Climate Change

Warm-up Reading Last year, the Arctic saw some changes. The sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean started to shrink. It should have been growing instead. In a few years, all of the Arctic's ice could melt. If this happened, the whole world would get hotter. Weather would change all over the world. The heating of the Earth is caused by more and more greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The increase in greenhouse gases, scientists believe, is caused by people. People burn fossil fuels. They use the energy from fossil fuels to power things like cars and heating for their houses. The gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, thicken the atmosphere, which causes the planet Earth to get hotter.

Pairwork What comes to mind when you think of global warming? STUDENT A STUDENT B What comes to mind when you think of global warming? Do you think human activity is responsible for global warming? Do you think all countries are taking global warming seriously? What concerns you most about global warming? How will global warming change our lives? Do you think global warming could destroy us all? Is your government doing enough to deal with global warming? What do you do in your daily life that might increase global warming? Have you made changes to your life to reduce global warming? What do you know about the science behind global warming? How do you think global warming will change the world over the next century? Do you know more about global warming than younger/older people? Which country makes you angriest when you think about global warming? Do you think China and India should slow their growth down?

Group work RANK THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES OF GLOBAL WARMING, MOST IMPORTANT AT THE TOP: Polar bears and penguins will disappear Winters will be 10 degrees colder. Malaria will travel north, affecting northern Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Cockroaches will start moving to northern Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Africa will become hotter and suffer more droughts. Typhoons and hurricanes will become more powerful. Skin cancers will increase. Many countries will have no drinking water. Countries such as the Maldives, Holland and Bangladesh will disappear under water. Wars will start between countries fighting over water.

Group work RANK THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES OF GLOBAL WARMING, MOST IMPORTANT AT THE TOP: Polar bears and penguins will disappear Winters will be 10 degrees colder. Malaria will travel north, affecting northern Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Cockroaches will start moving to northern Europe, North America, and northern Asia. Africa will become hotter and suffer more droughts. Typhoons and hurricanes will become more powerful. Skin cancers will increase. Many countries will have no drinking water. Countries such as the Maldives, Holland and Bangladesh will disappear under water. Wars will start between countries fighting over water.

Vocabulary Greenhouse gases Ice caps Fossil fuels Global warming Rising sea levels Flood & drought Heat wave & cold spell/snap Deforestation Chinese hoax

Class Discussion Are you worried about global warming? What are some ways energy is wasted? How has the world changed since you were a child? (technology, values, environment, health) Who do you think is more responsible for pollution, individual people, companies, or the government? Explain. Does your local government make it easy or hard for citizens to recycle? Do you think overpopulation is an important environmental issue? Why or why not? Which is more important, increasing people's standard of living, or protecting the environment? How can we protect the environment and at the same time improve people's standard of living? In what ways can we save more water? Please share your experiences. Do you have any ideas on how to minimize the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam boxes? What should we do to increase the awareness about environmental pollution?

Extra Questions Does your country have a smoking ban law in place? What do you think of people who smoke cigarettes indoors? Are there litter laws where you live? If so, what is the penalty for littering? Do you think cars should be banned from city centers? Do you think people should recycle newspapers? Why or why not? What are some types of pollution? What are some ways that you can reduce pollution in this country? Do you usually drink bottled water? Why or Why not? Do you think recycling is an important community service?