice, 3 drops at a time, observe the pH change on SparkVUE in the observation section. Be sure to stir every three drops. Count how many drops you need to lower the pH to 5 (shift to dark pink).

7. Repeat steps with the vinegar in the second beaker.

8. Insert a straw and the CO2 sensor (optional) into the third beaker and add CO2 by breathing out into the straw, making a steady bubbling in the water in the beaker. Note how long it took to make the pH drop.

Page 2



ObservationsDraw or describe the shell before, during and after exposure to acid.

Before exposure During exposure After exposure

Record your observations in the table below.

Solution pH Initial pH Final Amount of acid added or time required

Lemon juice

Vinegar

CO2 Gas (breath)

Page 3



Analysis and Interpretation1. Vinegar and lemon juice are acids and adding it to water made the pH drop. Did bubbling the water with breath

create the same effect? Why does this make sense?

2. In your own words, explain how increased CO2 in the air leads to ocean acidification.

3. Glacial acetic acid is a very powerful version of vinegar. What happened when you placed seashells in the acid?

4. Adding lemon juice is an extreme shift compared to the decline in pH with ocean acidification. However, based on these results, what are some of the potential consequences of ocean acidification for living things?

Page 4


Learning Experience 5 – Carbon Sink Potential of WaterHow does temperature affect the solubility of CO2 in water? Is cold or warm water a better carbon sink?

BackgroundThe North Atlantic is a critical carbon sink, dissolving atmospheric CO2 and carrying it deep into the ocean. However, CO2

dissolves less readily in warmer water than in colder water, so as water temperatures rise, the carbon sink capacity of the ocean will decrease. This learning experience explores this process.

Objective(s)• Learners investigate that CO2 gas is soluble in water, and that it is more soluble in cold water than warmer water.

• Learners will apply their knowledge of kinetic molecular theory to explain their observations.

• Learners will examine the idea that colder ocean water is better at storing CO2.

Concepts and KeywordsSolubility, Heat, Temperature, Carbon dioxide, Carbon sink

Materials• 2x 500ml beaker with flat top (no spout)

• 2x plastic bins (dish basin size – approximately 10 L)

• 2 x retort stands (with clamps)

• Ice cubes or cold water

• Kettle or hot tap water

• Carbonation tablets (Alka-Seltzer)

• CO2 Solubility Observations Worksheet

• *optional 2 x thermometers and 2 x CO2 sensors with membrane sleeve (PASCO temperature sensors with SparkVUE)

SafetyStandard lab safety procedures apply here: there are no significant hazards.



1. Discuss solubility with the class.

How do we know when a substance is soluble in another? When something is soluble, in water, it dissolves more readily and forms a homogenous solution.

What happens when it is not soluble? If something is not soluble it does not form a solution. They stay separate.

2. Discuss the effect of temperature on gas (CO2) solubility in water with the class.

Has anyone ever noticed that pop loses its fizz quicker if it is warmer? Does anyone have a Soda Stream – if so, do you agree that cold pop stays fizzy longer?

3. Show learners the experimental set up and explain the Learning Activity.

4. Ask learners to make a prediction about what they expect to happen. They should write their expectations on their worksheet or in their science journals.

Which beaker, the cold or warm, will dissolve more CO2 gas?

Exploration

5. Fill the cold basin about half full of cold water, with ice if needed. Arrange the retort stand with clamp next to the cold basin.

6. At the tap, fill the beaker entirely full of cold water so there is no air inside; carefully and quickly invert and place upside down in cold basin. There should be no air inside.

7. Repeat Step 6, with the warm beaker in the warm basin (as hot as is tolerable).

8. Attach the temperature probes to the retort stands and place one in each basin.

9. Place a carbonation tablet under the beaker in cold basin. Wait until it fully dissolves.

10. Record the volume of the air space created in the beaker in the cold basin.

11. Repeat the above Learning Activity with hot basin. The process happens much quicker in the warmer water. Note and record the volume of the air space.

Analysis

12. Learners should complete the questions on the worksheet directly on the BLM or in their science journals.

Reflection

13. Ask learners to review their answers together and then discuss the answers as a group. What are sources of error?

Extension

14. Learners could repeat the experiment using indicators or a pH probe to examine the pH difference between the water at the two temperatures. Would they expect the colder water to have more CO2 dissolved, and therefore higher acidity?


Carbon Sink Potential of Water WorksheetName: _____________________________________________________________

How does temperature affect the solubility of CO2 in water?

HypothesisIn this experiment you will be measuring the amount of gas dissolvable in water of two different temperatures, cold and warm.

Which do you think will dissolve more CO2 gas – cold or warm water?

Materials• 2x 500ml beaker with flat top (no spout)

• 2x plastic bins (dish basin size – approximately 10 L)

• 2 x retort stands (with clamps)

• Ice cubes or cold water

• Water heater or hot tap water

• Carbonation tablets (Alka-Seltzer)

• CO2 Solubility Observations Worksheet

*optional 2 x Thermometers (PASCO temperature sensors with SparkVUE)

Learning Activity1. Fill the cold basin about half full of cold water, with ice if needed. Arrange the retort stand with clamp next to the cold basin.

2. At the tap, fill the beaker entirely full of cold water so there is no air inside; carefully and quickly invert and place upside down in cold basin. There should be no air inside.

3. Repeat Step 6, with the warm beaker in the warm basin (as hot as is tolerable).

4. Attach the temperature probes to the retort stands and place one in each basin.

5. Place a carbonation tablet under the beaker in cold basin. Wait until it fully dissolves.

6. Record the volume of the air space created in the beaker in the cold basin.

7. Repeat the above procedure with hot basin. The process happens much quicker in the warmer water. Note and record the volume of the air space.

Page 1


Carbon Sink Potential of Water Worksheet

Observations

Water Temperature

Volume of Air Space in Beaker After Reaction

Drawing of the Beakers

Cold

Warm

Page 2


Carbon Sink Potential of Water Worksheet

Analysis and Interpretation1. In which beaker, the cold or the warm water, released more CO2 (in other words had a larger air space)? What does

the amount of CO2 released tell us about how temperature affects CO2 solubility?

2. Is CO2 gas more or less soluble in warm water? Explain your answer using what you know about how temperature affects the movement of molecules (particle theory).

Page 3


Carbon Sink Potential of Water Worksheet3. Do you agree with the statement that cold oceans are better carbon sinks than warmer oceans? Justify your answer.

4. As the oceans warm with climate change, what can we expect to happen to the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere? Why?

Page 4


Learning Experience 6 - Carbon Uptake by Elodea How does the presence of a plant influence the amount of carbon dioxide in water? How does this impact the acidity of the water?

BackgroundSmall changes in the growth of phytoplankton can have important effects on atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Phytoplankton are microscopic algae that live in the ocean and have an important role in fixing CO2 in the air above the water’s surface. Like land plants, phytoplankton have chlorophyll to capture sunlight, and they use photosynthesis to turn it into chemical energy. They consume carbon dioxide, and release oxygen.

When carbon dioxide dissolves in water, it makes it acidic; therefore, marine plants help regulate the pH of oceans. Some of the carbon consumed is carried to the deep ocean when phytoplankton die, and some if transferred to other layers of the ocean as the phytoplankton are eaten by other organisms. This “carbon pump” transfers approximately 10 Gigatonnes of carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean each year.

The resulting ocean acidification is a problem because it inhibits the growth of the shells of calcifying marine animals like oysters, clams, sea urchins, and corals. Acidification can affect non-calcifying organisms as well. Some species of fish have disrupted reproductive cycles and decreased ability to detect predators in an acidified environment.

In this experiment the aquatic plant elodea is used to demonstrate the role of phytoplankton and other marine plants in reducing the dissolved carbon dioxide in water, helping to regulate the pH of the ocean.

Objectives • Learners will measure the acidity of a solution using a digital probe or a pH indicator.

• Learners will investigate how the influence of the presence of an aquatic plant changes acidity.

Concepts and KeywordsAcidification, Respiration, Photosynthesis, Regulation

Materials • Several stems of Elodea (available at most aquarium supply stores)

• 3 media bottles (Ex. from PASCO CO2 sensor (wide-mouth Gatorade bottles can also work)

• Drinking straw (paper)

• Pipette or medicine dropper

• Red Cabbage juice indicator

• Distilled water

• Scissors

• Aluminium foil

• Table lamp (optional)


Safety Emphasize the importance of not consuming the cabbage juice indicator solution through the straw. It is not toxic but is not delicious!

Learning Activity 1. Fill each of the bottles with 50 ml of distilled water and add 15 drops of cabbage juice indicator per bottle.

2. Using the straw, blow bubbles into the solution until the colour changes from green to yellow (basic to acidic).

3. Carefully cut several small stems of Elodea. Place an equal amount in 2 of the bottles.

4. Cover one of the bottles with aluminum foil.

5. Place all the bottles in direct exposure to sunlight in front of a window or under a table lamp.

6. After an hour, check if there is any colour change to the control bottle or the uncovered bottle. If there was no change, leave for a longer period.

7. When a colour change is observed, unwrap the covered bottle and compare the colour change (place bottles against white background).

8. Measure the CO2 concentration of the water using the PASCO CO2 probe. Connect and take a reading using the SparkVUE app.


Carbon Uptake by Elodea WorksheetName: _____________________________________________________________

How does the presence of a plant influence the amount of carbon dioxide in water? How does this impact the acidity of the water?

Hypothesis How do you think the presence of a plant will affect the pH of the water? Will it become more acidic, less acidic, or stay the same?

Materials • Several stems of Elodea (available at most aquarium supply stores)

• 3 small transparent bottles or flasks with caps

• Drinking straw (paper)

• Pipette or medicine dropper

• Red cabbage indicator

• Distilled water

• Scissors

• Aluminium foil

• Table lamp (optional)

Learning Activity 1. Fill each of the bottles with 50 ml of distilled water and add 15 drops of indicator per bottle.

2. Using the straw, blow bubbles into the solution until the colour changes from green to yellow (pH shift from basic to acidic).

