Human Change, Not Climate Change!

Earth & Environmental Sciences
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Created by
Let's Talk Science National Office
Activity Language
English
Grade
Grades 9-10,  Grades 11-12
Time Needed for Activity
1-2 hours
Subjects
Biology,  Earth and Environmental Sciences,  Health Science
Good for Virtual Delivery
No/Low materials

Climate change is taking place all around us, but how do we see and measure it?

In this activity, students will learn how scientists assess forest health and observe climate change through phenotype observations such as leaf colour, tree rings and more! Participants will reflect on their own carbon footprint and climate shadow, and set personal or community goals to reduce their own environmental impact.

What You Need

  • Projector
  • Computer for teacher
  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Photo of tree rings (Activity 2)
  • Calculator (Activity 3)
  • World View Map (Activity 4)

Guide:

Presentation

What To Do

Activity 1: Check your Understanding

  • Facilitator gives a copy of the Activity 1 – Check Your Understanding handout to all the students. This can be done with a hardcopy or a PDF file.
  • The activity is best done individually, but some alternatives are:
    • Students can be split into 5 groups with 6 students each in a classroom of 30 students and work on the questions in a discussion format
    • Questions can be completed in a classroom discussion format. For example, questions from the worksheet can be used as prompts or specific hand gestures (or reactions for virtual) for different answers can be tallied and recorded to be shared with the class
  • Encourage the participants that there are no right or wrong answers but only a learning experience
  • For virtual discussions, use Zoom Poll as a quick sprint quiz (optional)
  • Give the students the next 5 minutes to work on the handout then begin activity 2 then wrap-up the entire activity by reflecting what they have learnt.

Activity 2: Case Study

  • [Show Slide 3].

Do you think plants can record climate change? Answers will vary.

Plants can record climate change and it has been as long as we know it and today, we will be studying some ways plants do that!

  • [Show Slide 4].

What is climate change? Answers will vary.

Weather, this is a term we use daily. What is the weather like? What exactly are we talking about? Answers will vary.

  1. Ask the participants what is the difference between where they live compared to everyone across Canada.
  2. Define latitude and longitude and how it affects our climate and our ecosystems.
  • [Show Slide 5].

What are the major differences between where we all live in Canada or even the world? Answers will vary.

  • [Show Slide 6].

There is one major difference that affects our climate and time. Latitude and Longitude

  1. Showcase to the participants how plants record all environmental events like our tree ring records droughts etc.
  • [Show Slide 7-9].

Every disaster such as a wildfire to drought, all these are recorded through tree rings. Each of the tree rings represents a year. What do you think affects the thickness of each tree ring? Answers will vary.

  1. Walk through how environmental scientists collect data.
  • [Show Slide 10].
  1. Define genotype and phenotype.
    1. For example: is “A-G-C-G-T” a genotype or phenotype?
    2. For example: you can see that someone’s eyes are green. Is that an observation of a phenotype or genotype?
    3. For example: is a program an analogy of a genotype or phenotype?
    4. For example: is binary coding an analogy of a genotype or phenotype?
  • [Show Slide 11].
  1. Hand out Activity #2 – Case Study worksheets and photos. Make this like a lab.
  1. [Show Slide 12].

Let's work on a case study! You have 15 minutes to attempt it and then we will bring it back together. 

  • [Show Slide 13-14].

How do you think leaves record or changes alongside with climate change?

Do you think a tree leaf is larger when there is more sunlight? Answers will vary.

  1. Yes, the leaf will be larger with more sunlight
  2. No, the leaf will be smaller with more sunlight
  • [Show Slide 15].

Why do you think leaves take forever to show signs of change? And what else do you think changes about leaves other than size?  Answers will vary.

  1. Ask the participants what other features of our ecosystem can also record changes in our climate; form a discussion.
  • [Show Slide 16].

What other form of phenotype do you think forest scientists observe to access climate change and forest health? Answers will vary.

  1. After 10 minutes, group the participants back together and go through the case study together and wrap up with phenotype reflection questions (listed within speaker notes).
  2. After going through the case study together, ensure to leave enough time (7minutes) within the 25 minutes time frame in order to play the TED Archive - Trees and their Genetic Blueprints: Sally Aitken that will summarize this activity as well as segway into the next segment.

Activity 3: Reflection - Carbon Footprint and Climate Shadow

  • Note for facilitator(s): Slides #19-29 are optional. Points are summarized for each step on the slides.
  1. Hand out Activity #3 – Carbon Footprint handouts to participants via PDF or hardcopy.
  2. Give 5 minutes for the students to work on it
  • [Show Slide 30].
  1. Come back together to discuss:
    1. Why does individual carbon footprint matter?
    2. How can an individual or a community decrease their carbon footprint?
    3. What are some flaws in this method of calculating our carbon footprint?
  • [Show Slide 31-35].

