The People Who Caused the Climate Crisis Won't Fix It
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Science, Social Studies
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by TED
What it is
- In this TED 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.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the unequal effects of climate change and the unequal burdens of environmental pollution.
- There may be an ad before the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Consider using this mapping resource to explore where air quality 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.
From the scientist review
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.
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