What is climate change?
PURPOSE: Gauge difference between weather and climate.
MATERIALS: Whiteboard or Chalkboard, Greenhouse Effect graphic (on page 82)
DIG DEEPER: Teach About Climate Change with These 24 New York Times Graphs
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WRAP UP EXTENSIONS
1. Display the Greenhouse Effect slide.
• Ask for volunteers to describe the process depicted on the slide.
• Summarize the concept that greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat in the atmosphere. The
increased accumulation of these gases due to human activity is causing global warming:
an increase in average global temperatures. GHGs from human activities and natural
processes include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O).
• Students will complete a worksheet on sources of GHGs.
2. Distribute the Sources of Greenhouse Gases Handout.
• Give the students three to five minutes to complete Part 1 as best they can, then reveal
the answers on the Sources of Greenhouse Gases slide. Tell students they will return to
the worksheet later in this lesson.
• Ask: What does this information tell you about agriculture’s role in climate change?
PRINT
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Write the following two statements on the board:
• The temperature in New York City averaged 82 degrees Fahrenheit on July 20, 2010.
• The temperature in New York City averaged 77 degrees Fahrenheit for the month of July
between 1981 and 2010.
2. Ask students to reflect on the difference between these two statements.
• What is similar about the measurements?
• What is different?
3. Explain that the first statement describes weather, while the second statement describes
climate. A region’s climate is the temperature, precipitation, humidity, and other weather
conditions over a long period, whereas weather refers to those conditions over a short
period of time, usually hours or days.
4. Ask students:
• How often does weather change?
• Does the climate change like weather does? No, weather changes day to day, whereas
climate generally changes slowly, over decades or centuries.
5. To gauge students’ knowledge about climate change, ask: Is our climate changing? If so,
how?
6. Explain that climate change is a significant, lasting change in temperature, precipitation,
humidity, or other weather conditions, and in the last century, the Earth’s climate has begun
to change much more rapidly.