3. Carefully cut several small stems of Elodea. Place an equal amount in 2 of the bottles.

4. Cover one of the bottles with aluminum foil.

5. Place all the bottles in direct exposure to sunlight in front of a window or under a table lamp.

6. After an hour, check if there is any colour change to the control bottle or the uncovered bottle. When a colour change is observed, unwrap the covered bottle and compare the colour change of all three bottles (place bottles against white background).

7. Record your observations.

Page 1


Carbon Uptake by Elodea Worksheet

Observations

Time elapsed until colour change

Colour of solution

Control bottle

Bottle with Elodea

Covered bottle with Elodea

Analysis and Interpretation 1. Describe the differences in the three bottles after an hour.

Bottle 1 – Control (no plant, in light)

Bottle 2 - Elodea in Light

Bottle 3 – Elodea in Dark

2. What caused the colour change of the liquid in the bottles?

Page 2


Carbon Uptake by Elodea Worksheet3. Why is pH of bottle with the Elodea in the dark different from that exposed to the light? What can you infer about the

processes that are occurring in each bottle?

4. How does this activity illustrate the role of marine plants in the carbon cycle?

ConclusionIn this activity, you examined changes in acidity as a result of Elodea. What did you learn?

Page 3


Learning Experience 7 - Observing Thermal Expansion How much does water expansion expand when heated and how is this connected to rising sea levels?

BackgroundSea-level rise due to global warming is not only due to the increase of water in the ocean resulting from the melting of glacial ice. The North American plate is continuing to tilt after the last glacial period, called subsidence, which is resulting in land sinking in Nova Scotia. A further important process is connected to global warming: when water is heated, it expands in volume; this expansion is related to increased molecular motion with an increase in the temperature. This is called thermal expansion, an important property of water.

ObjectivesLearners will observe how water increases in volume as it warms.

Learners will examine the implications of thermal expansion on sea-level in a warming world.

Materials• Conical flask

• Two-hole cork or rubber stopper for flask

• Thin, glass or plastic tube

• Long thermometer

• Portable, clamp-on reflector lamp

• 100 Watt lightbulb

• Retort stand

• Food colouring (optional)

• Water

• Marker


1. Discuss with the class: What is sea-level rise? Why does a small change in the sea-level matter? How is this happening? Several processes are responsible. What could be the explanations?

What happens at the particle level to matter as it is heated? As solids melt, the molecules move farther apart, forming a liquid. This process continues as the liquid is warmed farther.


Exploration

2. Completely fill the flask with very cold water (to improve visibility, food colouring can be added).

3. Place the thermometer and glass or plastic tube into the cork.

4. Place the cork (with tube and thermometer) into the mouth of the flask. The water should rise a bit up the tube.

5. Have a student report the temperature of the water and mark the water level in the glass tube with marker.

6. Ask students to make a prediction about what will happen to the water level when exposed to heat, and then to write down their hypothesis.

7. Place the flask under the lamp. (Lamp should be aimed at the side of the flask, and not aimed directly at the top.)

8. Turn on the lamp and within 5-10 minutes the water level in the glass tube will have risen.

Analysis

9. Learners will complete the questions listed in the worksheet or in their science journals.

Reflection

10. Discuss results, revisit hypotheses, and how this example relates to the effect of climate change on sea level.

Extension

11. Measure the pH of water (with a probe or pH paper). Is it different, as you would expect from what you know about how dissolved CO2 makes water more acidic?

12. Is the thermal expansion of tap water different than the thermal expansion of salt water from the ocean? Test this question by repeating the experiment with salt water. How might the thermal expansion of the ocean be different in areas with large amount of freshwater inputs (rivers, glacial ice melting, etc.)?


Observing Thermal Expansion Worksheet Name: _____________________________________________________________

How much does water expand when heated and how is this connected to rising sea levels?

HypothesisGiven what you know about how molecules move as they are heated, what do you expected to happen to the level of water in the tube as the flask is heated?

Materials• Conical flask

• Two-hole cork or rubber stopper for flask

• Thin, glass or plastic tube

• Long thermometer

• Portable, clamp-on reflector lamp

• 100 Watt lightbulb

• Retort stand

• Food colouring (optional)

• Water

• Marker or wax pencil for marking tube

Learning Activity1. Completely fill the flask with very cold water (to improve visibility, food colouring can be added).

2. Place the thermometer and glass or plastic tube into the cork.

3. Place the cork (with tube and thermometer) into the mouth of the flask. The water should rise a bit up the tube.

4. Have a student report the temperature of the water and mark the water level in the glass tube with marker.

5. Ask students to make a prediction about what will happen to the water level when exposed to heat, and then to write down their hypothesis.

6. Place the flask under the lamp. (Lamp should be aimed at the side of the flask, and not aimed directly at the top.)

7. Turn on the lamp and within 5-10 minutes the water level in the glass tube will have risen.

Page 1


Observing Thermal Expansion Worksheet

Observations

Initial Final

Temperature

Water Level

Notes

Analysis and Interpretation1. As with all models used to describe Earth’s processes, it is important to explain how this model is like, and not like, the

situation in the ocean in the real world. How is this model useful to explain sea-level rise? What are the limitations?

Page 2


Observing Thermal Expansion Worksheet 2. Explain, using the particle model of matter, why it makes sense that the volume of water increases as it warms. You

may draw a picture to explain your answer.

ConclusionIn this activity, you examined changes in water volume depending on temperature. What did you learn?

Page 3


Learning Experience 8 - Citizen Science InsightsWhat can careful observations and awareness about Nature tell us about how the climate is changing?

BackgroundOne way to know how life is being affected by climate change is to observe and count changes in the abundance in species around us. Another approach is to examine phenology, the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life. Examples include the date of emergence of leaves and flowers, the first flight of butterflies and the first appearance of migratory birds, the date of leaf colouring and fall in deciduous trees, the dates of egg-laying of birds and amphibia, or the timing of the developmental cycles of temperate-zone honey bee colonies.

Alexander MacKay was the superintendent of schools over 100 years ago, and he wanted to encourage students’ learning of natural world. Every year from 1898 to 1923, he asked teachers and their students to record the timings of when they saw “firsts” – for instance, the date the ice disappeared from the harbour, the data of the sighting of the first robins or bees, of leaf-out in Spring, of the spring peepers (frogs), of first frost, of first snowfall, etc. The timing of these “firsts” were collected and compiled over a period of several years, and this data remains an invaluable for our understanding of changes in today’s climate, in Nova Scotia and of interest to larger scientific community. The data for these studies were published for several years beginning in 1898 and several years of data are available through Dalhousie University Archives: https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/xmlui/handle/10222/12930

This data is significant because we can ask, based on a reliable dataset, if the timing of these biological or meteorological events has changed over time. For instance, do bees still forage at the same time as the emergence of their favorite flower, or has the “dance” that has evolved a choreography over millions of years become uncoordinated? This data can provide a lot of information about how the climate change over the past 100 years, a particularly relevant time period.

In this learning experience, the task is to collect data throughout the year about the phenology of certain events and weather conditions throughout the year. The data can be compared to the phenology data from last century (Dalhousie Archives dataset) to determine if the phenology information is different from 100 years ago. In another part of this exploration, the names of the Mi’kmaw moons, which refer to events or timings, is explored. Do these names need to revisited in light of climate change?

Objective(s)• Learners will become a citizen scientists by observing their surroundings, collecting data about the species observed

over the course of several months.

• Learners will also analyse environmental variables that affect the phenology (timing of seasonal events) and how these environmental variables are different from the information collected in the past, before the large-scale changes in our climate system.

Concepts and KeywordsData collection, citizen science, Etuaptmumk (two-eyed seeing), collaboration, appreciating and observing the natural world

Materials• Pencils

• Science journals or paper with clipboards

• Hula hoops or pieces of string cut to length of 150 cm, 1 per group (to form a circle, smaller may be better for younger students, depending on species density within the sample size (i.e. will they be counting hundreds of blades of grass?)

• Field guides and/or natural history experts, such as Elders

• Camera


Learning Activity Engagement

1. Discuss the following with the class:

• What causes climate change? Air pollution that contributes to greenhouse gases from driving, burning fuels to heat buildings, electricity from fossil fuels, throwing away garbage, etc.

• What are the effects from climate change that we are aware of? Temperature changes over time, plant and animal species dying, loss of habitat and food sources, more rainfall, more flooding, more droughts, etc.

• How do scientists monitor the effects of climate change? Counting the number and types of species in a particular area, tracking changes in life cycles, collecting rain, monitoring temperature, etc.

• Can the timing of a biological event change from year to year? Usually no, but the changing climate is shifting the timings of particular seasonal events.

2. Connect with Nature

• Read a story or new piece about protecting nature with the class (see resources), or watch a short video about this topic. Discuss as a class, discuss the area they are visiting. Have any of the learners visited the area before? Does anyone have any stories?

• Watch a short video from the National Science Foundation (Project Budburst) in the US on Phenology: http://budburst.org/phenology-defined

• Head outside with students. Explain that they will be scientists, observing and recording what they see. This can be done in a wooded area, a field, a beach, even their playground, as long as there is nature to observe. Learners can practice the skills of observation through developing an awareness and using their senses. This is best done through repeated visits (ideally weekly).

• Start by asking the students to find an object, such as a tree, a flower, rock, pine cone, leaf, etc. Tell them to quietly observe (without touching, if possible) their object from the four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), and from above and below if possible. Ask them how changing their view changes what they see.

• Now ask students to lie down so they are eye level with the ground and try to imagine they are insects. What does their world look like as an insect? What are your senses telling you in this position? What can you see, smell, hear, and feel that is different from when you were standing up.

Exploration

3. Part 1 – Collecting Biodiversity Data

Head out to a natural space (school yard, nearby park, etc.), with planning in place for a field day, including necessary equipment, personnel and safety supplies. Students should be properly dressed for a long period of time outside with snacks and water. If it is off-site, it is advisable that you visit the site ahead of time to scout out locations for student investigations. You could try to choose areas that represent the diversity of that landscape. Using the same-sized hula hoops, ask small groups of learners to randomly place a hula hoop on the ground.

