This four-page infographic provides a condensed version of the information found in the 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change.
Students will learn about the current and projected effects of climate change on the ecosystems, health, infrastructure, and economy of New Jersey.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This resource outlines the many effects and impacts of climate change on New Jersey in an easy-to-follow format.
The infographic quality of the document will appeal to students who struggle with large blocks of text.
Additional Prerequisites
The resource offers a brief description of climate change, but students who are unfamiliar with certain concepts (i.e. ocean acidification or sea level rise) may require more background information to understand what causes these phenomena.
The word "precipitation" is spelled incorrectly on the first page of the resource.
The link at the bottom of the PDF to the full 2020 New Jersey Scientific Report on Climate Change does not work, but the report can be found here.
Differentiation
Science classes could use this resource to show students how climate change effects many facets of life in New Jersey. Students could make a list of all of the ways that climate change affects them as individuals and one that shows how it affects the state as a whole.
Earth science classes could research the extreme weather events that have occurred in New Jersey over the last fifty years and make a line graph to chart the frequency and severity of the events.
Social studies and economics classes could discuss which New Jersey industries have already seen (and will likely see) the greatest impacts from climate change.
Other resources on this topic include this video and worksheet on ocean acidification, this lesson on sea level rise, and this EPA article on air quality.
Scientist Notes
This resource is a summary report on the current and future state of New Jersey's climate. It shows the complex and interwoven impacts of climate change on coastal communities, marine resources, biodiversity, and other natural resources in New Jersey. This is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-2 Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
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.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.1.6-8 Explain how economic decisions affect the well-being of individuals, businesses, and society.
D2.Eco.2.6-8 Evaluate alternative approaches or solutions to current economic issues in terms of benefits and costs for different groups and society as a whole.
D2.Eco.8.6-8 Explain how external benefits and costs influence market outcomes.
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.10.9-12 Evaluate how changes in the environmental and cultural characteristics of a place or region influence spatial patterns of trade and land use.
D2.Geo.6.9-12 Evaluate the impact of human settlement activities on the environmental and cultural characteristics of specific places and regions.
D2.Geo.9.9-12 Evaluate the influence of long-term climate variability on human migration and settlement patterns, resource use, and land uses at local-to-global scales.
