This video shows how the border between Switzerland and Italy is changing as the Theodul Glacier melts.
Students will learn that climate change is causing ice to melt in other mountain ranges, creating border disputes between India and China and between Chile and Argentina.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video is a great way to connect climate change and geopolitics.
It highlights a unique impact of climate change that is not often discussed.
Additional Prerequisites
This video begins with two advertisements.
The video description offers several links for further reading.
Differentiation
Civics, government, or social studies classes could use this video in a discussion about political and geographic borders. Students could consider the following questions:
Why do countries have borders?
Why can some countries negotiate mobile-border agreements while other countries cannot?
Could climate change affect other borders? How?
Earth science classes could use this video in a lesson about watersheds. Students could discuss other watersheds that could be affected by climate change.
Other resources on this topic include this video on the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, this interactive simulation on glaciers, and this lesson plan on the greenhouse effect.
Scientist Notes
The video explains how warming temperatures cause melting glaciers and border shifts. This is expected, as most recently, Antarctica and the arctic regions are melting as a result of climate change. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
HS-ESS3-5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth systems.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.3.6-8 Examine the origins, purposes, and impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements.
D2.Civ.3.9-12 Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements on the maintenance of national and international order.
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.9.6-8 Evaluate the influences of long-term human-induced environmental change on spatial patterns of conflict and cooperation.
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.