Students are asked to identify and count all of the species and other items in that area enclosed by the hula hoop. Make sure to bring field guides and if possible, ask a local expert to join you. Take photographs of particular species you cannot identify – remember you should not pick flowers, plants.

Note that this will take over an hour (or longer the first couple of times), so make sure the area is comfortable for students to spend a longer period of time. They will get faster at identification with practice, and the data becomes more meaningful with repeated visits, as you can measure seasonal change in species (fall versus early spring).


Natural extensions to the mathematics curriculum are important to draw out here, in alignment with Statistics and Probability. The data can be shared with citizen science sites, such as iNaturalist.

4. Part 2 - Phenology

Collect data over the course of the year about the dates that particular seasonal events occur – these include (not limited to) date of first frost, date of first red maple leaf, dates of thunderstorms, date of spring peepers, dates of first robin in spring, date of ice in the harbour or freezing or thawing of a river/stream, etc. Compile this information in a common space for students to share their info and add photographs (Google Classroom). Compare your observations with the historical data compiled by Alexander MacKay (available through Dalhousie Archives online). Download several years’ worth of data.

Do you notice a shift in the timing of the event you measured when comparing the historical data to the current day? Is it earlier or later than in the past? Do other measurements in that season follow the same trend (all earlier or later compared to the past)?

5. Part 3 – Do Moon Names match the Seasonal events anymore?

Using the approach of Etuaptmumk (Two-eyed seeing8), we can also look to a blending of the traditional ways of knowing the world with Western science. Natural cycles such as the seasons and full moons hold a central place for the Mi’kmaw people. Certain names are given to the moons throughout the year that represent phenomena happening at that time of the year. But are the names of these moons that have existed for millenia still accurate? Do the names still match the events? This analysis can provide clues as to whether the timings of the natural world have changed.

8 Term coined by ElderAlbertMarshall,MurdenaMarshallandCherylBartlett


List of 2020 Mi’kmaw Moons(Mi’kmaw Moons Project - Dave Chapman and Cathy LeBlanc)

Month Full moon Date in 2020

Moon Name Name in Mi’kmaw (phonetic pronounciation)

Dec-Jan Jan 10 Frost Fish(Or Tom Cod Spawning Time)

Punamujuiku’s (boo-na-moo-jooey-goos)

Jan-Feb Feb 8 Snow Blinding moon(also Bright Sun)

Apuknajit (ah-boo-ga-na-jeet)

Feb- Mar Mar 9 Maple Sugar Moon(also Spring time Moon)

Siwkewiku’s (See-uke-ay-we-goos)

Mar-Apr Apr 7 Birds Laying Eggs Pnatmuiku’s (ben-ah-dim-ooh-we-goos)

April-May May 7 Frog croaking moon Squoljuiku’s (skoalch-ooh-we-goos)

May-Jun Jun 5 Trees Fully Leafed Nipniku’s (nib-nee-goos)

Jun-Jul Jul 4 Trees Fully Leafed 2 Nipniku’s (nib-nee-goos)

Jul-Aug Aug 3 Birds Shedding Feathers Pe’skewiku’s (bes-gay-we-goos)

Aug-Sept Sept 1 Berry Ripening Kisikewiku’s (gis-ig-ay-we-goos)

Sept-Oct Oct 1 Mate Calling Wikumkewiku’s (we-goom-gay-we-goos)

Oct-Nov Oct 31 Animal Fattening Wikewiku’s (we-gay-we-goos)

Nov-Dec Nov 30 Rivers Freezing Over Keptekewiku’s (geb-deg-gay-we-goos)

Dec-Jan Dec 29 Chief Moon (or Winter Moon or Great Moon)

Kjiku’s (gxa-ji-goos)Kesikewiku’s (ges-sig-gay-we-goos)


Analysis

Learners will examine their own data and summarize it, then examine their class’ findings together. Do they see any patterns in the species they observed? This data becomes most important when shared, so learners and their teachers are encouraged to present these findings to other classes and to the broader community to encourage discussion and to stimulate interest. This action contributes to a larger set of measurements that aims to examine shifts in plant phenology with a change in climate. The power of any one observation is magnified tremendously when it is shared.

Learners can share their data online throughout the year to Phenology websites, including:www.naturewatch.ca and www.plantwatch.ca

Reflection

Are there seasonal traditions in their family, or anecdotes and stories about the weather or the seasons that learner’s families share? I remember when… Have learners’ grandparents noticed a shift in the climate? When I was a boy the winters were longer and tougher…Do the names of these moons mean something important for their family. What would a shift in climate impact the activities they do, such as ice skating or skiing in the winter? Or how would it impact the livelihoods of the members of communities, such as fishers and farmers, if the climate becomes drier, hotter or their area floods more frequently.

Ask learners to interview community members and present seasonal stories in a creative way, as a set of photographs, a scrapbook, a website, a song or a documentary film.


Section 3

Clean Climate Action

LE 9 Fake News Analysis

LE 10 Exploring Green Careers

LE 11 Measuring Our Carbon Footprint

LE 12 What’s Your Carbon Food-print?

LE 13 Design a Living Wall

LE 14 Formulate a Community Action Plan


Learning Experience 9 - Fake News AnalysisHow can social media (Tweets) be used to communicate misinformation about climate change?

Background Political tools to manufacture misinformation, such as fake news spread through social media, are an effective means to reduce climate literacy. New research from MIT about fake news on Twitter9 highlights a grim conclusion: fake news reaches more people and spreads more quickly than the truth. The goal of this activity is to make students aware of these tools so they may start to critically question information presented to them.

Objective • Learners will examine and analyze Tweets containing misinformation about climate change.

• Learners will rewrite the tweets so they are factually correct.

Concepts and Keywords Science communication, misinformation, media literacy

Materials • Appendix E

• Handout “What’s in a Name? Weather, global warming and climate change”

• Trump tweets (printed and cut out)

• Blank tweet template

Learning Activity

Engagement

1. Discuss as a class the intent of sharing misinformation, who it targets , who is most vulnerable, and the damage it causes. A brainstorming session or a knowledge building circle could be used to structure their inquiry. Suggestions for questions:

How do you know if you can trust an information source on the internet?

Do you trust authority figures? News websites? The blue “verified” checkmark on Twitter?

How can you tell if a source is credible?

Why might fake news be used as a tool? Who does it target? What are other examples of misinformation? Is it the same thing as a lie?

9 Vosoughi, S. and Aral, S. The spread of true and false news online, 2018. Science 359 (6680): 1146-1151.


2. As a class, read a tweet that Donald Trump sent out:

3. Do learners agree with the information? Ask if anyone can spot a mistake in the “science” here.

Do they trust this source of information? Most of Trump’s tweets involve some kind of confusion between climate and weather (“hey, it’s cold outside, global warming must be fake”).

4. Hand out article, “What’s in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change” and read together (Appendix E)

5. Distribute one Trump Tweet to each student (Appendix E). Ask them to decipher the Tweet and try to figure out the incorrect information.

6. After the “fake news” has been identified, have students rewrite their Tweet in the blank template, using their knowledge garnered in the article. Remember to keep it under 280 characters!


Learning Experience 10 - Exploring Green Careers What careers exist or will exist in the future to respond to climate change?

BackgroundThe Green Job sector is one of the fastest growing job markets and encompasses careers in many different fields. We need people to find new and sustainable ways of doing just about everything! From government to energy to farming and food, industry, education, water, waste, and infrastructure - green jobs are our future.

Objectives • Learners will engage in self-guided research to find a career in the field of climate change that interests them.

• Learners will investigate what is involved in the job and what type of training is required in the field. Learners will compile their research and create a presentation to illustrate their chosen job.

Concepts and KeywordsGreen Careers, Youth empowerment

Materials • Chromebooks or other means of internet access

• Paper for poster, 11x 14”

• Markers, coloured pencils and other design implements

• Exploring Green Careers Worksheet


1. Introduce activity to students.

What does society need to move forward in addressing climate change? What jobs may be important in a future society?

Exploration

2. Have them brainstorm different fields and careers that are involved in adapting to or mitigating climate change as a group. A knowledge building circle is an approach that can allow students to share ideas.

Analysis

3. Provide students with questions (Exploring Green Careers Worksheet) which will assist in guiding their research.

4. Tell students that first they will be researching and then creating a poster to display their career on an 11x14” paper, or they may use another creative way to present the information (podcast, theatrical production, website,etc.).


Reflection

5. Have students share their thoughts and feelings about what they learned in a knowledge building circle.

Extension

6. Using a template, have learners write a cover letter for their job choice, highlighting their interest, knowledge and applicable skills!

7. Another extension is to invite community members into the class who are professionals in the fields they are interested in.


Exploring Green Careers Worksheet Name: _____________________________________________________________

The Green Job sector is one of the fastest growing job markets and encompasses careers in many different fields. We need people to find new and sustainable ways of doing just about everything! From government to energy to farming and food, industry, education, water, waste, and infrastructure - green jobs are our future.

Now you will explore and research one green career, answering the questions below!

What field(s) related to climate change interest you?

What are some careers within this field?

Learning Activity1. Choose one career within the realm of “climate change” to complete the rest of the research. Answer the following

on a separate sheet to help you with your research.

Questions:

a) What is the career?

b) How does this career impact climate change?

c) What is the education path necessary for this career?

d) What skills are required or helpful in this field?

e) What is the expected salary range in this line of work?

f) What are some related jobs? How could this career choice evolve as you gain more experience?

g) What would a typical day in this job look like?

h) What can you do now as a student to further your interests and experience in this career?

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Exploring Green Careers Worksheet 2. After completing your research questions, meet as a class to discuss the careers you have discovered.

3. Design and create a visual (e.g. poster or other way to present information) that illustrates the green job you have chosen.

Make sure your you include:

• Job title

• Education path required

• Expected salary range

• Necessary skills

• Related careers

• How this is a green job: why does it help adapt to or mitigate climate change?

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Learning Experience 11 - Measuring Our Carbon Footprint10

How can awareness about our carbon footprint contribute to climate action?

