Gerrymandering Is a Climate Problem
Provided by: Yale Climate Connections|Published on: April 27, 2021
Grades: 6-AP
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Civics
Authors: Sarah Wesseler
Region: North America, USA - South, USA - Midwest, United States, Texas, Ohio
Languages: English
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 →
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 article outlines how gerrymandering impacts climate change legislation at the state level, using examples from Texas and Ohio to illustrate the point.
- This article includes information on redistricting vs. gerrymandering, gerrymandering's effects, different ways of redistricting, and environmental justice.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This article shines a light on the problem of gerrymandering in the United States and how it hinders climate legislation.
- This article links to many other resources for further research.
Additional Prerequisites
- States redistrict their congressional maps after the decennial census, which happens every ten years. The last redistricting happened in 2020.
- Teachers may need to define the term gerrymandering before students read the article.
Differentiation
- Art students can analyze the political cartoon at the top of the article.
- Students in social studies or civics class can research their home state to see how their districts are drawn. Students can discuss whether they think their districts are gerrymandered or not.
- Students can conduct further research using wonderful resources from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Two great resources include these climate opinion factsheets and these climate opinion maps.
This resource provides insights on redistricting and issues surrounding politics of climate change. It explores the political will from the different political parties towards addressing issues on environmental justice and climate change. This is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
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 →
