Causes

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by ClimateScience

Open Resource

What it is

This interactive course on the causes of climate change features sections on the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases, emissions by source, emissions by end use, and emissions by country.
This course contains text, interactive questions, infographics, data charts, links to references, and an interactive quiz.

Teaching tips

Positives

This course is a great introduction to climate change and provides a detailed look at greenhouse gas emissions by source, activity, and country.
Students earn a certificate if they complete the course.

Additional Prerequisites

This course is part of a series of climate change courses from ClimateScience.
Students will need a computer and Internet connection to use the interactive features and watch the videos.
The graph of Emissions by Sector groups many categories into "energy". For a more descriptive chart of sources that includes transportation, you can use this resource on emissions by sector.
Here is a Table of Solutions that will reduce greenhouse gases the most.
Teachers and students will need to enroll and create a free account to use the course and save their progress.

Differentiation

Advanced students can spend time reading and exploring the links to scientific papers and reports.
Students can proceed through this course at their own pace.
Cross-curricular connections could be made with social studies, geography, and civics classes when discussing the current and predicted effects of climate change on human communities.
Other resources related to this topic include this interactive resource on Kaya identity, this resource on per capita carbon dioxide emissions, and this video on the cost of carbon.

From the scientist review

This resource explains the greenhouse effect and how human activities are causing global warming in a simplified and compelling manner. The figures and data are accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences
Other types: Videos, Data, Graphs, and Maps, Assessments, Interactive Media
Language: English
Location: Earth
Provider: ClimateScience
Authors: ClimateScience
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Eco.1.6-8 + 11 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Eco.1.6-8Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
D2.Eco.1.9-12Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.10By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.10By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

HS-ESS2-2.Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-5.Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-6.Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
HS-PS3-D.1.Nuclear Fusion processes in the center of the sun release the energy that ultimately reaches Earth as radiation. (secondary to HS-ESS1-1)
HS-ESS2-D.2.Gradual atmospheric changes were due to plants and other organisms that captured carbon dioxide and released oxygen. (HS-ESS2-6), (HS-ESS2-7)
HS-ESS3-C.1.The sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources. (HS-ESS3-3)
HS-ESS3-D.1.Though the magnitudes of human impacts are greater than they have ever been, so too are human abilities to model, predict, and manage current and future impacts. (HS-ESS3-5)

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