This video from TED is about the necessity of stubborn optimism to achieve a sustainable planet for future generations.
Students will learn about how Christiana Figueres was inspired by her father, the former president of Costa Rica, to take immediate action on climate and inspire global cooperation.
Teaching Tips
Positives
Christiana is like a coach giving an inspiring speech to the team (humanity) to take action with a positive mindset.
It can serve as social-emotional learning for students who are feeling overwhelmed when learning about climate change and environmentalism.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should know what decarbonization is and why it would lead to a more sustainable future.
Students should know generally about the 2015 Paris Agreement and what it set out to accomplish.
Differentiation
This resource can be used as a reason for hope and optimism for any students who are feeling despair or are overwhelmed about the climate crisis.
There is a video transcript with a read-along feature for students who need support following along.
Students who want first-hand testimonials about individuals showing hope and resilience in the face of challenges can look at Hope After Hurricanes or Real World Impacts.
While there is no specific science in this video to verify, Christiana Figueres offers an important perspective on climate change about staying optimistic. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.7.9-12 Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others.
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.7.6-8 Assess their individual and collective capacities to take action to address local, regional, and global problems, taking into account a range of possible levers of power, strategies, and potential outcomes.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.3 Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone used.