Climate change can lead to an increase in wildfire, health issues, diseases, insects and more. Let’s look at some things that are happening around the world.

  • [Show Slide 36-39].
  1. Challenge the students to start their own Carbon Footprint or Climate Shadow Slash movement at their school!

Wrap-Up

  • Suggested closing discussion questions:
    • What will you do or be aware of more after this activity?
    • How do you think climate change is shaping our world, including your future?
    • What was your favourite activity today?
    • Do you think this climate change workshop was engaging and informative?
    • Do you have any questions for me?
  • [Show Slide 40-43].

If you are interested in environmental science, there are a lot of different pathways that might be interesting to you.

  • [Show Slide 44].

Let’s take a listen from a professional from our country!

Play the Discovery Canada - Meet Sally Aitken video to wrap up the workshop.

See the Human Change – Updated Guide 2023 for more suggestions and prompts.

Discovery

It is important to understand how our scientists are studying climate change and how we can observe it in our day-to-day life to form choices of our own to better positively impact our environment. When we study climate change and environmental science there are several terms, we must understand the differences before we understand climate change. Weather is the atmosphere acts in a short period of time, during a moment of time. For example, this moment can be very sunny but the next moment, it could be raining. In the moment of time, the weather is constantly changing. Then what is climate? When we talk about the climate, it is the atmosphere acting over a long-term period of time.

Global warming and climate change, people often think it can be used interchangeably but we cannot. Global warming is actually the heating of the Earth’s temperature over a long period of time. So, then what is climate change? Climate Change is the long-term AVERAGE daily weather.

Every disaster such as a wildfire to drought, all these are recorded through tree rings. Drought Scars are one of these hardest to determine because it simply measures the thickness of the ring. Some years where there is very little rainfall, there may not even be a visible tree ring. Fire scars are one of the easiest to determine because the fire has simply burnt through the bark into the tree ring. 

So, forest scientists or commonly known as environmental scientists; they do not actually cut down a whole tree to analysis it! Rather they use a technique called ‘dendrochronology’ to take samples from a population of trees and analysis to see how healthy a forest is and what has taken place. They simply use a nail like rod and drill it into the tree bark and grab a sample if it. Simple, effective, cost efficient and we can keep our trees.

Activity #3 – Climate Change Contribution and Solutions

Are you contributing to climate change? Calculating our carbon footprint is just one way of thinking about how our actions impact climate change. 

Another more holistic approach to thinking about our impact on climate change is the concept of the “climate shadow”. It considers not only low-impact actions to reduce climate change that can be measured, like turning off the lights or separating our waste, but also actions that are more difficult to measure but can be more high-impact, like teaching others about climate action and going to insightful workshops like this one to learn more about climate change. The “climate shadow” can also consider the context behind the actions towards our carbon footprint, such as whether public transportation is available/reliable in our region or how far apart and easily accessible important resources are in a community.

The climate shadow can be thought of as:

  1. Our consumption: How much air conditioning we decide to use, our contribution to consumer culture, our carbon footprint
  2. Our choices: Where we choose to spend our money, how many people we have dependent on us (e.g., children, pets), where we choose to work and what type of work we do
  3. Our attention: How much time and energy do we give to the climate crisis?

Climate change can lead to an increase in wildfire, health issues, diseases, insects and more. Some solutions to the problems listed today include:

Acid Rain:

  1. Adding powered limestone to affected waterways
  2. Calcium pellets to restore acidified soils
  3. Regulating emissions from factories and vehicles
  4. Using alternative energies

Agriculture:

  1. Crop rotation
  2. Plant diverse species of crops
  3. Companion-planting (e.g. marigolds)
  4. Encourage growth of regulatory insects (ladybugs)
  5. Homemade fungicides

Insects and Infectious Disease:

  1. Preventative measures
  2. Public health regulations
  3. Monitoring infected areas

Forest Health:

  1. Controlled fires
  2. Retaining big trees
  3. Increasing species diversity

Air Quality:

  1. Air quality monitoring
  2. Improving fuel quality
  3. Environmental protection laws

Animal Health:

  1. Designing protected environments for livestock
  2. Safe and sustainable livestock food
  3. Self-sufficiency of natural resources on the farm

Economic:

  1. Clean energy, less vulnerable economy
  2. Environmental regulations and reinforcements
  3. Adaptability and resilience of key economic sectors (agriculture, healthcare etc.)