BackgroundWhat is a carbon footprint? Like the footprints you leave behind in sand, your carbon footprint is the carbon dioxide (CO2) you leave behind after using technology that results in the emission of greenhouse gases. Whether it’s from the gasoline in our cars or the electricity that powers our homes and schools, our carbon footprints are stampeding through the atmosphere. We can reduce the size of our footprints by making changes to our lifestyle, consumer choices, and investing in low-carbon technologies such as wind, solar, and geothermal power. The carbon footprint is a way to roughly measure the impact of a person’s lifestyle on the environment.

Objective Learners will investigate how awareness about their carbon footprint may contribute to climate action.

Concepts and KeywordsClimate Change mitigation, Carbon footprint, Youth empowerment, Environmental Action

Materials • Overhead projector and/or whiteboard

• Student worksheets

• Paper for foot templates

• Pencils, pencil crayons, and/or markers

• Optional: chart paper, chalkboard

• Optional: computer and design application


1. Guiding questions

• What is climate change? Climate change is long-term changes to weather patterns.

• What causes climate change? Climate change occurs when increased levels of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.

• How do humans contribute to climate change? Humans contribute to climate change primarily by burning fossil fuels, through activities such as driving cars, using electricity, and disposing of garbage into landfills.

• How do you think that you contribute to climate change? Driving to school, generating waste, wasting electricity, etc. Write answers on chart paper or a chalkboard

10 Adapted from Ecoschools Climate Leadership Tool Kit for Schools (2016)


Exploration

2. Have learners research the carbon footprint and think about all the ways that they generate greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Have learners create a list of their daily activities that contribute to climate change.

4. Have learners think about ways that they can reduce their impact on the environment.

5. Have each learner trace their foot (or provide a footprint template) and then create a design demonstrating their climate impact on the footprint. They may also add solutions, illustrations, and any additional research they would like to share. You may provide pencils, pencil crayons, and markers. This project may also be designed using a computer design program.

Reflection

6. Have learners reflect on the activity. What were they surprised by? What changes do they want to make in their lives to reduce their carbon footprint?

Extensions

7. Have learners calculate their carbon footprint by finding and using an online carbon footprint calculator.

8. Have learners compare their carbon footprint to someone in another country or to a selected animal.

9. Have learners create their own carbon footprint quiz to hand out to students across the school.

10. Take the message to family and the neighborhood. Teach them about their carbon footprint and challenge them to make changes to their lifestyle.

11. Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) an average tree absorbs 12 kg of CO2 per year. As a class, count the number of trees on your school property. How much CO2 do all the trees on your school ground absorb each year? Based on your calculations, how do these trees off-set your carbon footprint? How many trees as a class would you need to plant to neutralize your class footprint?

Resources Classroom Energy Diet Challenge (how-big-are-your-carbon-feet): http://energydiet.canadiangeographic.ca/2016/main/challenge/110/how-big-are-your-carbon-feet

Global Footprint Network: www.footprintnetwork.org

Zero Footprint Youth Calculator: http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/features/carbon-calculator.html

Inquiry to Student Environmental Action: http://web.stanford.edu/group/inquiry2insight/cgi-bin/ i2sea-r2a/i2s.php?page=fpcalc


Learning Experience 12 - What’s Your Carbon Food-print? How does the food industry contribute to carbon emissions and your carbon footprint?

BackgroundScientists estimate that up to one third of our greenhouse are a result of industrial agriculture. An important way that we can all take action on climate change is through our food choices. The goal of this learning experience is to present information

Objective • Learners will investigate the impacts of the food industry on their carbon footprint.

• Learners will take an online quiz to gage their understanding of which types of foods are the chief carbon emitters.

• Learners will use an online bank of foods with their associated carbon emissions to create a one-day sample menu that has a low carbon footprint.

Concepts and KeywordsCarbon emissions, Carbon footprint, Agriculture, Food industry, Natural resource management

Materials • Laptops or other means of Internet access

• What’s Your Carbon Food-print? Student handout

• Whiteboard or projector

Learning Activity 1. Ask students if they know how much energy is required to put a hamburger on their plate. On the whiteboard, try to

make a list of the steps involved with student input. Here’s a general outline of the steps involved that require energy and have a carbon output:

• Growing and harvesting feed for the cows (typically corn)

• Producing fertilizer for the feed

• Transporting the feed to the cows’ feed lot in trucks

• The cows’ emissions during their life (methane!!)

• Fuel to transport cow to processing plant

• Fuel to power the processing plant

• Fuel to transport the processed beef to the market

• Electricity to keep the beef at a cool temperature

• Electricity used to grind the meat into ground beef

• Fuel used to transport the ground beef from the warehouse to a grocery store or restaurant


• Electricity used to keep ground beef cool in store or restaurant

• Electricity or gas used to cook the beef into a hamburger

• Electricity and hot water used to clean up

• Fuel to either compost the scraps or take it to a landfill

That is a lot of steps for beef that has been raised locally. Imagine the energy requirements for seafood that arrives from China or Japan! Or a delicious salad with avocado from Mexico, mango from India, tomatoes from California, and salad leaves from the West Coast of Canada.

2. Distribute and discuss the information on the What’s Your Carbon Food-print? Student Handout together (e.g. think-pair-share, jigsaw, or other reading synthesis activity).

3. Direct students to the website http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/ and take the quiz.

4. Answer question on page 2 of the student handout after quiz.

5. Now students can click on the “Food Scores” link in the above website. It gives the approximate carbon emissions for a large variety of foods.

6. Have students click around and explore the carbon emissions and then come up with:

1. The carbon food-print for their favourite meal.

2. A one-day menu with a low carbon footprint. They can fill in their menu with its total carbon footprint on page 2 of the student handout.

7. Discuss this following list (“What can you do to reduce your carbon food-print?”) with students: Are these good suggestions? Was anything surprising? What’s missing? What will they change about the way they eat? What else about the way food is packaged that may also cause other environmental problems?

8. Reflect on what students have learned. Other than our informed consumer choices, what else could be done? How can we accomplish this? Is there a better way to produce food so that it is sustainable and local?

What can you do to reduce your Carbon FOOD-print? • Eat less meat! Try to eat at least one meat-free meal per day. If you’re already doing that, gradually increase the number.

• Choose veggie restaurants and meatless menu alternatives.

• Pick out some vegetarian recipes you would like to help prepare at home. There are lots of great recipe websites to choose from.

• Don’t waste food. Close to half of all food produced worldwide is wasted after production, discarded in processing, transport, supermarkets and kitchens. When people throw food out, all the resources to grow, ship, package and produce it are wasted, too, including massive amounts of water.

• Try to buy locally grown, organic food. The less distance food travels, the lower its carbon footprint.

• Cook at home more!

• The less a food is processed and packaged, the lower its carbon footprint.


What’s Your Carbon Food-print? Student Handout Did you know that you can reduce your carbon footprint by what and how you eat?

The carbon footprint of food comes from the greenhouse gas emissions produced by growing, rearing, farming, processing, transporting, storing, cooking and disposing of the food you eat. Food agriculture represents roughly one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a significant amount of air pollution, and that means we need to make significant changes to the way we farm and choose our foods to help curb global warming.

Many common foods generate a surprisingly large amount of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a breakfast sandwich with bacon, sausage and egg that you picked up on the way to school would have generated the equivalent of about 1,441 grams of carbon dioxide, reports a study by University of Manchester researchers Namy Espinoza-Orias and Adisa Azapagic11. That’s about the same as driving nine kilometres in your car!

Some foods we eat create significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than others. Livestock production accounts for 70 per cent of all agricultural land use, occupies 30 per cent of the planet’s land surface and is responsible for 18 per cent of greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide. It takes about five to seven kilograms of grain to produce one kilogram of beef. Each of those takes energy and water to produce, process, and transport.

Meat, cheese and eggs have the highest carbon footprint. Fruit, vegetables, beans and nuts have much lower carbon footprints. If you move towards a mainly vegetarian diet, you can have a large impact on your personal carbon footprint.

Figure 1. CO2 emissions and equivalent car miles for various foods.

Table Food CO2 Kilos Equivalent

Car Miles Equivalent

1 Lamb 39.2 91

2 Beef 27.0 63

3 Cheese 13.5 31

4 Pork 12.1 28

5 Turkey 10.9 25

6 Chicken 6.9 16

7 Tuna 6.1 14

8 Eggs 4.8 11

9 Potatoes 2.9 7

10 Rice 2.7 6

11 Nuts 2.3 5

12 Beans/tofu 2.0 4.5

13 Vegetables 2.0 4.5

14 Milk 1.9 4

15 Fruit 1.1 2.5

16 Lentils 0.9 2

Source: Environmental Working Group’s Meat Eater’s Guide and the EPA’s Guide to Passenger Vehicle Emissions.

11 Espinoza-Orias,N. and Azapagic, A. 2018. Understanding the impact on climate change of convenience food: Carbon footprint of sandwiches Sustainable Production and Consumption 15:1-15.


What’s Your Carbon Food-print? Worksheet

Exploration

1. Quiz

Complete the quiz: http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/.

Enter your score: _______/10

What was something you found surprising in the quiz?

Analysis

2. Now click on the “Food Scores” link on the Eat Low Carbon website. What is the carbon score for your favorite meal? Was the score surprising?

3. Challenge: Design a delicious one-day meal plan that is low carbon. Try to make a balanced menu but keep in mind your carbon score!

Breakfast Snack Lunch Snack Supper

Item CO2

score Item

CO2

score Item

CO2

score Item

CO2

score Item

CO2

score

Total

Add up each meal’s total to find your CO2 score for the day:

Page 1


Learning Experience 13 - Design a Living Wall How can a living wall reduce carbon emissions? What might be other benefits for the environment and our health?

BackgroundStudies have shown that at all educational levels, direct exposure to the natural environment can enhance learning by improving learner attention and behavior, minimizing fatigue. More importantly, indoor greenery helps to connect children to nature. Learners have the opportunity to care for the plants over a long period and potentially harvest and consume their project! From a curricular integration standpoint, building a living wall can tie into learning experiences about science or social studies on climate change, adaptation, carbon cycle, as well as healthy living classes and mathematics (measurement and geometry) outcomes.

Objectives• Learners will investigate a variety of approaches to building a living wall.

• Learners will determine the different characteristics of plants they intend to incorporate and assess the available space in their class or school.

