Humans have come up with some clever ways of keeping cool when it's warm, and staying warm when it’s cool. But unfortunately, our heating and air conditioning systems are worsening the climate crisis. In this episode of Crash Course Climate and Energy, we’ll take a look at some of the ways we might be able to decarbonize those systems to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases they produce.

Chapters:
Introduction: Heating Without Fossil Fuels
Fracking & Natural Gas
The Problem of Heating with Coal
Cooling Without Fossil Fuels
Heat Pumps for Heating & Cooling
Alternative Fuels for Low-Carbon Heating
Review & Credits
Credits

Nearly a third of all our greenhouse gas emissions come from generating electricity. Scientists agree that we have to find ways to make electricity without releasing so much carbon dioxide into the air. In this episode of Crash Course Climate and Energy, we’re going to tell you about some of the ways scientists and engineers are decarbonizing the electricity supply with energy sources such as solar, wind, nuclear, and hydroelectric and the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Chapters:
Introduction: Decarbonizing Electricity
Electricity From Solar & Wind Power
Challenges of Solar & Wind Power
Hydroelectric Power
Nuclear Power
Why Carbon-Free Electricity Matters
Review & Credits
Credits

Students construct three-dimensional models of water catchment basins using everyday objects to form hills, mountains, valleys and water sources. They experiment to see where rain travels and collects, and survey water pathways to see how they can be altered by natural and human activities. Students discuss how engineers design structures that impact water collection, as well as systems that clean and distribute water.

In this nonfiction story, young readers and listeners learn how scientists use cross sections from trees to reconstruct past climates. Versions are provided for readers at two levels, k-2 and 3-5, and in text-only and illustrated formats. The story is also available as an electronic book with recorded narration. An original story is a regular feature of each issue of the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle. The story can be used in science and literacy lessons and activities throughout the magazine.

Short Description:
The eight chapters of this book encapsulate the past, present, and future of Canadian immigration and settlement. The topics, in part, cover the history of immigration to Canada through an objective lens that allows readers to learn what transpired with the settlement of specific ethnic groups, as well as address Canada’s current policies and approaches to immigration. This leads to an exploration of the challenges that newcomers to Canada and the settlement sector are encountering today. Readers and learners of settlement studies will embark on a journey of self-reflection throughout this book as they engage in many activities, quizzes, and interactions which may be self-directed or instructor led.

Long Description:
The OER textbook is an introduction to key issues in the settlement sector rather than a comprehensive exploration of this dynamic and multifaceted field. Maria MacMinn Varvos situates the history of settlement services in Canada, including a look at delivery models and perspectives. She also explores the relationship between literacy levels of women and its affect on their settlement. Alexandru Caldararu introduces and situates social justice and anti-oppressive practice in settlement worker practice. He also presents a detailed discussion on climate migration and its implications on settlement. Christina Hamer presents types of migration-related trauma and the mental health challenges many newcomers face before arriving in Canada. Rennais Gayle discusses the settlement experiences of older arriving immigrants, particularly focusing on family dynamics. In her chapter, Julie Clements provides an overview of how settlement workers can effectively navigate intercultural communication contexts. Lynn Sutankayo delves deeply into how related concepts in settlement act as a conduit towards further understanding of issues in gender, sexuality, and culture. While the textbook chapters can be read in the order presented, each chapter presents a unique issue and can also be enjoyed in non-sequential order.

Word Count: 89622

ISBN: 978-1-55195-472-1

(Note: This resource's metadata has been created automatically by reformatting and/or combining the information that the author initially provided as part of a bulk import process.)

This video focuses on animals that have quickly evolved in order to meet their needs from the impacts of climate change.

This PBS video shows how Klaus Lackner, a geophysicist at Columbia University, is trying to tackle the problem of rising atmospheric CO2 levels by using an idea inspired by his daughter's 8th-grade science fair project. The video examines the idea of pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere via a passive chemical process.

In this learning activity, students use a web-based carbon calculator to determine their carbon footprint on the basis of their personal and household habits and choices. Students identify which personal activities and household choices produce the most CO2 emissions, compare their carbon footprint to the U.S. and global averages, and identify lifestyle changes they can make to reduce their footprint.

In this interactive game, players develop a sustainable city by greening transport, transforming industries, getting citizens on board, and showing world leaders how it's done. Players will need to bring together governments, industries, and the public to bring carbon levels to zero before it's too late.

This video features a short animated sequence that illustrates the difference between young and old carbon released into the atmosphere from the consumption of food (young carbon) and the burning of fossil fuels (old carbon).

This lesson was originally created to give elementary school teachers a foundation for understanding the impacts of climate change. Teachers, acting as students, physically participate in the movement of carbon throughout various biospheres.

This activity from NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory introduces students to the scientific understanding of the greenhouse effect and the carbon cycle. The activity leads them through several interactive tasks to investigate recent trends in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Students analyze scientific data and use scientific reasoning to determine the causes responsible for these recent trends. By studying carbon cycle science in a visual and interactive manner, students can learn firsthand about the reasons behind our changing climate.

This online lab exercise focuses on the processes involved in the Carbon cycle and the influences of human activity on those processes- especially as they relate to Earth's weather and climate. The fourth in a 10-part lab series on weather and climate, this lab exercise is designed for first and second year college geoscience students (majors and non-majors) as well as pre-service STEM teachers.

This interactive animation focuses on the carbon cycle and includes embedded videos and captioned images to provide greater clarification and detail of the cycle than would be available by a single static visual alone.

In this activity, students develop concept maps of the carbon cycle through a die-rolling game that simulates carbon reservoirs and fluxes. By the end of this activity, students should be able to describe and explain how the carbon cycle has changed in the last 250 years.

This is two-hour lab exercise based on computer data sets. Students examine records of CO2 levels in the atmosphere as well as annual temperature records for the US and the world.

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Students will learn that there is a finite amount of carbon on earth, which moves around in the environment, from one place to another. Activity is scaleable from elementary to high school with options to introduce advanced content. Wrap up includes role playing the carbon cycle with the addition of human influences (e.g. burning of fossil fuels). Activity can be done in classroom or outside, includes working in a group and role playing. Grades 3-12. This resources is part of the Our Changing Ocean and Estuaries Series

This module provides an overview of the biogeochemical carbon cycle. Major sources and sinks of carbon are discussed as well as the impact of human activities on global carbon levels.

In this activity, students use a physical model to learn the basics of photosynthesis and respiration within the carbon cycle.

This is an interactive visualization of the Carbon Cycle, through short-term and long-term processes.