4) Thermosphere -fourth layer of Earth’s atmosphere
-may be 550 miles thick
-upper layer of the troposphere blends with space
-air in the thermosphere is very thin and has little protection from the scorching heat of
the sun.
-temperatures can reach 2000° F.
Greenhouse Effect
The greenhouse effect is what allows for the proliferation of life on Earth. Like a
greenhouse, Earth’ s atmosphere allows sunlight to enter and penetrate all the way to
the surface in the form of short-wave radiation. The heat that is radiated back from the
rocks and oceans is at a different wavelength from the incoming sunlight. This longer
wavelength has more active atmospheric absorption than the incoming short-wave radiation.
This difference accounts for the natural greenhouse effect that makes life on Earth
possible in the first place.
The long-wave radiation does not travel back out through the atmosphere like the
sunlight coming in because much of it is absorbed by clouds and naturally occurring trace
gases in the atmosphere. The main long-wave absorbing gas is water vapor, mostly in the
form of clouds. Then there is carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. These
gases are more efficient at absorbing outgoing long-wave radiation than incoming
short-wave radiation. Therefore, they trap heat and there occurs a natural greenhouse
effect. The trapped heat is then distributed around the planet by direct radiation (as
from the rocks), air currents, evaporation, cloud formation and rainfall. Scientists
calculate that without the naturally occurring greenhouse effect, Earth would be about 60° F cooler than the global current average of 59°F (Easterbrook
1995). Our planet would be frozen (0° F) without the
greenhouse effect. 
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
The enhanced greenhouse effect is largely caused by the addition of fossil fuel
emissions into the atmosphere. These emissions come from a variety of sources including
industries, trains, plains, automobiles, coal-burning utility companies, and even lighter
fluids for outdoor cooking. Seven to eight billion tons of carbon dioxide are pumped into
the atmosphere each year by these human activities. (Nature produces 200 billion tons).
Pre-industrial levels of CO2 were 280 parts per million. The present
concentration is 370 parts per million. Future levels are predicted to reach 555 parts per
million around 2100. (Gutzler 2000) As humankind becomes accustomed to convenience and
luxury, our dependence on fossil fuel grows and soon society will be forced to examine the
consequences of our desired lifestyles.
Careful measurements of other greenhouse gases indicate increasing levels of methane,
nitrous oxide and ozone. Methane (CH4) is estimated to have thirty times the
warming potency of carbon dioxide. Methane is a waste product of the biological activity
of certain bacteria. Major contributors of methane include cattle, sheep and rice paddies.
As our world population burgeons at 6 billion (10 billion by 2100 Gribbin, 1990) there
will be more demands placed upon these food sources and consequently, more methane
production trapping more heat. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is also increasing but at a
slower rate than methane. The increase in N2O is mainly a result of the use of
nitrogen-based agricultural fertilizers, but can also be attributed to the burning of
fossil fuels, lightning, and biological activity in soils. Ozone (O3) is a form
of oxygen and is very efficient at absorbing infrared radiation. Most of the ozone in the
atmosphere is in the stratosphere where it is both created and destroyed by photochemical
processes in a series of reactions. These reactions are roughly in balance but are now
being disturbed by human activities. Ozone production is increasing with the population,
as are the other greenhouse gases.
The most prevalent greenhouse gas and the one most responsible for global warming is
water vapor. It has a concentration thirty times greater than carbon dioxide and is
responsible for nearly 99% of the natural greenhouse effect. (Easterbrook, 1995).
Unfortunately, even the slightest warming caused by an increase in CO2 levels
will cause more evaporation of ocean waters, which in turn, creates more heat trapping
water vapor in the atmosphere. This is a positive feedback in the climate system.
An Overview of the Effects of Global Warming
Melting of Polar Ice
The break up of polar ice shelves may be the most dramatic manifestation of global
warming. Glacial ice that has been frozen for twenty thousand years is breaking up and
melting at rates far greater than anticipated by scientists. (Gelspan 1997) The surface of
ice acts like a mirror and reflects most of the sunlight back into the atmosphere. When
ice shelves break up, exposed rocks absorb heat and further warm the ice cap. The earth
will reflect less heat and retain more of it, perpetuating the process.
Recent data show that the Arctic ice cap has thinned in the last decade. The melting of
this polar ice sheet will destroy the algae that grow on its underside and form the basis
of the food chain which vast numbers of fish, seabirds, and mammals depend. Algae also
produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide, a global bonus we do not want to lose.
Plankton, which thrives in cold seas, is also under threat both from rising ocean
temperatures and from increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation due to ozone depletion.
Plankton also plays a key role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by
incorporating it into their cells. Certain plankton (phyto-plankton) also produce oxygen.
A reduction in plankton productivity could therefore dramatically accelerate global
warming and destroy ocean food chains.