• Learners will use those elements to design and build a living wall in their classroom or school.

Concepts and Keywords Climate change, Adaptation, Biotic and Abiotic factors, Design, Plant care

Materials for Design• Chromebooks or other means of accessing internet for student research

• Projector for showing pictures and videos

• Coloured construction paper

• Coloured pencils

• Rulers

Materials for Living WallFor a DIY recycled pop bottle living wall (Refer to Extensions for other types of plans):

• 9 to 16 (or more) 2-litre pop bottles

• Plywood or discarded pallet for mounting

• Ceiling hooks or wall mount

• Screws and drill for attaching pop bottles to wooden mount

• Potting soil

• Fertilizer

• Seeds or seedlings

• Gardening tools

• Watering can


Learning Activity

Phase 1: the study of living walls, human connection to nature, and plants

Exploration

1. Guiding Questions: Why bring plants indoors? How is there a disconnection between inside a classroom and the outdoors? How do you feel when you are outside? Do you feel that way while in the classroom? How do plants clean the air?

2. Show some videos to introduce the topic:

• DIY pop bottle hanging wall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzgex-QOgAo and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAWCFb3FxT8

• Green Wall Vertical Garden School Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCtAQOP3xuk

• Regrow vegetables and herbs from cuttings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJuXpiEjdcc

3. Tell class that over the next several classes they will be designing and planting a living wall in the classroom (or elsewhere in the school). The objective is for students to understand that each plant has different characteristics and needs (biotic and abiotic factors), and those elements are used to create a planting design for the living wall.

4. Show learners examples of the types of vertical garden you have chosen for the classroom. Introduce types of indoor plants that could be appropriate for indoor gardening and their attributes.

5. Instruct learners to do a brainstorming research session on computers. Search keywords may include “living wall” and “vertical garden”, and best indoor vegetables and flowers. Students will then interpret these characteristics by designing a small-scale multimedia collage utilizing construction paper (in colours similar to the plants), drawing tools (to simulate foliage textures), and adhesive.

6. A discussion with school administration and the cafeteria team would be valuable from a school sustainability perspective – the wall could produce salad greens, vegetable and herbs year-round and plant choices could be tailored to school needs.

Phase 2- Developing a Planting Plan

Students split into groups and engage in a design competition to determine the pattern and types of plants to be used in the design which fit within the grid limitations of the planter chosen for the project. Abstract geometric designs as well as “pixelated” image are possibilities. A small-scale replica is created using coloured squares on paper that can be rearranged until the desired pattern is discovered.

Considerations

Location: ideally a location in front of a window that receives lots of natural light. The more sunlight you have access to, the greater variety of plant species you can consider for a living wall. Plant species that do not require a lot of natural light include pothos and philodendron. Edible plants require more natural light or growth lights.

Maintenance: this is a long-term project that has many benefits for students including the requirement for daily or weekly upkeep. The initial time investment would be four to six 60 minute classes. Space considerations based on classroom size or suitable location elsewhere in the school, decided in consultation with school administration.


Phase 3- Living wall fabrication and planting process

Depending on the route chosen for the living wall, students could become involved in the building process, cutting the bottles and attaching them to the plywood, mounting the plywood to a wall or into a standing frame if wall mounting is not available, to the best off their abilities. Students then begin their work with the installation of the plants represented in the planting plans that were chosen as the winning design. Students must take care that the plants are installed with enough soil and that the plants are stabilized within the soil medium.

Phase 4: Maintenance and Care

Students are encouraged to take part in daily or weekly required maintenance as part of a committee. Students will learn when plants require water, pruning, food/nutrition, pest management or replacement.

Extensions:

This project could also be tied into a classroom composting and/or vermiculture experiment to produce compost to feed the plants - compost leftovers from school lunches!

Other versions of living wall:

Big Budget- Hydroponic wall Materials

• Hydroponic, wall mounted Living wall kits such as Zipgrow Farm Wall https://zipgrow.ca/products/zipgrow-farm-wall (~$600 and up)

• Light kit (full spectrum LED suggested)


• Liquid Fertilizer

• Watering can

Smaller budget- Plant Pockets Materials

• Hanging planting bags or organizers (~$40) can be purchased at home improvement stores

• Wall or ceiling mount to hang

• Potting soil

• Fertilizer


• Gardening tools

• Watering can

Aquaponics system https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je_lVpAINYg


References

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00619/full

Learning Experience 14 - Formulating a Community Action PlanHow can we use our understanding of the Global Goals to improve our community and to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change?

BackgroundLiving according to the Mi’kmaw principles of Netukulimk provides an important way to speak about sustainability: in harmony with Nature, balancing community needs with the stewardship of our resources for future generations, with a focus on interconnectiveness. The United Nations has created a framework, the Global Goals, to help people identify actions they may take in response to climate change and sustainable living. A community action plan is one response that addresses the mitigation of climate change through sustainability in the community.

A community action plan allows learners to move beyond the scope of their classroom to explore the connections into and across the broader community. For instance, it could be a project on the sustainable production of healthy food by constructing a living wall, greenhouse and/or garden to supply food to the cafeteria for healthy lunches. This action plan could be an outreach project on teaching about climate change to younger students and to the community, an awareness initiative that tackles consumerism in our culture, a recycling program that addresses “fast fashion” by allowing students to donate and trade clothing in their community, or the design and development of a product or service that will reduce energy consumption, or increase energy efficiency or enable active transport. Regardless, this community action plan should be large in scope, yet achievable, and relevant to be motivating and meaningful for learners.

ObjectivesLearners will investigate the UN Global Goals and will formulate a plan to address climate change by identifying a local community issue that they want to help solve. This learning experience is adapted from “Turning Learning into Action” through the World’s Largest Lesson site of the UN Global Goals.12

Specifically, learners will:

• Understand and learn about their community

• Create a community map

• Examine cause and effect relationships in the community interview

• Identify an issue of importance for a change project

• Demonstrate critical thinking skills in finding a solution to their community issue

Concepts and KeywordsUnited Nations, Global Goals, Sustainable development, community, Netukulimk, change project, action plan, Youth empowerment

12 World’s Largest Lesson, UN Global Goals (accessed December 2019) http://cdn.worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2018/06/Turning-Learning-Into-Action-Community-Mapping-For-The-Global-Goals-.pdf


Materials• Access to Internet, tablets or devices for research

• Chart paper and markers

• Journals for notetaking

Learning ActivityRead through the whole plan before beginning. Students will need to have an awareness and understanding of the UN Global Goals - a link to World’s Largest Lesson Part 1 animation which introduces students to the Global Goals can be found at https://vimeo.com/138852758 here.

1. Watch the video: World’s Largest Lesson Animation (Part 3) (5 minutes)

Feel free to stop it when needed to prompt discussion. Take a few minutes afterwards to review the key messages and to answer any questions. Note: if the class is unfamiliar with the Global Goals, we suggest watching

2. Connect the Global Goals to Learners (10 minutes)

Tell children: Now we are going to do some of the things that Astro Girl suggests. Watch the film again and use it to prompt discussion here and in step 3.

Stop the film when the narrator says: “The best place to start is with the person you know best - YOU.” Use this to prompt a classroom discussion: Why might the best place to start to take action for the Global Goals be you? Explain that this is a “Thinking Question” - a question which has no right or wrong answers, it just asks people to think about an answer and be able to justify their opinion.

Continue playing the film and stop it again when the narrator says “What are you like as a person, what do you care about, what’s really important to you?” Tell students to spend some time thinking about these questions. Then ask students to share if any of them have already made personal changes that help to support the Goals. These can be small personal changes that students may not realise are already helping to achieve the Goals!

3. Participate in a Community Walk (1 hour or longer)

Tell students how personal changes can have an even bigger impact when looking at our community as a whole. That’s why Astro-Girl suggests the next step to creating a change project is to go out into our community with the Global Goals in mind. Ask students to think about the word community. What do they think it means? Who lives in their community? Invite students to Think, Pair and Share on some ideas. Remind students that animals and the environment are also part of our community - why might this be important to think about?

Before going outside, ask students to spend some time discussing their community - Are there any issues and problems they think exist already? If so, who is most affected by this? What has been done already to try and improve this? What Global Goal does this issue link to?

Tell students the aim of going outside on a walk is to understand your community from a Global Goals point of view and to determine what works well in it and already contributes to the Goals and what could be improved.

To make the walk most productive you will need to provide some structure.

– Consider if you would like to focus on a theme or specific Goals. Ask the class if there is any specific theme they would like to investigate.

– Generate some questions that you want students to answer on their walk. Refer to Notes for some ideas or challenge students to create their own questions and write these on their Community Walk Activity sheet (Appendix 1) before setting out.

Clearly communicate any rules for the walk and the expectations of student behaviour.


Whilst on the walk ask students to record their answers and observations on their Community Mapping sheet. Remind them about the Global Goals as they walk. You could ask them to imagine they are looking at their community through Global Goals glasses - which of the Global Goals can you see present in your community? Which ones are missing? If they want to record what they see with photographs make sure that they ask permission if they take photos of people.

Ensure students complete point 3 of their Community Walk Activity Sheet. Something I’d really like to see changed in my community (Appendix 1) - as this will provide the initial discussion point for identifying the community issue.

4. Map their community and identify an issue (45 minutes)

Once back in the classroom, ask students to discuss their answers to point 3 on their Community Walk Activity Sheet.

What are the student responses? Did anyone else have the same response?

What other things did students notice? What did they identify as working well in their community?

Did they see any Global Goals already working in their community? Which Goals could be improved?

Explain to students that they are going to map their community to better understand it and to identify any issues within it. Students may want to draw their own map by hand or use Google Earth to plot key areas. Groups may be given an individual building, infrastructure or environmental feature to draw. These can then be joined up together to create a collaborative class map of the community.

Throughout the activity, prompt students that the purpose of the activity is to identify an issue they would like to focus on to design a change project.

