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Planning to teach Climate specific topics?

Bryan Dibble

I want to adopt some Climate Project into my 12-week Contemporary World Problems class this year. Our department sets this class up using Google Sites, and each student looks through the lens of a different world country.  Students pick a country, then each issue we bring up they put that country’s perspective on the issue into their website. We don’t teach the climate issues in a set piece, we look at maybe one big issue every 2 or 3 weeks, and go back and forth between Environment, Globalization, Human Rights, and Conflict. I know there is another thread called, “What would you prioritize?” from a few months ago, that’s given me some good ideas, and I appreciate   giving great links, and    suggestions of what units to use and  and   with suggestions like getting other teachers involved and solutions to avoid the “doom and gloom”. After reading these great comments, I’m still wanting to know what people think about which specific issues to bring up?  I do plan to use the skills from the Climate Project of course, but I'm trying to brainstorm specific issues I can lock my kids onto.  "Global Warming" is just too big a topic, what are some specific world issues that would grab interest and most countries are dealing with?

 

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  •    I love that you circle back to the topics throughout the year -- it's a great way to engage students in the content several times ... almost like getting a new food introduced: slowly, with multiple attempts, and variety. 

    I would love to spend more time examining climate justice: how climate change disproportionately affects women, people of color, economically disadvantaged groups, and then, work through an examination of how to mitigate this impact through innovation and direct action. I really enjoyed the Delicious Nuggets activity with the Climate Project's optimism lesson. 

  •  I think with the breadth of "climate change" I might have students decide what to address based on your geographic location and the impacts on students. For instance in Sacramento where I live, the more privileged neighborhoods have more tree cover than the more transitional areas.  This is a huge equity, health, and power bill issue!  A lot to unpack and address and can lead to a civic action project as well!

  • in reply to Janet Mann

     The tree cover issue is fantastic.  Same is true for parks, they are located in affluent areas whereas parking lots are in lower income areas.  Thanks!

  • in reply to Gwen Duralek

     Yes, moving through the term bouncing back and forth helps a lot.  We start with basic globalization, and then a few weeks later, a deeper topic on globalization comes in.  Then they see how globalization affects human rights and the other topics.  If we just did a "unit" of each, the students miss the connections.  PLUS, with contemporary world problems, ANYTHING can happen in a school year and we need to talk about it and having these four categories makes everything a little more understandable.  Human rights feeds in nicely with what you have suggested here and what Janet remined me of below.  I KNEW it wasn't a dumb question to throw out, you two both gave me ideas I really hadn't thought directly about.  Coolio!

  • Hi Bryan,

    That sounds like a great course that you have!  We have a Contemporary World Issues course at my school, but I haven't had a chance to teach it.

    A few years ago, I focused on the theme of migration, and it might be another focal point for you to explore, and help guide which countries you may want to focus in on.  When I had migration as the throughline, we looked at a few places where climate change could have a great impact.  We looked at the Maldives which kids thought mostly as a resort island, but since you also already have India, they have worsening concerns with the monsoon season.  Also places where drought and food scarcity has caused climate migration.  Retro Report and Foreign Policy Association had a great webinar in late spring where they shared a lot of good materials.  Here's their slidedeck with links embedded throughout. 

    Good luck in the upcoming year! Looking forward to see what you do with this material!

  •  , so many good things you have brought up and already discussed. Very cool.

    I had two thoughts to dovetail.

    1. With contemporary world issues, you never know what might pop up any given month. But for sure "conflict" will be a sure thing somewhere. Something I started doing a few years ago was to examine a conflict not only on the surface issues of power, wealth, resources, religion, etc... but also based on climate issues, spoken of or not.  For example, how much of the stated issues in the Middle East really deal with water rights? How much do changing climate trends feed into civil unrest in northern Africa? It just adds another, deeper perspective.

    2. Scale-switching on you now.... an example on a more local level, how practical are EV's in Eastern Washington? Is that the best way our region can deal with lowering CO2 emissions? How long with Hanford Cleanup take? Are we racing against the environmental clock?

    Just some thoughts. Let us know what/how you might kick off your class this year.

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser

      Suberb ideas, thanks!  We touched on how war affects the environment late last year, I'm reminded to do this again regarding the Middle East, Ukraine, Yemen, and other places where the cleanup might take decades.  IF western powers come in to help that is, if no one helps rebuild, it could take generations.  I know there are towns in Ukraine that will never be rebuilt.

  • in reply to Gwen Duralek

    Thank you for starting this post  ! I like the ideas Gwen mentions here! I think that's a great starting point! 

    I have always wanted to incorporate parts of the Climate Project into my last Unit of BHP, but I always tend to run out of time. Keeping an eye on the ideas shared in this thread though because I always have one of my BHP Project groups be something related to Climate Change. I am thinking that utilizing parts of the Climate Project can help refine and bring more meaning to my climate change related BHP topics next year. 

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser
    Donnetta Elsasser said:
    but also based on climate issues, spoken of or not. 

    This is an amazing idea- I am totally going to start doing this this school year! An important lens to analyze historic and current events through! My old Global History teacher used to get up on a chair and say nice and loudly "location, location, location!!!!!". She did this to get us thinking about the relevance of the historic event happening in said location. I can see this branching from a chat about location as well!