Rising Sea Levels
As carbon dioxide builds up and traps heat in our atmosphere, the oceans absorb some of
this heat and sea levels rise due to thermal expansion. The resulting warmth expands ocean
waters, just as the level of water heated on the stove expands in its pan. The rising of
sea levels will result in serious environmental and social problems for human kind. These
include:
Island nations and coastal communities will be gradually inundated by ocean
waters and habitable land will shrink (Kiribati, Maldives, Bangladesh, Egypt, Holland,
Louisiana, etc.).
Sea walls can be built, but at a cost that may not be attainable by developing nations
(hundreds of billions).
As people are forced to move inland, animal habitats will be infringed upon, further
stressing fragile bio-systems.
Rising sea levels will breach coastal habitats that are vital for providing protein to
poor communities. Animal such as shrimp, crawdads, and oysters that breed in estuaries,
(bays, etc. where fresh and salt water mix) will be killed off as oceans rise.
Animals at the top of the oceanic food chain may become endangered as warmer sea
temperatures disrupt algae and plankton production.
Coral reef production will be challenged as the careful balance between sea levels, sea
temperatures, and wave action is disrupted by global warming.
Rising sea levels will have serious economic consequences for island nations and
coastal communities that are dependent on tourism.
Island nations and coastal communities will experience deadlier and more frequent
storms and storm surges.
Coastal flooding by storms will result in the loss of crucial wetlands and mangrove
swamps that act as barriers between the land and the sea.
Fresh water will be harder to attain as rising sea levels inundate inland water
supplies.
Agriculturally productive delta areas will diminish due to rising seas. (Egypt,
Mississippi)
Croplands may become salty and nonproductive due to rising water tables from
infiltration of the seas.
Changing Patterns of Precipitation
One of the ironies of global warming is that a warmer Earth would probably mean more
rain and flooding in some areas. As temperatures rise there is more evaporation, which in
turn puts more water vapor into the atmosphere. Global warming will also induce higher
temperature differences between the land and sea surfaces, causing an increased transport
of precipitable water to the continents and increased rainfall.
As global temperatures increase and precipitation patterns change, there will also be a
shifting of plant and animal habitats. Ecological zones will shift toward the poles in an
attempt to escape rising temperatures. Many plant and trees species will not be able to
migrate fast enough, some perhaps only 1.2 miles a year. If ecological zones shift 60 to
95 miles or more over the next 40 years as some researchers predict, then there may be a
widespread extinction of plants and the animals dependent on them. Animals that can not
keep up with shifting zones may become extinct.
Desertification
Desertification is the degradation of drylands and is caused by climate change and
unsustainable land use. The most common forms of unsustainable land use are
over-cultivation, over-grazing, deforestation, and poor irrigation techniques. These
practices result in the loss of productivity in croplands, pastures and woodlands.
Drylands can be defined by having modest water supplies: less rainfall than forests, but
more rainfall than a desert. Pampas, steppes, plains, grasslands, and savannas are all
considered drylands. Hyper-arid areas, such as the great deserts, are not considered
drylands. Drylands are one of the most productive of the ecosystems (Milich 1997) and
serve as the world’s breadbaskets for grain production. The people living in drylands
are particularly resilient and have mastered their ecosystems in sustaining and
maintaining life in harsh areas.
Desertification is a worldwide phenomenon, affecting two-thirds of the countries in the
world and one-third of Earth’s livable surface, on which one billion people live. The
consequences of desertification are broad in spectrum, with the most serious of these
being the social costs. As drylands are degraded by climatic changes, malnutrition and
starvation can lead to famine, typically in areas that are also experiencing poverty,
civil unrest or war. In Africa, many people have become internally displaced or forced to
migrate to other countries due to war and drought. The environmental resources in and
around the cities and camps where these people settle come under severe pressure.
Difficult living conditions and loss of cultural identity further undermine social
stability.
The environmental consequences of desertification are perhaps more difficult to rectify
as the imbalances set in motion by either climate changes or human activities are slow to
recover. As native soils are subjected to harsh climatic conditions and human influences,
its physical and bio-chemical composition is changed, rendering it less productive.
Exposed and eroded topsoil can be blown or washed away by infrequent rainstorms. Gullies
and cracks may appear and wind or water can remove vital nutrients. If the water table
rises due to inadequate drainage and poor irrigation practices, the soil can become
waterlogged, and salts may build up. When soil is trampled and compacted by livestock, it
can lose its ability to support plant growth and to hold moisture, resulting in increased
evaporation and surface run-off. These are several of the factors responsible for
degrading drylands.
