In this video, Angela Mahecha Adrar discusses her thoughts about the communities affected most by climate change, who should lead the transition to a greener and more sustainable future, and the links between economic justice and social justice.
She argues that solutions that improve social and economic outcomes for minorities and low-income families can also be effective solutions to fight climate change.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This video is an excellent resource to explore the social aspects of climate change and inspire students to take climate action.
Additional resources that would be helpful for further research into climate justice are listed below the video.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the unequal effects of climate change and the unequal burdens of environmental pollution.
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Differentiation
Consider using these mapping resources to explore where air quality and pollution from fossil fuels may be the worst in the students' region.
Social studies classes could use this video to extend this topic.
Students may have differing feelings and opinions after watching this video. A helpful activity could be a debate or discussion about the topics addressed or by answering guiding questions in groups.
Scientist Notes
This 12-minute TED talk presents multiple examples of ways in which climate change is disproportionately affecting local communities that live in what the speaker calls "Sacrifice Zones." Personal anecdotes and community-scale solutions are shared from a wide range of communities and the concepts of environmental, racial, and climate justice are presented. 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.
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Speaking & Listening (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 4: Taking Informed Action
D4.6.9-12 Use disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses to understand the characteristics and causes of local, regional, and global problems; instances of such problems in multiple contexts; and challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address these problems over time and place.
D4.7.9-12 Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.
D4.8.9-12 Apply a range of deliberative and democratic strategies and procedures to make decisions and take action in their classrooms, schools, and out-of-school civic contexts.