Guidance on how to decide on the issue for the Community Action Plan

• Ask students to think if this is an issue that they really care about and if it is important to them• Estimate how many people are affected by this issue and how many people could be impacted by the resolution of the issue• What would the knock-on effects of the resolution of this issue be?• Does this issue affect all members of the community? Animals, environment and people• Is there anyone else already trying to solve this issue?• Do other community members want this issue to solved?• What other questions/criteria do students think need to be asked to identify an issue?

5. Seeking advice on the issue (45 minutes)

Once a community issue has been identified divide students into groups to research individuals or community members that students would like to interview to learn more about the issue.

Things for students to think about when deciding who to interview:

• Who does this problem affect? • Who will be impacted by this change project?• Which figures of authority locally might have advice on this issue or might be able to help?• Are any other organisations already working on this issue? • Who needs to be involved in the change project process?• How will students contact their interviewee?

Remind students of the line from the animation that explains “Sometimes it’s the quietest voices who have the best ideas” - is there anyone else we could ask?

Hand out Appendix 2 for students to think about and complete the questions they want to ask their interviewee.

After the interview, come back together as a class and discuss what students have learnt. Are there any changes that students will have to make to their change project now they have heard another perspective? Have students’ opinions about the issue changed?

Make a note to keep the interview notes - quotes can be useful in persuading other people to help you.


6. Generate ideas and Getting Creative (45 minutes)

Now that the issue has been identified and advice has been sought from a diverse range of community members, it’s time for the students to generate ideas on what action they can take.

Ask students What are some of the skills that we have in the class? How can we utilise these to create a change project? Divide the class into small groups to generate ideas on how to solve their community issue.

Explain that the young girl in the animation offers a plate of Global Goal cupcakes as if they are a plate full of ideas! Learners should work individually to generate as many ideas as possible in 5 minutes. Ask them not to evaluate either their own ideas or those from other people. The point is to generate ideas not to judge them as this will limit their creativity. They may refer to examples from other Canadian youth for inspiration (Refer to Additional Resources at the end of this learning experience.)

Next ask students to discuss in their groups all the ideas individuals came up with. Encourage them to be open minded and not defensive about their own ideas and help build on others’ ideas to make them better. Ask groups to narrow down their selections and choose their favourite idea to present to the class.

Ask each group to present on the following questions:

• What does your idea involve?• Can we implement this idea on our own?• How many people do we estimate will be impacted by this idea?

Each group will then present their top idea to the rest of the class who will hold a class vote to decide which idea to move forward with for their Action Plan.

Finish this section by working as a class to define the problem they are aiming to solve using less than 20 words. Follow this by describing their idea or solution in less than 20 words.

7. Creating an Action Plan (45+ minutes)

Once students have decided on their idea to solve their community issue, students will need to gather everything they have learned together to create their Action Plan.

Ask the class to describe what it will it look like once we’ve achieved this? Then as Astro-Girl says we are going to have to work backwards. Pose a series of questions to learners, these can either be answered individually, by the whole class or you may assign a question to each group:

1. Who do we need to help us with this action plan? 2. What do we need to do?3. What skills do we have already that can help us and what else do we need?4. How will we know if our plan is working? - what will we see and hear from people?

8. Sharing your Action Plan (10 minutes)

Sharing your action plan is the first step to making it happen.

Explain to learners that when the governments from 193 countries met in New York in 2015 to agree on an action plan to make the world more equal, fairer and just they called it the Global Goals and they made it public and told the world about it. Explain that by making this plan public children are taking their first step in making change happen.

Take a photograph of the completed Community Action Plan Activity Sheet and ask students to upload it onto the World’s Largest Lesson Map:

https://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/map/index.html .


Community Walk - NotesIdeas for Providing Structure to the Community Walk

This learning experience involves taking students outside on a community walk to better understand and identify the problems within it.

• Decide on a physical boundary you would like to set for your class if you are taking them on a community walk. The size of which might depend on where you live, the age of students and ease of access to it.

• Plan and familiarise yourself with the community walk route before taking students. • Plan how much time it will take, how many adults you will need to come with you and what students may need to bring

with them for the walk. • Complete a risk assessment for the community walk• Seek guardian/parent permission for students to participate on the community walk if this is not already covered by

your school safeguarding policy.

In order to help learners decide on their Goal focus for their action plan we have divided the Goals into two categories - a People focus or Planet focus. Within each focus there are a suggested list of issues that learners might identify in their communities. These are not intended to be prescriptive.

Planet Focus (encompassing Global Goals 11,12,13, 14, 15) Issues that learners might want to focus on here include: Climate Change, Severe Weather, Ocean acidification, Renewable Energy, Over-consumption (food, plastic, natural resources), Overfishing, Endangered Animals, Deforestation, Air Pollution

People Focus (encompassing Global Goals 1,2,3,4,5 & 10) Issues that learners might want to focus on here include:

Poverty, Inequality, Homelessness, Malnutrition, Refugees, Water Access, Sanitation, Gender Inequality, Child Marriage, Child Labour, Education, Health Care

Further Resources for a Community Walk & How to Map It• For a more detailed approach to a Community Project visit the Jane Goodall Institute Canada https://janegoodall.ca/wp-

content/uploads/2017/02/JGICommunityMappingGuide-1.pdf• For a one-week lesson plan from Design for Change on how to implement a change project: http://cdn.

worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/2016/06/Design-for-Change-One-Idea-One-Week.pdf• Visit the Design For Change website (http://www.dfcworld.com/SITE) for examples of action projects that students have

already started • Using Google Earth https://earth.google.com/web/ can be a great way for students to digitally explore their community • Students can also create detailed digital maps of their community through the Google Maps portal.

For video tutorials on how to use Google Maps for this see here: https://sites.google.com/mrpiercey.com/resources/geo/my-maps


Community Walk Resources - QuestionsHere are some suggested prompt questions to ask to bring a more focused approach to the student community walk.

Who lives in our community?Do you ever do any work or play with other schools in your local area?How many people do you see?Does everyone have enough to eat?Does everyone have somewhere safe to sleep?Are all children going to school?Does everyone have a safe access to school?Are there clear signs on the roads?Can everyone access the public transport?Are all people treated equally in your community?Are there any areas which you usually avoid going to?Are there any resources that the community possesses that could be better utilised to meet the needs of the community members?What issue do you think is the most important to solve? Why?Is there anything else you notice?Can you see any birds or animals? Can you see any trees? Can you see any natural flowing water? Can you see any bins for recycling waste? Can you see any rubbish? Who is responsible for collecting the litter?Is it easy to find clean water? What does your school do with leftover food?Does everyone have access to safe outdoor space to play in?Is there somewhere outside where you can play with your friends?Are there any areas that animals don’t go to? Why is that?What issue do you think is the most important to solve? Why?Is there green space and parks available?Do people look happy? Does everyone have a space to play outside?Can you see any renewable energy sources?


Appendix 1: Community WalkTake this sheet with you when you go on your community walk. Here you can record your observations and answer the questions you set yourself. Your walk may even prompt some further questions you want to ask. You can note these down below.

Questions we want to ask Observations

1. General notes/observations:

2. Things I really like about my community:

3. Something I’d really like to see changed in my community:


Appendix 2: Interviewing a Community Member1. Do your research on your interviewee - do some background research on her/him so you know some

information about them before they come in. This will help you to feel more confident and prepared and the interviewee will know you are serious if you have done your research.

2. Have a list of interesting questions - think about what you want to find out from your interviewee. What kind of answers are you going to get if you just ask closed questions (questions that only require a yes or no answer). Make sure you have lots of open-ended questions - these are more interesting and provide more opportunity for the interviewee to speak. Open-ended questions start with “How” or “Why” or phrases like “What do you think about…”

3. Listen and be confident to go off script! - It’s really important to listen to your interviewee as one of their answers might lead you to thinking of a new and interesting question on the spot.

4. Recording responses - Think about how you are going to record the answers to your questions. Are you going to write them down? Are you going to use a tape recorder or film?

My top questions to ask:

1

2

3

4

5

During the interview: Notes to record responses to questions:

After the interview:

Are there any changes you would like to change about your idea after the interview?


Appendices

A Curriculum AlignmentB Additional ResourcesC Citizen Science ResourcesD Incorporating Indigenous PerspectivesE Fake News Activity ResourcesF Living Wall ResourcesG Glossary of Terms


Appendix A.Curriculum Alignment

Existing Nova Scotia Curriculum

Science Grade 7

Code Specific Curriculum Outcome Learning Experience

7.Sci.B.2.a distinguish between pure substances and mixtures, using the particle theory of matter (307-1)

5 Evaluating Carbon Sink Potential of Water

7.Sci.B.2.c demonstrate a knowledge of WHMIS standards by using proper techniques for handling and disposing of materials (209-7)

Learning Experiences 1-7

7.Sci.B.3.a describe qualitatively and quantitatively the concentrations of solutions (307-4)

4 Examining Ocean Acidification


7.Sci.B.3.b perform and solve testable questions about solutions’ concentrations (208-1, 210-9)



7. Sci.B.3.e identify questions and use a technology for collecting data (210-16-109-4)

1 Investigating CO2

2 Measuring the Albedo Effect

3 Demonstrating the Greenhouse Effect

6 Carbon Uptake by Elodea

7.Sci.B.4.a identify and explain examples of mixtures and solutions that have an impact on development in science, technology, and environment (112-7, 113-1)



7.Sci.C.1.a construct, test, and produce data using an air thermometer (208-8, 210-13, 210-2)




7 Observing Thermal Expansion

8 Citizen Science Insights

7.Sci.D.1.c describe interactions between biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem (306-3)



7.Sci.D.4.d research individuals/groups in Canada that focus on the environment, using various print and electronic sources (112-4, 112-8, 209-5)

10 Exploring Green Careers

14 Formulating a Community Action Plan


Social Studies Grade 7

Code Specific Curriculum Outcome Activity Name

7.1.1 explore the general concept of empowerment 10 Exploring Green Careers


7.2.1 analyze how commodities that lead to economic empowerment have changed


7.5.2

describe the impact of the Industrial Revolution on industry and workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritimes, and across Canada


Science Grade 8


8.Sci.B.2.a question, investigate, and analyze qualitatively and quantitatively in a laboratory, the relationships among mass, volume, and density of solids, liquids, and gases using the particle model of matter (208-2, 211-3, 307-8)

1 Investigating CO2



Code Specific Curriculum Outcome Learning Experience

8.4.1 take age-appropriate actions that demonstrate the rights and responsibilities of citizenship (local, national, and global)

11 Measuring our Carbon Footprint

13 Design a Living Wall

9 Fake News Analysis

8.4.2 demonstrate an understanding of how citizenship has evolved over time


11 Measuring Our Carbon Footprint

8.5.1 identify and analyze the economic challenges and opportunities that may affect Canada’s future


8.5.3 analyze the social and cultural challenges and opportunities that may affect Canada’s future



12 What’s Your Carbon Food-print?


Food and Nutrition Grade 8


2.4 explain how healthy food choices affect present and future health of individuals


3.3 identify environmental issues related to the production and consumption of food


4.1 identify local and global food issues 12 What’s Your Carbon Food-print?