Another consequence of desertification at the local and global level is the destruction
of animal and vegetative species, resulting in a reduction in bio-diversity. This loss of
biodiversity affects the health of local people who rely on a large number of different
animal and vegetable species. It also encourages genetic erosion of local livestock and
plant varieties. The loss of genetic strains of cultivated and indigenous plants can
affect the possibility of producing botanically based medicines to treat or prevent
disease. The loss of vegetation also results in a loss of oxygen production and carbon
dioxide intake.
Insect Infestations and the Spreading of Tropical Disease
Insects are "cold blooded" and populations are kept in check by freezing and
cold temperatures. With the rise of global temperatures over the past ten years, many
countries are experiencing infestations that are ruining crops and homes and spreading
disease where none have existed. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
declared that "Climate change is likely to have wide ranging and mostly adverse
impacts on human health with significant loss of life."
The health effects from global warming are being experienced in many forms. As so often
happens, poor people are being hurt the most. Direct health effects from a warmer climate
include death by starvation, heat stroke and drowning. Indirect health effects include
cholera, malaria, dengue fever, typhoid, salmonella and bubonic plague.
Environmental Refugees
Today there are over 25 million environmental refugees roaming the world, squatting on
other people’s land, migrating to over-crowded cities, sneaking under cover of
darkness across borders, and scrambling to survive (Gelspan, 1997). Their numbers exceed
all other types of refugees — political, economic, and religious. Most of these
refugees are in sub-Saharan Africa, India, China, Mexico, and Central America—all at
a comfortable distance from North America.
The number of environmental refugees is expected to grow exponentially with the growth
rate of the human population. By 2050, the following countries are predicted to contribute
millions of environmental refugees to an increasingly homeless world:
Bangladesh ~26 million refugees
Egypt ~12 million refugees
China ~85 million refugees
India ~20 million refugees (Myers, 1995).
As water, food, and shelter availability continue to become less accessible, these ~150
million environmental refugees will be forced to exist anyway possible, even if it means
further damage to an already challenged biosphere. Will these overwhelming numbers
compromise our ability for compassion and capability to help?
Global Warming Skeptics and Imagined Risk
Most global warming skeptics do not agree with the latest finding of the IPCC.
The research done by this group of 2500 scientists indicate that planetary warming is
occurring, that it is separate from the natural variability of the climate, and that it is
caused by the build up of greenhouse gases—notably emissions from the burning of coal
and oil (Gelbspan 1997). Many of these skeptics are found in industries that will have
something to lose if society were asked to reduce their use of fossil fuels. The fossil
fuel industries are large and very powerful and want to maintain their
trillion-dollar-a-year commerce in oil and coal as long as they can.
However, skeptics of global warming do have some convincing arguments. Perhaps their
biggest argument is that there is a pervasive ‘imagined risk’ being generated by
global warming believers who claim that human activity is causing increased global
temperatures. These believers of global warming allegedly manipulate their facts and
figures and use natural disasters (floods, drought, hurricanes) to fuel their allegations.
The media tend to capitalize on these disasters, further fueling alarmist views by
comparing human grief and tragedy with changing weather patterns.
Imagined Risk: Arguments of Global Warming Skeptics
"The efforts to fix the imagined problem could be worse than the problem
imagined" (Heartland Institute 1998). This summarizes the biggest argument of global
warming skeptics. Other arguments include:
Imagined risk has become a real risk in the form of proposed governmental policies to
inhibit CO2 emissions. Developing nations will be hurt; the poorest nations
will suffer the most from suppressed economic development.
Renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, water and biomass will not be able to
meet the demands of the developed world.
Climate models consistently over-estimate global warming. Oceans and clouds are not
accurately factored into the calculations. Oceans trap heat and clouds reflect a
percentage of entering sunlight back into space.
In the West many forms of pollution have begun to decline in the very period that
environmentalists declared them to be growing worse (Easterbrook 1995).
Temperature increases will be beneficial to the coldest latitudes. Crop production may
increase as more land is available and carbon dioxide levels increase.
The emphasis on increased abnormal weather patterns is unfounded. Abnormal weather and
natural disasters are within the normal range of climatic variations.(Gutzler 2000).
The "heat island effect" (increased temperature readings from urban areas)
and lack of ocean readings give inaccurate measures of heat. These readings do not detect
small variations in temperatures.
Global warming is impacted by solar insolations. These variations in energy output from
the sun has shown to (naturally) increase or decrease global temperatures.
Another very intriguing argument from global warming skeptics is that humankind is
incapable of creating a change in the weather, as the mass of the atmosphere is so great.
Global warming skeptics also say that over time our planet has the ability to cleanse
itself from pollutants. Nature has repelled forces of a magnitude many times greater than
the worst human malfeasance. Nature will continue to rule the earth, even as humankind
exerts its presence.
