Carbon Capture 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
- In this lesson, students will learn how some carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels can be captured and stored underground or used in some manufacturing processes.
- Students will listen to a podcast about carbon capture and storage, complete an activity about using captured carbon dioxide to make sustainable concrete, read and discuss articles about carbon capture topics, and learn about carbon capture facilities around the world using an interactive map.
Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The podcast features interviews with Howard Herzog, the senior research engineer for the MIT Energy Initiative, and MIT professor of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Brad Hager.
- Students will learn about many aspects of carbon capture from a variety of sources.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand the role that carbon dioxide plays in climate change.
- The Concrete Without Quarries activity requires several materials. It is part of a lesson that is designed to take two 60-minute classes.
Differentiation
- In classes with a variety of reading levels, teachers may want to modify the reading and discussion tasks so that students read one article per small group and have the groups present their findings to the class.
- Economics and civics classes could discuss the prospects of using incentives or a carbon tax to get companies to capture and store carbon.
- Other resources on this topic include this video on using kelp to capture carbon, this PBS video on large-scale carbon capture, and this video on using captured carbon to make concrete.
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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 →
