CFR Education: What Is Climate Change?
Lesson Plans
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APEarth and Space Sciences, Civics, History
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Council on Foreign Relations
What it is
- This video examines the 18th century origins of worldwide fossil fuel usage, how fossil fuel production and other human activities are causing greenhouse gas emissions and warming the Earth, and the primary approaches for solving the climate crisis through policy, mitigation, and adaptation.
- Below the video, teachers will find a linked lesson plan for grades 9-12, a linked discussion guide for higher education classes, and a short description of the World 101 Climate Change module.
- This is the first section of the Climate Change module.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video has a transcript that can be downloaded as a PDF.
- This video is well-produced and filled with engaging visuals.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should know the difference between a developed country and a developing country.
- Students can reference the section about the 2015 Paris Agreement to gain additional context on this agreement.
- The discussion and essay questions are for the entire module and the lesson plan includes multiple sections of the module.
Differentiation
- This video is a great introduction to the Industrial Revolution, carbon emissions, and the effects of climate change that could be used in history, social studies, geography, or science classes.
- To assess prior knowledge, the teacher could ask the class questions about climate change before watching the video.
- This video could support a classroom discussion on how multinational corporations and industries influence the response to climate change in various nations.
- This video could enhance a lesson on the Industrial Revolution and it's long-lasting impact.
From the scientist review
This video is a very good and short (under 5 minutes) primer on the issue of climate change, covering everything from why it is happening, how it is affecting people, and what can be done to address it. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Ready to use it?
Hosted on cfr.org
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