Possible Solutions to Environmental Problems
Potential environmental ramifications are hard to deny and harsh scenarios must be
addressed to help society prepare for our changing climate, whether it is naturally
induced by the rhythms of our planet, or brought about by a dependency on fossil fuels.
The following solutions are but a few of the many possibilities in helping our fragile
ecosystems.
- Simplify life by consuming fewer material goods. This will be difficult in capitalistic
countries that are swayed by media to have the biggest, the fastest, and the most of
everything possible. The current era of ‘instant gratification’ is fueled by
credit card and loan companies that have made consuming appear easy and painless. If
people were less materialistic, fewer natural resources would be consumed, allowing for
less of an environmental impact.
- Control growing global populations, the greatest factor impacting the environment. As
population grows exponentially (and food crops, arithmetically) there will be huge demands
placed on our natural resources. Fossil fuel emissions will also escalate the greenhouse
effect and increase global temperatures. Many countries are working hard to educate women
(and men) as to their family planning options. Education appears to be the one factor that
is helping to manage a growing population.
- Halt deforestation and replace vegetation. This process will help to decrease soil
erosion, increase oxygen levels, rebuild animal habitats and provide potential food
sources for growing populations. Halting deforestation would reduce atmospheric carbon
dioxide by acting as a "sink" to store carbon. Maintaining present forests and
planting new forests is also necessary in the movement towards atmospheric remediation.
The American Forestry Association points out that "for every ton of new wood that
grows, about 1.47 tons of CO2 are removed from the air."
- Depend less on fossil fuels for transportation. Use of mass transit systems,
car-pooling, riding bikes, and walking to our destinations will help in reducing fossil
fuel emissions. Concentrated efforts will be needed to preserve our finite reserves of
coal and oil and reduce CO2 levels.
- More use of energy efficient appliances, windows, lighting, heating & cooling
systems, vehicles, etc. The technology to increase efficiency in all of these areas is
available if we are willing to make the changes and pay the prices.
- More use of sustainable forms of energy. Solar, wind, geo-thermal and hydropower are
renewable, alternative sources to coal and oil. More technological improvements have
helped increase the viability of these energy sources.
- More efforts toward recycling of newspaper, paper, cardboard, glass, metals and plastics
are needed to preserve natural resources and reduce landfills. Recycling these materials
takes energy and commitment, but will help preserve current natural resources.
Vocabulary for Global Warming
aerosol- A suspension of liquid or solid matter in air. Some are produced
mechanically, such as dust, sea salt or soot and some are produced chemically through the
conversion of gases into solids or liquids, such as the conversion of sulfur dioxide gas
into sulfuric acid. These increase albedo and act to cool the surface of Earth.
albedo- The fraction of light reflected by a surface, often expressed as a
percentage. Snow covered surfaces have a high albedo level; vegetation-covered
surfaces have a low albedo because of the light absorbed for photosynthesis.
anthropogenic effects- Effects which result from human activities such as the
burning of fossil fuels or deforestation.
carbon cycle- The exchange of carbon in various chemical forms between the
atmosphere, the land and the oceans.
carbon dioxide- An important greenhouse gas consisting of one carbon atom and
two oxygen atoms. Plants use it during photosynthesis to make carbohydrates. CO2 is
released back into the atmosphere during the processes of combustion or decay.
carbon sink- The techno-term for whatever absorbs carbon dioxide as part of the
carbon cycle. Sinks include oceans, trees and tundra.
climate- The average or predicted weather conditions in a particular region.
Climate is quantified by measures such as the monthly mean temperature or
precipitation averaged over a number of years.
climate model- Computer programs designed to represent atmospheric, dynamic and
chemical processes that occur in nature.
cloud condensation nuclei- Aerosol particles on which molecules of water vapor
may condense to form cloud droplets or ice particles.
deforestation- Cutting down forests; one of the causes of the enhanced
greenhouse effect, not only when the wood is burned or decomposes, releasing CO2,
but also because trees take in CO2 from the atmosphere in the process of
photosynthesis.
desertification- The process of land degradation that involves loss of nutrients
in soil, loss of topsoil, loss of native and cultivated vegetation, and lack of rainfall.
These effects are human-made, but are being enhanced by global warming.
drylands- Land that has a modest water supply (less than a forest, more than a
desert). Plains, pampas, steppes, grasslands and savannas are all considered
drylands.
feedback- A process in which one event affects another, which then affects the
original event. In climate, warming is causing more evaporation which increases water
vapor in the atmosphere which amplifies the initial warming and causes still more
evaporation.
fossil fuels- Fuels such as oil, coal, or natural gas, made by decomposition of
ancient plant and animal remains which give off carbon dioxide when burned.
