The Heat Dome, Climate Anxiety and Oregon’s Future

• This podcast discusses the role of climate change in the deadly 2021 heat wave in the Portland area, the likelihood of a similar event occurring again, and the impact of this on the mental health of young people.
• Students will learn why the heat wave was as deadly as it was and will take a look at how the lack of young voices in policy-making is contributing to youth anxiety.

Positives

• A large portion of this podcast is dedicated to talking about the climate anxiety that young people feel, which many students may be able to relate to.
• This podcast does a great job of defining some unknown terms within the conversation.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the terms heat dome, heat wave, confluence, and off-shore flow.
• Students who struggle with auditory processing and/or English language learners may benefit from either slowing the podcast playback speed or using a speech-to-text tool to be able to read and listen at the same time.
• There is an advertisement in the middle of the podcast.
  

Differentiation

• After listening, geography students can look at a temperature map of Oregon during the 2021 heat dome to compare the temperatures throughout the state and discuss why some areas might have experienced higher temperatures.
  
• This podcast can launch a discussion in social studies classes about the relationship between the urban heat island effect, the locations where this effect is most notably seen, and the demographics of the people that live in those locations. 
• This podcast can also launch a discussion about students' feelings associated with climate issues and whether they are facing any climate anxiety.
• After listening, civics classes can think of ways that policy-makers can involve young people in the decision-making process.
• Science classes can discuss how the different weather events contributed to the 2021 heat dome and the health effects of excess heat on body systems and maintaining homeostasis.