Fossil Fuels and Climate Change
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Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative|Published on: June 17, 2022
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed 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 →
Synopsis
- This lesson and accompanying podcast teaches students about fossil fuels, where they come from, how they are used, and the consequences of their extraction and use.
- Students will be introduced to renewable and non-renewable energy sources and will understand the relationship between climate change and non-renewable energy sources.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Region: North America, United States
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The educator guide is downloadable and includes standards, lesson objectives, an answer key, a table of contents, and other helpful resources for teachers to successfully deliver the lesson.
- The podcast, featuring Dr. John Reilly of MIT Sloan School of Management, is engaging, informative, and accessible.
Additional Prerequisites
- The full educator guide includes teacher pages and student pages, but there is an option to download a PDF version of the student pages and teacher pages separately.
- There is also a guide for teachers who need support with how to use all TILclimate Educator Guides.
Differentiation
- ELA classes can use this resource as a guide to conduct a research paper on energy sources, fossil fuel consumption, and the consequences of our current fossil fuel dependency.
- Civics classes can discuss policy proposals to reduce our use of fossil fuels, their potential effectiveness, the likelihood of implementation, and obstacles to passing them.
- Other resources related to these topics include this lesson about carbon pricing to reduce emissions, this interactive data set about global fossil fuel consumption, and this video with accompanying materials about the carbon cycle and formation of fossil fuels.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Founded in 2014, the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) is MIT’s institute-wide effort to mobilize the substantial scientific, engineering, policy, and design capacity of the MIT community to contribute to addressing climate change and other environmental challenges of global import. ESI pursues multidisciplinary research, education, events, and partnerships to help move society toward an environmentally and socially sustainable future. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts on MIT’s main campus, ESI is powered by a lean staff working closely with students and faculty across the full spectrum of disciplines. Led by architecture professor John E. Fernandez, a leading scholar in the emerging field of urban metabolism, ESI is advised by students, faculty, alumni, and thought leaders from many sectors of society.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
