Explore 7 Climate Change Solutions

Lesson Overview

Earlier this summer season, a report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, a physique of scientists convened by the United Nations, discovered that some devastating impacts of world warming had been unavoidable. However there may be nonetheless a brief window to cease issues from getting even worse.

This report shall be central at COP26, the worldwide local weather summit the place about 20,000 heads of state, diplomats and activists are assembly in individual this week to set new targets for chopping emissions from coal, oil and fuel which might be heating the planet.

On this lesson, you’ll study seven methods we will decelerate local weather change and head off a few of its most catastrophic penalties whereas we nonetheless have time. Utilizing a jigsaw exercise, you’ll develop into an professional in certainly one of these methods or applied sciences and share what you study along with your classmates. Then, you’ll develop your personal local weather plan and take into account methods you can also make a distinction primarily based in your new information.

Heat-Up

What are you aware in regards to the methods the world can sluggish local weather change? Begin by making an inventory of methods, applied sciences or insurance policies that might assist clear up the local weather disaster.

Which of your concepts do you assume may have the most important impression on local weather change? Circle what you assume is likely to be the highest three.

Now, take a look at your information by taking this 2017 interactive quiz:

After you’ve completed, mirror by yourself in writing or in dialogue with a accomplice:

• What options to local weather change did you study that you just didn’t know earlier than?

• Had been you stunned by any of the solutions within the quiz? If that’s the case, which of them and why?

• What questions do you continue to have about fixing local weather change?

Jigsaw Exercise

As you discovered within the warm-up, there are numerous doable methods to mitigate the worst results of local weather change. Under we’ve rounded up seven of the best options, a lot of which you’ll have been launched to within the quiz above.

On this jigsaw exercise, you’ll develop into an professional in one of many local weather options listed under after which current what you discovered to your classmates. Academics could assign a pupil or small group to every matter, or permit them to decide on. College students, learn at the least one of many linked articles in your matter; you can too use that article as a jumping-off level for extra analysis.

Local weather Change Options

• Renewable vitality: Scientists agree that to keep away from probably the most catastrophic results of local weather change, nations should instantly transfer away from soiled vitality sources like coal, oil and fuel, and as an alternative flip to renewable vitality sources like wind, photo voltaic or nuclear energy. Learn in regards to the potent prospects of certainly one of these producers, offshore wind farms, and see how they function.

• Refrigerants: It’s not probably the most thrilling answer to local weather change, nevertheless it is without doubt one of the handiest. Examine how making refrigerants, like air-conditioners, extra environment friendly may eradicate a full diploma Celsius of warming by 2100.

• Transportation: Throughout the globe, governments are centered on limiting one of many world’s largest sources of air pollution: gasoline-powered vehicles. Learn in regards to the guarantees and challenges of electrical autos or about how nations are rethinking their transit programs.

• Methane emissions: You hear rather a lot about the necessity to cut back carbon dioxide within the environment, however what about its harmful cousin, methane? Examine concepts to halt methane emissions and why doing so might be highly effective within the short-term battle in opposition to local weather change.

• Agriculture: Efforts to restrict world warming usually goal fossil fuels, however chopping greenhouse gases from meals manufacturing is pressing, too, analysis says. Examine 4 fixes to earth’s meals provide that might go a great distance.

• Nature conservation: Scientists agree that reversing biodiversity loss is an important strategy to sluggish local weather change. Examine how defending and restoring nature might help cool the planet or about how Indigenous communities may prepared the ground.

• Carbon seize: Eliminating emissions alone might not be sufficient to keep away from a few of the worst results of local weather change, so some firms are investing in know-how that sucks carbon dioxide out of the air. Be taught extra about so-called engineered carbon removing.

Inquiries to Take into account

As you examine your local weather answer, reply to the questions under. You possibly can report your solutions on this graphic organizer (PDF).

1. What’s the answer? How does it work?

2. What drawback associated to local weather change does this technique tackle?

3. What impact may it have on world warming?

4. In contrast with different methods to mitigate local weather change, how efficient is that this one? Why?

5. What are the restrictions of this answer?

6. What are a few of the challenges or dangers (political, social, financial or technical) of this concept?

7. What additional questions do you’ve about this technique?

Once you’ve completed, you’ll meet in “instructing teams” with at the least one professional in every of the opposite local weather options. Share what you already know about your matter along with your classmates and report what you study from them in your graphic organizer.

Going Additional

Possibility 1: Develop a local weather plan.

Scientists say that with the intention to forestall the common world temperature from rising greater than 1.5 levels Celsius, the brink past which the hazards of world warming develop immensely, we might want to enact all of the options you discovered about — and extra. Nevertheless, the fact is that nations received’t be capable of immediately. They should take into account which might have the most important or quickest impression on local weather change, that are probably the most cost-effective and that are probably the most politically and socially possible.

Think about you’ve been requested to provide you with a plan to deal with local weather change. In case you had been in cost, which of those seven options would you prioritize and why? You would possibly begin by rating the options you discovered about from the best or pressing to the least.

Then, write a proposal on your plan that responds to the next questions:

• What high three options are priorities? That’s, which do you assume are probably the most pressing to sort out immediately and the best at slowing world warming?

• Clarify your choices. In line with your analysis — the articles you learn and the quiz you took at first of the lesson — why ought to these options take priority?

• How would possibly you incentivize firms and residents to embrace these adjustments? For some concepts, you would possibly learn extra in regards to the local weather insurance policies nations all over the world have adopted to assist cut back greenhouse fuel emissions.

Possibility 2: Take motion.

Fascinated by local weather change options on such a giant scale could be overwhelming, however there are issues you are able to do in your personal life and in your neighborhood to make a distinction. Select one of many actions under to take motion on, or provide you with certainly one of your personal:

• Share local weather options by way of media. Typically, the information media focuses extra on local weather change issues than options. Counteract this narrative by creating one thing for publication associated to a number of of the options you discovered about. For instance, you can submit a letter to the editor, write an article on your college newspaper, enter a bit in certainly one of our upcoming pupil contests or create an infographic to share on social media.

• Make adjustments in your personal life. How are you going to make good local weather selections associated to a number of of the subjects you discovered about? For instance, you can eat much less meat, take public transportation or flip off your air-conditioner. Write a plan, explaining what you’ll do (or what you’re already doing) and the way it may assist mitigate local weather change, in accordance with the analysis.

• Be part of a motion. This visitor essay urges folks to give attention to programs, not themselves. What teams may you become involved with which might be working towards a few of the options you discovered about? Establish at the least one group, both native, nationwide or worldwide, and a method you can help it. Or, in the event you’re sufficiently old to vote, take into account a neighborhood, state or federal politician you want to help primarily based on his or her local weather insurance policies.

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