In this op-ed article, climate change and transportation policy analyst Gideon Forman explains his decision to reduce his carbon footprint by not flying in airplanes except in cases of family emergencies.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The article provides a link to more information about the impacts of flying on climate change.
Gideon Forman describes his reasoning for choosing not to fly, providing an opportunity for students to empathize with him and/or discuss his choice.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of what causes global warming and climate change.
Differentiation
This resource provides an excellent opportunity to connect the topic of climate change with ethics and global citizenship.
This article gives students the chance to activate prior learning about the sources of greenhouse gas pollution.
Students can discuss the author's choice to stop flying for non-essential travel and write their own opinion articles on whether people should fly for non-essential reasons or not.
Scientist Notes
This article is appropriate and recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 4: Communicating and Critiquing Conclusions
D4.4.9-12 Critique the use of claims and evidence in arguments for credibility.
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