GCM- An anacronym derived from "general circulation model", which is a
computer model that calculates the detailed large scale motion of the atmosphere or the
oceans explicitly from the equations of physics.
global warming- The idea that increased greenhouse gases cause Earth’s
temperatures to rise globally.
greenhouse effect- A natural process in which solar radiation is transmitted
through the atmosphere and heats the surface of Earth. Thermal infrared radiation emitted
by the surface cannot easily pass through the atmosphere, so the surface heats up to
achieve an energy balance.
halocarbons- A family of industrial gases containing halons, such as chlorine,
bromine and carbon. They are manufactured for use in refrigeration units, as cleaning
solvents, and in the production of insulating foams. These gases are destructive of the
stratospheric ozone layer and are long lived in the atmosphere.
hydrological cycle- The exchange of water between the atmosphere, the land and
oceans.
infrared radiation- Radiation with wavelengths between 4 and 200 microns. It is
emitted by all objects with temperatures close to that of the surface of Earth. It is
invisible to the human eye, but the heat from it can be felt by human skin. Earth cools by
emitting infrared radiation to space.
insolation- Incoming energy from the sun. The first two parts of the word come
from "in=in" and "sol=sun".
methane- An important greenhouse gas (also known as natural gas) consisting of
one carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms. It is produced during decay in the absence of
oxygen, such as takes place under water, within our planet, or in the guts of animals. It
is an important energy source whose concentrations in the atmosphere have more than
doubled since pre-industrial times.
nitrous oxide- Another important greenhouse gas consisting of two nitrogen atoms
and one oxygen atom. This gas is created by lightning and from agricultural fertilizers.
ozone- A form of oxygen primarily present in the stratosphere and responsible
for blocking ultraviolet radiation.
solar radiation- Radiation emitted by the sun, consisting of ultraviolet
radiation, visible radiation, and near-infrared radiation. Of the total energy emitted by
the sun, about half is visible and half near infrared, with ultraviolet being a small, but
important constituent. Much of the ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by ozone in the
stratosphere, which prevents it from harming life at the surface of Earth.
sulfur dioxide- A gas consisting of one sulfur atom and two oxygen atoms. It is
produced by volcanoes, during the combustion of fuels containing sulfur, and by life
processes. In the atmosphere it is converted into sulfuric acid aerosol, which may form
hazes and serve as a mechanism for cloud condensation nuclei and acid rain.
stewardship- The attitude that human beings should see the earth as a garden to
be cultivated rather than a treasury to be raided.
sustainable development- Development which meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
weather- The short-term events of the atmosphere in terms of minutes, hours, or
days.
Teaching Strategies
The following instructional strategies are designed for students who are in a full
inclusion classroom to meet their academic needs. Instructors of this unit may modify or
eliminate lessons as needed.
Science
Drawing of Earth’s Atmosphere
Materials: White drawing paper; pastels; diagram of the layers of Earth’s
atmosphere
Objectives: To give students a visual representation of the layers in the
atmosphere.
Procedure: First model the drawing of the atmospheric layers (troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere) and describe the qualities of each. Students are
to take notes as the layers are being described. Have students repeat the drawing process,
and encourage students to use a different pastel for each layer. Remind students to blend
their pastel colors, as the atmospheric layers blend into one another. Have students
orally review the qualities of each atmospheric layer.
2) Fossil Fuel Creation and Destruction
Materials: Earth science book, etc. that describes the geologic time periods and
the formation of fossil fuels; students’ science note books, pencil colors, adding
machine paper, rulers.
Objectives: To help students understand the extremely long process of fossil fuel
formation, as well as the short period in which society is using up these finite
resources.
Procedures: Read with students the process of fossil fuel creation (ancient plant
and animals buried and exposed to great pressure that changed them into coal, oil and
natural gas). Discuss the ancient time period in which this process took place (Triassic,
Jurassic, Cretaceous, etc.) and the very short time period in which we have begun to burn
these off. Students are to take notes during the reading and discussion of this
information. Students will also demonstrate this new knowledge by drawing and labeling a
time-line of the geologic eras up to present day. Give each student about ten feet of
adding machine paper to use as their time line. Explain that students are to divide up the
geologic eras into periods of 100 million years. Each 100 million years is equal to 3
inches. Students are encouraged to draw what was alive during these eras on their adding
machine paper. Make sure students label each geologic time period. Discuss with students
the correlation between production and destruction of fossil fuels using their time lines
as evidence.
3) Earth’s Carbon Cycle
Materials: Earth science book, etc. with good explanation and graphics that explain
the carbon cycle. (See p.23-29 of Global Warming: The Complete Briefing by John
Houghton), students’ science journals, pencil colors
Objectives: To teach students about the movement of carbon dioxide throughout our
planet and its atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a vital greenhouse gas for plants and marine
plankton. Earth has a mechanism for balancing excess amounts, but human activity is
producing amounts that may be disrupting this balance.