5.2 recognize the benefits of selecting locally grown/produced food



Renewed Curriculum (2020)

Science Grade 7

Code Evidence of Learning (Indicators) Activity Name

7.Sci.A.1.a Investigate pure substances and mixtures in relation to particle theory (COM/PCD/CI/TF)

1 Investigating CO2




7.Sci.A.1.c Analyze the factors that affect solubility and concentration (COM/CT/TF)




7.Sci.A.2.a Analyze the impact of pollution and green technologies on environmental health (CZ/CT/TF)






7.Sci.A.2.b Analyze choices about resource management and sustainability (CZ/COM/CI/CT)






7.Sci.A.2.c Investigate energy input and matter recycling in an ecosystem (COM/CT)



7.Sci.A.2.d Analyze the interconnectiveness of biotic and abiotic components in nature, inclusive of a Mi’kmaw perspective (COM/CZ/CT)




7.Sci.A.2.e Investigate biological indicators of environmental health (COM/CT/TF)




7.Sci.A.4.a Select strategies for conservation and sustainability (CZ,CT)






7.Sci.A.4.b Investigate community initiatives that seek to improve environmental health (CZ/COM/PCD/CT)




7.Sci.A.4.c Formulate a plan to mitigate environmental harm in relation to the concept of Netukulimk (CZ/COM/PCD/CI/CT/TF)





7.SS.B.1.c Analyse human factors that impact environmental sustainability in local ecosystems (CZ/PCD/TF)




7.SS.B.1.d Plan responses to challenges and opportunities in Atlantic Canadian communities (CZ, COM, CT, CI, PCD, TF)




7.SS.D.1.a Investigate key individuals and groups of upstanders active in changing social conditions (CZ, COM, PCD, CT, TF)



Science Grade 8


8.Sci.B.1.b Investigate transmission of heat (CT/TF) 2 Measuring the Albedo Effect



8.Sci.B.1.c Analyze heat absorption in the context of the greenhouse effect (CZ/COM/PCD/CT/TF)





8.Sci.B.2.c Investigate the impact of climate change on ocean organisms (CZ/COM/PCD/CT)




8.Sci.B.3.a Analyze the causes of climate change (CZ/COM/CT/TF) 1 Investigating CO2



4 CO2 Solubility Variation with Temperature





8.Sci.B.3.b Evaluate the environmental impact of various sources of energy (CZ/COM/CT/TF)








8.Sci.B.3.c Analyze how climate change is being expedited (CZ/COM/CT/TF)







8.SS.B.1.c Investigate how personal experience and perspective contribute to informed understanding (CZ, COM, PCD, CT)



8.SS.B.2.b Evaluate how environmental factors contribute to a changing Canadian society (CZ, COM, CT, TF)


12 What’s Your Carbon Food-print 14 Formulating a Community Action Plan

8.SS.C.1.d Investigate the role of media and journalism in shaping understanding of conflict (CZ, COM, CT, TF)


8.SS.E.1.a Analyse the effectiveness of various forms of advocacy (CZ/COM/CT/CI/PCD/TF)


8.SS.E.1.c Evaluate how a current issue impacts a community (CZ/COM/CT/CI/PCD/TF)



Appendix BAdditional Resources

Teaching Children About Climate Change

We all know how important it is to address climate change. It’s affecting weather, animals, wild spaces, our communities and even the economy. Talking to students about climate change may seem like an overwhelming task. The following resources may be helpful:

• Clean Foundation’s resource, “Is climate change too scary to talk about with kids” is a great jumping off point for educators and parents: https://clean.ns.ca/programs/youth-engagement/talking-climate-change-with-kids/is-climate-change-too-scary-to-talk-about-with-kids/

• Climate change background information for teachers: https://clean.ns.ca/programs/youth-engagement/talking-climate-change-with-kids/climate-change-background-info/

• Climate change explained in child-friendly terms (Video): https://youtu.be/Sv7OHfpIRfU

• NASA Kids: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/menu/teach/

• National Geographic Kids: https://www.natgeokids.com/au/discover/geography/general-geography/what-is-climate-change/

• How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate

Teacher’s Guide: https://dawnpub.com/activities/Climate-TG-Activities.pdf

Climate Change Information

Nova Scotia Environment – Climate Change https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/

Environment and Climate Change Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/transparency/briefing/key-issues-climate-change.html#s1

NASA Climate Change and Global Warming https://climate.nasa.gov/

Sustainability and Stewardship

• United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

- World’s Largest Lesson Educator site: http://worldslargestlesson.globalgoals.org/

- Global GoalsCast Online podcast: https://globalgoalscast.org/

• Netukulimk (Elder Albert Marshall) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsNVewjgKxI

• Natural Curiosity (Second Edition) by Anderson et al., 2017 https://wordpress.oise.utoronto.ca/naturalcuriosity/nc2/

• Ocean School – National Film Board of Canada https://oceanschool.nfb.ca/


Modeling Climate Change

• The Very, Very Simple Climate Model - UCAR Centre for Science Education

Through a simple online model, students learn about the relationship between average global temperature and carbon dioxide emissions while predicting temperature change over the 21st Century. https://scied.ucar.edu/simple-climate-model

Educator’s Guide: https://scied.ucar.edu/activity/very-very-simple-climate-model-activity

• The Greenhouse Effect PHeT Interactive Simulation (University of Colorado)

This simulation is a fantastic digital tool to explore the Greenhouse Effect (in English and French), perfect to support an inquiry approach.

https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse

Community Action Project Resources

• The World’s Largest Lesson: This excellent video series explains climate change and what young people can do to take action in the context of the United Nation’s 17 Global Goals for Sustainability. Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBxN9E5f7pcPart 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdOQf0nOB6A

• Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN): Student-led initiatives to address the global goals https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainable-development-solutions-network-canada/

• Action Networks for the SDG’s: UN hub for Involvementhttps://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnerships/actionnetworks

• Engaging Students in Sustainable Action projects (ESSAP) Guide provides a detailed overview of an action process as well as activities to support each step in the design and implementation of your action projects. http://lsf-lst.ca/en/projects/teacher-resources/essap-guide

• Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF)’s EcoLeague Action Project Recipes: experiential learning activities that will give students an opportunity to engage in meaningful, empowering, inspiring and rewarding experiences

http://lsf-lst.ca/en/projects/teacher-resources/action-programs-youth/eco-league/recipes

• Resources for Rethinking (R4R) connects teachers to lesson plans, books, videos, and other materials that explore the environmental, social and economic dimensions of important issues and events unfolding in our world today. R4R resources were reviewed by teachers and matched to relevant curriculum outcomes for each province and territory. http://resources4rethinking.ca/en/

• Green Learning Canada has a series of resources for Youth-led Action projects and response to climate change, among other environmental initiatives:

http://www.greenlearning.ca/programs/

• Voices of Youth : The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving the World

https://www.voicesofyouth.org/tools-resources/lazy-persons-guide-saving-world


Appendix C.Citizen Science

Background

By engaging in a citizen science project, students will develop a deeper awareness about and connection with nature and become aware of any changes in climate taking place. There are many ways to study nature, and the approach is fairly straightforward: Learners observe an ecosystem, identify species to an age appropriate level, and collect data. However, the power of citizen science for learners is derived from the relevance and meaning of the project to their lives, the frequency of the experiences in nature., with time to develop connection and to build knowledge, and through respectful attention to detail and awareness of experience.

Connect

Start by asking the students to find an object, such as a tree, a flower, rock, pine cone, leaf, etc. Tell them to quietly observe (without touching, if possible) their object from the four cardinal directions (north, south, east and west), and from above and below if possible. Ask them how changing their view changes what they see.

Now ask students to lie down so they are eye level with the ground and try to imagine they are insects. What does their world look like as an insect? What are your senses telling you in this position? What can you see, smell, hear, and feel that is different from when you were standing up.

Record

Now have the students break up into teams of 2-4. Each group will get a hula hoop (length of string). They should spread out and lay down (or toss) their hoop. This is their sample for data collection.

Then they will record their data. Learners can write the name or the species, make a sketch, do a tally and write down the final count. Instruct students to count everything in their sample space. Rocks, insects, leaves, grass, garbage, etc.

Analyze

When data collection is complete, hold a discussion about their observations.

• What did you observe the most of?

• What did you see that was surprising?

• What questions are you left with, or what else would you like to know?

• How can we monitor changes over time?

• How can observation help us monitor climate change?

Extensions and Modifications

• The Connect, Record, and Analyze activities can be done on different days.

• Monitor several times throughout the school year and compare data collected.

• Extrapolate! How many hula hoops could you fit into the area you sampled? How would you calculate the total number of a certain species by using the data you collected?

• Hold a school-wide data collection event. Recruit schools to perform a province-wide event!


• Create a field guide for the local park or woods area, with names for the animals and plants. Publish it online for the community.