What's Happening?

It is important to understand how our scientists are studying climate change and how we can observe it in our day-to-day life to form choices of our own to better positively impact our environment. When we study climate change and environmental science there are several terms, we must understand the differences before we understand climate change. Weather is the atmosphere acts in a short period of time, during a moment of time. For example, this moment can be very sunny but the next moment, it could be raining. In the moment of time, the weather is constantly changing. Then what is climate? When we talk about the climate, it is the atmosphere acting over a long-term period of time.

Global warming and climate change, people often think it can be used interchangeably but we cannot. Global warming is actually the heating of the Earth’s temperature over a long period of time. So, then what is climate change? Climate Change is the long-term AVERAGE daily weather.

Every disaster such as a wildfire to drought, all these are recorded through tree rings. Drought Scars are one of these hardest to determine because it simply measures the thickness of the ring. Some years where there is very little rainfall, there may not even be a visible tree ring. Fire scars are one of the easiest to determine because the fire has simply burnt through the bark into the tree ring. 

So, forest scientists or commonly known as environmental scientists; they do not actually cut down a whole tree to analysis it! Rather they use a technique called ‘dendrochronology’ to take samples from a population of trees and analysis to see how healthy a forest is and what has taken place. They simply use a nail like rod and drill it into the tree bark and grab a sample if it. Simple, effective, cost efficient and we can keep our trees.

Activity #3 – Climate Change Contribution and Solutions

Are you contributing to climate change? Calculating our carbon footprint is just one way of thinking about how our actions impact climate change. 

Another more holistic approach to thinking about our impact on climate change is the concept of the “climate shadow”. It considers not only low-impact actions to reduce climate change that can be measured, like turning off the lights or separating our waste, but also actions that are more difficult to measure but can be more high-impact, like teaching others about climate action and going to insightful workshops like this one to learn more about climate change. The “climate shadow” can also consider the context behind the actions towards our carbon footprint, such as whether public transportation is available/reliable in our region or how far apart and easily accessible important resources are in a community.

The climate shadow can be thought of as:

  1. Our consumption: How much air conditioning we decide to use, our contribution to consumer culture, our carbon footprint
  2. Our choices: Where we choose to spend our money, how many people we have dependent on us (e.g., children, pets), where we choose to work and what type of work we do
  3. Our attention: How much time and energy do we give to the climate crisis?

Why Does it Matter?

Climate change can lead to an increase in wildfire, health issues, diseases, insects and more. Some solutions to the problems listed today include:

Acid Rain:

  1. Adding powered limestone to affected waterways
  2. Calcium pellets to restore acidified soils
  3. Regulating emissions from factories and vehicles
  4. Using alternative energies

Agriculture:

  1. Crop rotation
  2. Plant diverse species of crops
  3. Companion-planting (e.g. marigolds)
  4. Encourage growth of regulatory insects (ladybugs)
  5. Homemade fungicides

Insects and Infectious Disease:

  1. Preventative measures
  2. Public health regulations
  3. Monitoring infected areas

Forest Health:

  1. Controlled fires
  2. Retaining big trees
  3. Increasing species diversity

Air Quality:

  1. Air quality monitoring
  2. Improving fuel quality
  3. Environmental protection laws

Animal Health:

  1. Designing protected environments for livestock
  2. Safe and sustainable livestock food
  3. Self-sufficiency of natural resources on the farm

Economic:

  1. Clean energy, less vulnerable economy
  2. Environmental regulations and reinforcements
  3. Adaptability and resilience of key economic sectors (agriculture, healthcare etc.)

Investigate Further

Resources

Web

TED Archive - Trees and their genetic blueprints: Sally Aitken

Discovery Canada - Meet Sally Aitken

The Guardian - Indian Government declares Delhi air pollution an emergency

Sustainability for All - 6 Things you can do to Prevent Climate Change

Interesting Engineering - What Acid Rain is and Ways to Restore the Damage it Causes

Nature Geoscience - The Contribution of Manure and Fertilizer Nitrogen to Atmospheric Nitrous Oxide since 1860

European Respiratory Review - Climate Change and Respiratory Disease

State of the Planet - Climate Change to Exacerbate Rising Food Prices

Joint Economic Committee - Acting on Climate will Fight Inflation, Lower Costs and Grow the Economy Faster for Decades to Come

Attachments

Human Change - Updated Guide 2023

Human Change - Updated Presentation

Human Change - Worksheet

Human Change - Worksheet Answer Key