Climate Change and Natural Disasters

Training program description

Code: 21 Total hours: 20 hours Audience category: Children (Ages 11–15)

For a better viewing experience, it is recommended to open the lesson in fullscreen mode by pressing the button.

Lesson summary

Description / Purpose expand/collapse

The purpose of this unit is to enable students to understand key concepts related to climate and climate change, distinguish weather from climate and interpret climate as the result of long-term averages. It also aims to familiarise them with the natural greenhouse effect, identify the main gases that influence it and understand how it differs from human-induced changes. In addition, students will explore the role of human activities, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, in intensifying the effect; analyse emissions data and graphs; and develop critical thinking about differences between countries. Finally, they will understand how scientists measure and document climate change, interpret temperature data and distinguish natural variability from long-term trends, using scientific evidence to understand past and present climate.

Lesson contents expand/collapse

The unit includes the following subsections:

21.1.1 Mission 1: What Is Happening on the Planet?

21.1.2 Mission 2: The Natural Greenhouse Effect: The Earth’s blanket

21.1.3 Mission 3: How Do Humans Intensify the Greenhouse Effect?

21.1.4 Mission 4: How Do We Know that the Climate Is Changing?

Expected outcomes expand/collapse

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

21.1.1 What Is Happening on the Planet?

Recognise the difference between weather and climate.
Explain why climate is described using averages over decades.
Identify examples of weather and climate from Greece and around the world.

21.1.2 Mission 2: The Natural Greenhouse Effect: The Earth’s blanket

Explain what the natural greenhouse effect is and why it is essential.
Identify the main greenhouse gases.
Distinguish the natural greenhouse effect from the human-induced greenhouse effect.
Use a simulation to observe how temperature changes when greenhouse gas concentrations change.

21.1.3 Mission 3: How Do Humans Intensify the Greenhouse Effect?

Explain why the Industrial Revolution was a turning point for carbon dioxide emissions.
Identify the main sectors responsible for anthropogenic emissions and their respective shares.
Read and interpret emissions graphs from reliable sources.
Critically compare emissions by country and per capita.

21.1.4 Mission 4: How Do We Know that the Climate Is Changing?

Explain how global temperature is measured and what ‘global mean temperature’ means.
Read and interpret a temperature anomaly graph.
Distinguish natural climate variability from a long-term trend.
Identify the main records scientists use to study past climates.

Program modules

21.1: Climate Change: Basic Concepts

4 hours
21.2: Natural Disasters as a Consequence of Climate Change

5 hours
21.3: Environmental Risks: Zero Hour...

4 hours
21.4: Taking Action on Climate Change...

4 hours
21.5: Scenarios and Games on Climate Change

3 hours