• Participate through Citizen Science websites:

o Naturewatch https://naturewatch.ca

o iNaturalist https://www.inaturalist.org/

o USA National Phenology Network https://www.usanpn.org/?q=home

o Wood turtle sightings http://www.speciesatrisk.ca/woodturtle/index.php?q=node/42

o Pollinator projects, including BeeSpotter http://beespotter.org

o FrogWatch https://www.naturewatch.ca/frogwatch/

o Project Budburst https://budburst.org/

o Monitor weather and precipitation and submit to CoCoRaHS https://www.cocorahs.org/Canada.aspx

Source : https://greenteacher.com/developing-a-sense-of-place-through-native-science-activities-2/


Tips and Checklist for Teaching Outside Before going on the community walk, check the weather forecast to know what to bring on the walk. Suggested resources to bring with you and students are:

Maps and plastic pockets (in case of rain)

Basic first aid kit

Rain gear

Spare hats, gloves and socks

Water and peanut-free snacks

Risk assessment of the site or area

Insurance/waiver forms

Emergency contact and health forms

Sign in sheet for attendance

Student activity sheets (and spares)

Clipboards and pencils

Sunscreen and bug spray

Backpacks

Cameras or camera phones - it’s very useful to take photos of specific areas of the community for students to refer to once back in the classroom.

Cell phone and portable back up charger


Appendix D.Incorporating Indigenous Perspectives

Several of the learning experiences in this resource were created as a starting point for bringing contemporary Indigenous perspectives into classrooms. This is not a how-to guide for teaching the concepts of Netukulimk, Etuaptmumk and interconnectiveness. Instead, the learning experiences offer an encounter with Indigenous perspectives and should be considered a starting point for building a deeper understanding of this complex Mi’kmaw perspective.

We caution that Indigenous perspectives cannot be deeply reflected in a single piece of media or written document outside Mi’kmaw cultural contexts. We encourage educators to follow these suggestions from the authors of Natural Curiosity (Second Edition):

• Work whenever possible with Indigenous resource people, including Knowledge Keepers

• Be upfront about what we do and do not know

• Be clear that Indigenous people, cultures and knowledge are contemporary

• Respect Indigenous knowledge as a precious heritage

• Be aware of the complexities of real Indigenous people

We strongly recommend the educational resources, Mi’kmawe’l Tan Teli-kina’muemk Teaching About the Mi’kmaq and Natural Curiosity second edition by Anderson, Comay and Chiarotto (2018) for additional support.

TerminologyNetukulimk

Netukulimk is a concept that explains Mi’kmaw ways of life, tying together social and economic practices with systems of governance through time. Based upon thousands of years of Mi’kmaw history and life in Mi’kma’ki and continuing to the present day, Netukulimk is grounded in interdependence, reciprocity, and gratitude (Ocean School https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/home/educational-resources/inquiry-tools/netukulimk-lesson).

“Netukulimk is a complex cultural concept that encompasses Mi’kmaq sovereign law ways and guides individual and collective beliefs and behaviours in resource protection, procurement, and management to ensure and honour sustainability and prosperity for the ancestor, present and future generations” (Kerry Prosper, pers. comm., 2011).

Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)

“ …it refers to learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing ... and learning to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all. Etuaptmumk - Two-Eyed Seeing is the gift of multiple perspective treasured by many Aboriginal peoples. We believe it is the requisite Guiding Principle for the new consciousness needed to enable Integrative Science work, as well as other integrative or transcultural or transdisciplinary or collaborative work.” (Elder Albert Marshall, 2004)

And according to the Integrative Science at Cape Breton University (http://www.integrativescience.ca/Principles/TwoEyedSeeing/), all of the world’s cultures (including Western science) have understandings to contribute in addressing the challenges faced in efforts to promote sustainable communities. “One might wish to talk about Four-Eyed Seeing, or Ten-Eyed Seeing, etc., as four perspectives or ten perspectives are brought into the collaboration.”

Furthermore, Elder Albert Marshall indicates “the two jig-saw puzzle pieces help remind us that, with respect to Aboriginal Traditional Knowledges [Indigenous knowledges], no one person ever has more than one small piece of the knowledge.”


The National Film Board Ocean School has prepared a lesson on Etuaptmumk made with Elder Albert Marshall, Dr. Shelly Denny and Cathy Martin, the first Mi’kmaw film maker from the Atlantic Region: https://help.oceanschool.nfb.ca/home/educational-resources/inquiry-tools/etuaptmumk-lesson

Interconnectiveness

Interconnectiveness is a word introduced in 2019 into the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development curriculum documents. In contrast to interconnectedness, which implies a static nature, this new word interconnectiveness is more precise, instead referring to the dynamic nature of interconnection as understood by Mi’kmaw peoples and reflected in their language.


Appendix EFake News Learning Experience Resources

Trump tweets about global warming

What information in the tweet is incorrect?

Answer:

Trump is confusing the current weather with climate. Weather is what happens over short periods of time. Climate refers to long term patterns of temperature, precipitation, and humidity. Global warming doesn’t just happen to one place! It is the long-term average temperature increase over the entire world. Plus, if Trump wants “global warming” in NYC (if that was possible), the consequences would be more expensive than he cares to admit!


What’s in a name?Weather, global warming and climate change

“Climate change” and “global warming” are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings. Similarly, the terms “weather” and “climate” are sometimes confused, though they refer to events with broadly different spatial- and timescales.

Weather vs. climate

Weather refers to atmospheric conditions that occur locally over short periods of time—from minutes to hours or days. Familiar examples include rain, snow, clouds, winds, floods or thunderstorms. Climate, on the other hand, refers to the long-term regional or even global average of temperature, humidity and rainfall patterns over seasons, years or decades.

What is global warming?

Global warming refers to the long-term warming of the planet since the early 20th century, and most notably since the late 1970s, due to the increase in fossil fuel emissions since the Industrial Revolution. Worldwide since 1880, the average surface temperature has gone up by about 1 °C (about 2 °F), relative to the mid-20th-century baseline (of 1951-1980). This is on top of about an additional 0.15 °C of warming from between 1750 and 1880.

What is climate change?

Climate change refers to a broad range of global phenomena created predominantly by burning fossil fuels, which add heat-trapping gases to Earth’s atmosphere. These phenomena include the increased temperature trends described by global warming, but also encompass changes such as sea level rise; ice mass loss in Greenland, Antarctica, the Arctic and mountain glaciers worldwide; shifts in flower/plant blooming; and extreme weather events.

https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/


Blank Trump Tweet:


Appendix FLiving wall Resources

Examples- Hanging plant pockets

Examples: DIY (source: https://balconygardenweb.com/plastic-bottle-vertical-garden-soda-bottle-garden/)


Appendix GGlossary of Terms

Common Terms

Whether it’s reading the daily newspaper, listening to the radio or catching up on news on your phone, many climate change stories share common terms. Here’s a list of some of these terms:

Adaptation - Initiatives and measures to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects. These may be adjustments in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected changes in order to moderate/reduce harm (for example, building a seawall to protect against storm surge and erosion).

Adaptive Capacity – The combination of the strengths, attributes, and resources available to an individual, community, society, or organization that can be used to prepare for and undertake actions to reduce adverse impacts, moderate harm, or exploit beneficial opportunities. Developed (or First World) countries have a larger adaptive capacity than developing (or Third World) countries do.

Anthropogenic – Relating to or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.

Carbon Cycle - Circulation of carbon atoms through the Earth systems as a result of photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide into complex organic compounds by plants, which are consumed by other organisms, and return of the carbon to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide as a result of respiration, decay of organisms, and combustion of fossil fuel

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – a naturally occurring gas used by trees and other plants during photosynthesis to synthesize organic matter. This gas is also released when fossil fuels and biomass are burned.

Climate - The long-term average (often 30 year window) of conditions in the atmosphere, ocean, and ice sheets and sea ice described by statistics, such as means and extremes.

Climate Forecast - A prediction about average or extreme climate conditions for a region in the long-term future (seasons to decades).

Climate variability - Natural changes in climate that fall within the normal range of extremes for a particular region, as measured by temperature, precipitation, and frequency of events. Drivers of climate variability include the El Niño Southern Oscillation and other phenomena.

Climate Change - A significant and persistent change in the mean state of the climate or its variability. Climate change occurs in response to changes in some aspect of Earth’s environment: these include regular changes in Earth’s orbit about the sun, re-arrangement of continents through plate tectonic motions, or anthropogenic modification of the atmosphere.

Climate System - The matter, energy, and processes involved in interactions among Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and Earth-Sun interactions.

Fossil Fuels - Energy sources such as petroleum, coal, or natural gas, which are derived from living matter that existed during a previous geologic time period. All were formed hundreds of millions of years ago by trees and plants that have died, broken down, have become compacted and covered by additional materials over time. Since plants fix and store CO2 during photosynthesis, this gas is released when fossil fuels (which are formed through organic material) are burned. This is the main concern regarding human-caused climate change.

Feedback - The process through which a system is controlled, changed, or modulated in response to its own output. Positive feedback results in amplification of the system output; negative feedback reduces the output of a system.

Greenhouse gases (GHG) – Gases that absorb and trap heat in the atmosphere. The main GHGs are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and water vapour.

Global Warming - The observed increase in average temperature near the Earth’s surface and in the lowest layer of the atmosphere. In common usage, “global warming” often refers to the heating that has occurred as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities. Global warming is a type of climate change; it can also lead to other changes in climate conditions, such as changes in precipitation patterns.


Likely, Very Likely, Extremely Likely, Virtually Certain - These terms are used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to indicate how probable it is that a predicted outcome will occur in the climate system, according to expert judgment. A result that is deemed “likely” to occur has a greater than 66% probability of occurring. A “very likely” result has a greater than 90% probability. “Extremely likely” means greater than 95% probability, and “virtually certain” means greater than 99% probability.

Mitigation - Human interventions to reduce the sources of greenhouse gases or enhance the sinks that remove them from the atmosphere. These interventions are used to reduce negative effects and lessen their impact, such as the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate system (for example, geoengineering removal of CO2 from the atmosphere, carbon taxes and reducing our individual carbon footprints).

Resilience – The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner.

Vulnerability - The degree to which physical, biological, and socio-economic systems are susceptible to and unable to cope with adverse impacts of climate change.

Weather - The specific conditions of the atmosphere at a particular place and time, measured in terms of variables that include temperature, precipitation, cloudiness, humidity, air pressure, and wind.

Weather Forecast - A prediction about the specific atmospheric conditions expected for a location in the short-term future (hours to days).


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