Procedures: Read the carbon cycle with students. On the board, sketch and diagram
the exchange of CO2 between the land and oceans. Include the additional CO2
production from human activities. Discuss carbon dioxide sinks (oceans, forests,
tundra) and how deforestation and rising global temperatures are melting the tundra and
causing the release of CO2 back into the atmosphere, challenging a delicate
balancing. Have students take notes and reproduce diagrams in their science notebook.
Encourage students to be creative and colorful with their drawings.
4) Greenhouse Effect
Materials: Earth science book, etc. with explanation of greenhouse effect. (See
student & teacher reading list), student’s science journals, pencil colors
Objectives: To help students learn about Earth’s greenhouse effect that allows
for life to proliferate. Students will also examine the increase of greenhouse gases
caused by human activities that are leading to global warming.
Procedures: Read with students the information on greenhouse effect. Draw and
diagram the process of incoming short wave radiation that hits the surface of our planet.
Explain that our planet returns this radiation back into the atmosphere in the form of
long wave radiation. Review the atmosphere and that helps to trap and circulate the heat
emitted from Earth’s surface. Review the gases that are enhancing the greenhouse
effect (CO2, N20, CH4, O3) and their heat
carrying capacity. Have students take notes and recreate the drawing from the board or
their science book. Discuss the potential problems, solutions, and benefits associated
with global warming.
Creative Writing
1) Science Fiction Story Based on Catastrophic Effects from Global Warming
Materials: lined paper or students’ journals, a written review of the effects
of global warming (on the board), present and future, pencil colors
Objectives: To have students write a creative story based on their knowledge of the
impacts of a warmer Earth, and to practice their written language skills. Students should
be encouraged to illustrate a section of their science fiction story to help stimulate
creativity and allow for another learning modality to be manipulated.
Procedures: Lower the classroom lighting if possible, to help create a somber mood.
Review the social and environmental impacts of global warming. Explain to students that
they are to write a creative story that should be at least two to three pages in length.
Encourage students to be as dramatic as possible, using worst case scenarios. (Remember
the movie, Soylent Green?) Students’ writing should be done in 2 drafts to
allow for corrections in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and accuracy of directives.
2) Science Fiction Story Based on Simpler Life Styles
Materials: lined paper or students’journals, a written review of simpler life
style changes and options (on the board), pencil colors
Objectives: To have students write a creative story about our society choosing to
greatly simplify our life styles to help preserve natural resources and reduce rising
global temperatures. Students are to give specific examples of solutions (more use of mass
transit, less materialism) in their story. Students will practice their written language
skills. Students will also practice future problem solving skills.
Procedures: Review with students the many solutions for simplifying life in order
to preserve natural resources. Explain to students they are to write a story of at least
two to three pages in length. Encourage students to think critically of our many options
and to be creative in their writing. Students’ stories should be done in two drafts
to allow for corrections in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and accuracy of directives.
Critical Thinking Skills
1) Scientific Debate Between Global Warming Skeptics & Believers
Materials: A written review of arguments on both sides of the global warming
controversy on the board. (A warmer planet will mean more crop production in colder
latitudes; a warmer climate will cause the seas to rise).
Objectives: To help students think critically about the global warming controversy.
Students will also practice their public speaking skills by defending their view points.
Procedures: Divide students into two groups (skeptics & believers) and have
them review the arguments they will be debating. Students should be given basic ground
rules of debating an issue (One person speaks at a time, no put-downs or name calling).
Have students debate one issue at a time
Future Problem Solving
1) Renewable Energy Sources
Materials: Earth science book, etc. that discusses renewable energy sources (see
p.88-95 of Our Fragile Planet: Global Warming by Jenny Tesar); lined paper or
students’ journals, computers, CD-ROM encyclopedias, access to the internet
Objectives: To help students critically think about the environmental problems our
planet may soon be facing. Students will review energy alternatives that may help to
reduce CO2 emissions and lessen the potential for global warming. Students will
also practice their written language skills, as well as their computer & internet
research skills.
Procedures: Review and discuss renewable, alternative forms of energy that may
potentially reduce CO2 emissions (wind, solar, biomass, nuclear, geothermal,
etc.). Ask students to select one alternative energy form and research its potential
viability to sustain energy for societies across the planet. Students are to explain how
their chosen energy form produces power. Have students research where their chosen energy
form would be the most geographically successful. Students can also be challenged to
develop a new form of energy and explain its process for producing energy.
2) Atmospheric Remediation
Materials: A written review (on the board) of the greenhouse effect, greenhouse
gases, atmospheric layers, and consequences of a warmer planet; paper or students’
journals, pencil colors.
Objectives: To help students critically think of methods to remediate our
atmosphere, and to practice critical and creative thinking skills. Students will also
practice their written language skills.
