This video provides a realistic and hopeful outlook on the future of stopping climate change.
Students will learn that while climate change is still a real and pressing problem, individuals, companies, and countries have started to make significant changes to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video emphasizes how ineffective hopelessness is in the fight against climate change.
Students will learn that developing countries do not need to rely on emissions-heavy energy to grow their economies because green energy has become cheaper and more reliable.
Additional Prerequisites
This video contains advertisements before and during the video, with a paid advertisement starting at 14 minutes, 10 seconds.
Differentiation
Psychology classes could use this video in a discussion about mindset. Students could discuss why hopelessness leads to apathy while hopefulness leads to action.
History classes could trace the evolution of popular opinion on climate change, taking into account the roles of scientists, oil and coal companies, world leaders, and activists.
Other resources on this topic include this TED video on the importance of stubborn optimism in fighting climate change, this video and activity on how to take climate action, and this video on how nature can help heal the damage from climate change.
Scientist Notes
The film delves into the evolution of climate solutions to combat global warming. It raises concerns about how we may address the climate catastrophe by altering our diets, consuming less energy, and lowering air travel, among other things. We must prioritize climate solutions in order to meet the lofty Paris target. This is an excellent teaching resource.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-2 Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
Dimension 2: Civics
D2.Civ.12.9-12 Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
Dimension 2: Economics
D2.Eco.13.9-12 Explain why advancements in technology and investments in capital goods and human capital increase economic growth and standards of living.
D2.Eco.15.9-12 Explain how current globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, rights of citizens, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
Dimension 2: Geography
D2.Geo.11.9-12 Evaluate how economic globalization and the expanding use of scarce resources contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among countries.
