Learning Objectives

• Students make the link between climate change and the effect it has on the world’s most vulnerable communities.
• Students understand that people and places are interdependent.
• Students appreciate different scales – from personal and local to national, international and global and make links between scales to develop understanding of geographical ideas.
• Students develop responsibilities as global citizens and recognise how they can contribute to a future that is sustainable and inclusive.
• Students are encouraged to enter the competition about the importance of climate change and to get involved.

Teaching Process

How does climate change affect the world’s most vulnerable children?

• Watch a short film ‘UNICEF: Climate change and children’ on YouTube (attached).

Who and what is contributing to climate change?

• What are students’ favourite items? What emissions do they cause? Would they deny someone in a less economically-developed country that thing? Why?
• On the issue of combating climate change, the Bangladeshi Environment Minister has said, “For you in the West, it is a lifestyle change, for us it is a matter of life and death.” Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Who can do what?

• It is hard to stop the effects of greenhouse gas emissions that have al¬ready taken place but we can influence the future. Use the ‘Who can do what?’ activity sheet and decide whether the actions can be taken at a personal, local, national and/or international scale. Alternatively use the ‘Do more’ issue cards and sort them into actions for personal, school, local, national and international levels.
• Think about which actions make a ‘small’, ‘medium’ or ‘large’ difference to emissions. List actions needed to make a ‘low-effort future’ or ‘best possible future’ more likely.


Make yourself heard: How can we make sure that action is taken?

At a personal level – make a pledge

> I will travel to school by....
> I will replace ordinary light bulbs with energy-saving light bulbs
> When I go on holiday I will travel by....
> I will eat ___________ because ....
> Most of my rubbish will be ....
> I will conserve water because .....

Teachers Notes

*See page 7 of the attached lesson plan for suggestions to modify this lesson for grade 11 and 12 students.

Instructions for Students

• Watch Eric Prydz’s video (attached)

• Watch Alizeta Ouedraogo’s story (attached). She is a 16-year-old girl who lives in Burkina Faso. Her community has seen a significant reduction in rainfall and this has meant less food to eat.

• How might the young people in these two videos be linked / interconnected / interdependent?

• Use the ‘Will you answer the big climate callout?’ handout to introduce UNICEF, the Copenhagen convention and the competition to the students.