Procedures: Review and discuss the information on the board. Challenge students to
write about a way of cleaning the air in the layers of our atmosphere. They are to be
creative as possible, and may also illustrate their inventions. Accept all suggestions and
encourage students to detail the technology that will be needed to construct their ideas.
Geography (this could be an on-going lesson, lasting all year)
Where in the World is the Natural Disaster or Environmental Problem?
Materials: large, current world map (National Geographic magazine is a good
source); high school student atlases of the world, daily newspaper, or weekly magazine
articles on natural disasters & environmental concerns, a pocket folder for each
student, colored thumb tacks or push-pins that are, color-coded by classification of
natural disaster or environmental concern
Objectives: To help students learn world geography by following media articles on
natural disasters & environmental concerns; and to enhance student awareness of
environmental issues around the world.
Procedures: Make copies of the articles for each student as you can get them. Give
each student an atlas, and a pocket folder to keep articles in. Each day (or less often)
read the articles with students and discuss the social and environmental ramifications of
the event. Have students locate in their atlas where the problem has taken place. Design a
color-coding system for your pins or tacks that indicate the type of disaster or problem
that has occurred (black: petro-chemical spill; green: hurricane, storm surge, typhoon;
orange: wild-fire; red: drought or famine; purple: spread of tropical disease or insect
infestations, etc.). Then have a student place the color-coded pin or tack into the map
where the problem has occurred. Discuss which continent the event has taken place; review
the form of government and what the country’s economy is like. Would this be a place
the students would wish to travel to? How would they get there? What places and cities
would they want to visit in this country? Use student atlases to answer these questions.
New Mexico State Standards
This unit addresses the following state standards as appropriate for students in
grades 9 – 12.
Science: Unifying Concepts and Processes
1) Student will interpret evidence to understand changes in natural and artificial
systems.
2) Student will evaluate specific hypotheses, models, laws, theories, principles, and
paradigms as explanatory tools.
3) Student will analyze models for limitations, strengths, and basic assumptions.
4) Student will evaluate the contribution of external and internal forces to change in the
form and function of objects, organisms, and natural systems.
Science: Science as Inquiry
1) Student will develop causal functional questions to guide investigations.
2) Student will use evidence to understand data and to develop consistent arguments to
logically explain data.
3) Student will explain and interpret the results of investigations to teachers, parents,
and others.
4) Student will explain that science distinguishes itself from other bodies of knowledge
through the use of empirical standards, logical argument, and
skepticism as scientists strive for certainty in
proposed explanations.
5) Student will explain that scientific ideas depend on experimental and observational
confirmation, and that theories and ideas are refined or discarded as new evidence becomes
available.
Science: Life Science
1) Student will predict the impact humans might have on species and environmental systems.
2) Student will analyze the impact of resource depletion in over populated areas on social
and cultural norms.
3) Student will predict the impact on recycling on resource depletion and environmental
degradation.
4) Student will evaluate the interaction of multiple factors such as risk, environment,
and desire on choices for meeting basic human needs.
Science: Earth and Space Science
1) Student will evaluate information about Earth’s materials, energy of the
Earth’s systems, and geo-chemical cycles.
2) Student will model the interaction between the Earth’s internal and external
energy sources indicating that these energy sources create heat.
3) Student will model weather patterns and other natural cycles related to the movement of
matter driven by the Earth’s internal and external sources of energy.
4) Student will use fossils and other evidence to investigate how the Earth has changed or
remained constant.
5) Student will explain the evolution of the Earth in terms of the interactions among the
geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
Science in Personal, Social, and Environmental Perspectives
1) Student will predict the risks and benefits associated with natural and social hazards.
2) Student will evaluate human activities for the potential they have for increasing or
decreasing environmental risks.
3) Student will develop models for tracking changes in social risk factors and natural
hazards.
4) Student will develop cost-risk benefit analysis in the context of natural hazards and
environmental issues (ozone depletion, carbon dioxide reduction and global warming).
Social Studies: People, Cultures, Places and Environments
1) Student will evaluate the relationships among various regional and global patterns of
geographic phenomena such as land forms, soils, climate, vegetation, natural resources and
population.
2) Student will evaluate and predict how environmental changes and crises impact society
and the economy around the world.
3) Student will evaluate information from different theories using a wide range of
philosophies to explore diverse uses of land and resources.
Social Studies: Global Connections and Technology
1) Student will analyze the influence of science and technology upon society.
2) Student will evaluate how science and technology have transformed the physical world
and human society.
3) Student will analyze how science and technologies influence core values, beliefs and
attitudes of society, including public policies.
4) Student will analyze and assess the causes, consequences, and evaluate possible
solutions to persistent contemporary and emerging global issues.
