In this media literacy activity, students will analyze an article from the World Economic Forum and a digital comic book on the impacts of carbon trading.
Students will learn that there are a variety of perspectives on carbon trading and they will have the opportunity to think critically about their own feelings on the issue.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This resource contains a lesson plan for teachers and handouts for students.
The materials can be downloaded and used offline.
Additional Prerequisites
The article and the comic were produced before COP26, which finalized the carbon market rules. Teachers should explain the current situation to students before they start the activity.
Teachers must create an account with Project Look Sharp to access the materials.
Teachers could ask students to answer questions outside their formal discipline to show students how academic disciplines are interconnected.
Differentiation
Economics and civics students could research the carbon market rules that were established during COP26 and evaluate the efficacy of the carbon market in substantially reducing global emissions.
Art students could make their own political comics to show how carbon trading works and to present the pros and cons of the issue.
This resource provides students with the skills to understand how carbon trading affects the environment and resource distribution and how to negotiate policies to cut down global Greenhouse gas emissions. The resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-2 Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-1 Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.12.9-12 Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
D2.Civ.5.9-12 Evaluate citizens' and institutions' effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.
D2.Civ.6.9-12 Critique relationships among governments, civil societies, and economic markets.
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.1.9-12 Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups.
D2.Eco.15.9-12 Explain how current globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, rights of citizens, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