5) Student will evaluate the concerns, standards, issues, and conflicts related to
universal human rights and their impact on public policy.
6) Student will compare and evaluate relationships and tensions between national
sovereignty and international interests in such matters as territory, economic
development, use of natural resources, nuclear and other weapons, and concerns about human
rights.
Language Arts: Speak and Write
1) Student will express facts, ideas, and opinions clearly, articulately, and
appropriately for a specific purpose or audience.
Language Arts: Appreciate and Respect
1) Student will recognize, analyze, and respond critically to propaganda, marketing
campaigns, and other persuasive messages.
Language Arts: Access, Analyze, and Inform
1) Student will evaluate the usefulness of information for specific purposes.
2) Student will use available technology to locate information and create quality
products.
Reading List for Students
Atmospheric and Environmental Science
Earth at Risk: Global Warming, by Burkhard Bilger, 1992.
Examines the global warming phenomenon, discussing the greenhouse effect in its positive,
life-giving configuration, and again as this system is knocked out of balance by increased
levels of carbon dioxide.
Environments of the Western Hemisphere, by John C. Gold, 1997.
Examines the different environments in North and South America and how people have
modified and threatened the biosphere to improve their standards of living.
Global Warming: Assessing the Greenhouse Threat, by Laurence Pringle, 1990
Explores the climatic, ecological and economic effects from the burning of fossil fuels.
Also examines possible solutions to environmental threats.
Government and the Environment: Tracking the Record, by Thomas G. Aylesworth,
1993.
Describes the many aspects of environmental pollution, the growing awareness of the
problem, and the role of the federal government in formulating a policy to protect the
environment.
Hazy Skies: Weather and the Environment, by Jonathan D. W. Kahl, 1998.
Describes the connections between pollution and weather, the destruction of the ozone
layer, global warming, efforts at pollution control, and alternative energy forms.
Our Endangered Planet: Atmosphere, by Mary Hoff and Mary M. Rodgers, 1995.
Explains how atmospheric gasses work and how mankind has upset the natural balance
thereof.
Our Fragile Planet: Global Warming, by Jenny Tesar, 1991.
Discusses the gradual warming of our planet, its possible causes and effects, and some
solutions.
Protecting Our Air, Land and Water, by Gary Chandler and Kevin Graham, 1996.
Presents examples of successful efforts to protect natural resources and includes names
and addresses of organizations that are involved with these endeavors.
Saving Planet Earth, by Rosalind Kerven, 1992.
Presents the advantages and drawbacks of various actions being taken by people and the
governments to save and protect the Earth’s resources, wilderness areas, plants,
animals, and tribal peoples.
Working In The Environment, by Corinna Nelson, 1999.
Profiles twelve people whom have careers related to the environment including a park
ranger, lab technician, and environmental lawyer.
Using and Understanding Maps: The Endangered World, by Scott E. Major, 1993.
Eighteen map spreads highlight the damage pollution has done to our world.
Bibliography and Suggested Reading List for Teachers
Brower, Kenneth. One Earth. San Francisco, CA: Collins Publishers, 1990.
Brown, Paul. Global Warming: Can Civilization Survive? London, England:
Blandford Publishers, 1996.
Cagin, Seth and Phillip Dray. Between Earth And Sky. New York, NY: Pantheon
Books, 1993.
Day, Davis. The Environmental Wars: Reports from the Front Lines. New York, NY:
St. Martins Press, 1989.
Easterbrook, Gregg. A Moment on the Earth: The Coming Age of Environmental Optimism.
New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1995.
Gay, Kathlyn. The Greenhouse Effect. New York, NY: Franklin Watts, 1986.
Gelspan, Ross. The Heat Is On: The High Stakes Battle over Earth’s Threatened
Climate. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1997.
Goldfarb, Theodore D. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Environmental
Issues. Guilford, Connecticut: Dushkin, McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Goldsmith, Edward, et al. Imperiled Planet: Restoring Our Endangered Ecosystems.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1990.
Gribbin, John. Hothouse Earth: The Greenhouse Effect and Gaia. New York, NY:
Grove Weidenfeld, 1990.
Houghton, John. Global Warming: The Complete Briefing. Cambridge, United
Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Hoyle, Trevor. The Last Gasp. New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 1983. science
fiction.
Llanos, Miguel. "When Warmer Also Means Wetter" MSNBC. 10 Jan. 1998. <http://www.msnbc.com/news/106338.asp>.
Myers, Norman. Enviromental Exodus. Report by the Climate Institute. 1995.
Paulos, John Allen. A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper. New York, NY: Anchor
Books, 1995.
Silver, Cheryl Simon and Ruth S. DeFries for the National Academy of Sciences. One
Earth One Future: Our Changing Global Environment. Washington D.C.: National Academy
Press, 1990.