Flashcards: Climate Change and Human Health
Slides: Student Exploration of the Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States
Student Exploration of the Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States
Key Message Four: Climate Change Compromises Human Health and Reshapes Demographics
Overview
Each Key Message features three guiding questions to help educators navigate these topics with students. Each guiding question includes example lessons and supporting videos. The lessons were taken from the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) educational resources database. The videos were selected from reputable sources to support the lessons.
Increases in extreme heat, drought, flooding, and wildfire activity are negatively impacting the physical health of Southwest residents. Climate change is also shaping the demographics of the region by spurring the migration of people from Central America to the Southwest. Individuals particularly vulnerable to increasing climate change impacts include older adults, outdoor workers, and people with low incomes. Local, state, and federal adaptation initiatives are working to respond to these impacts.
Guiding Question One
Notes From Our Reviewers The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness.
Teaching Tips
- Teachers may want to have multiple versions of the readings available for different reading levels within a classroom.
- Linked reading for students ranges from full report to abbreviated brochures. Teachers are offered several choices on the instructional design based on time and student reading level. Several topics or one topic can be addressed based on student interest, instructional time and desired depth and breadth of content.
About the Content
- This activity allows students to investigate the US Global Change Research Program's 2016 report, "The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment". Students consider how environmental conditions such as flooding or drought create environmental hazards which impact health effects. They also investigate how climate change will affect environmental conditions and therefore health outcomes. Groups explore the different chapters of the report, making conceptual models of these connections. These are put together to showcase how complex the system is when considering how climate change impacts public health.
- Comments from expert scientist: Provides a lot of good scientific information, has a well laid out lesson plan where students have to engage with the material and use systems thinking. I wonder if all high school science courses could use this lesson plan as the material is so interdisciplinary that it would not fit into many standard high school science classes.
About the Pedagogy
- This activity allows students to read (at different levels) a scientific report and try to synthesize information from that report. They do so through conceptual models and discussion-based activities. The various options for reading materials and evaluation strategies allow teachers to implement this in a variety of classrooms with diverse time frames. In the final evaluation activity, students can write summaries, evaluate mitigation and adaptation strategies, or develop their own resilience building project, adding to the place-based project nature of this activity.
- The extension activities suggest a place-based project for students to develop a resilience building project for their community, allowing many different learners to consider the relevance to their own lives. This strategy of place-based projects has been shown to be engaging for culturally diverse audiences.
- The authors also provide the reading materials at various levels of reading ability to allow for more students to participate.
- Many variations on instructional pathways are provided, including depth of content exploration, accommodations for learning modalities and styles, and links to companion materials to support the learning progression.
- Prior knowledge and misconceptions are addressed. Small group work, enhances the class learning. Students create visuals, models and graphic organizers of the content to structure learning and share new knowledge. Assessments are varied and allow for diverse learning styles.
- This resource engages students in using scientific data.
See other data-rich activities
Technical Details/Ease of Use
- This activity clearly lays out all the details teachers will need to implement this activity. The authors provide various options throughout the module, which helps teachers implement the activity in diverse classrooms.
- Computers for students are useful but materials are downloadable and printable.
Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN
- URL for Global Temperature and Precipitation Map should be: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/global-maps/
- Powerpoint slides for use throughout the lesson.
What populations are most vulnerable to health risks associated with climate change in the Southwest?
Example Lesson
Student Exploration of the Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Description: This module follows the 5E instructional model to promote student discovery and learning about the complex interactions between climate change, the environment and human health. Students describe the impacts of changing climatic conditions on human health with emphasis on vulnerable populations and apply systems thinking to create a visual model of various health implications arising from climate change. (Please note: NIH Files attached as section-level resources)
Instructional Time: This learning activity takes two to three 45-minute class periods.
Grade Level: Ninth through twelfth
Supporting Videos
How Climate Affects Community Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Description: This animated video discusses how climate change is altering the environment and increasing disease risk from air pollution, spread of disease vectors, increased high temperatures, violent storms and flooding. Ideas for community preparedness are offered.
Video Length: 4:37 minutes
Guiding Question Two
What adaptation initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels are aimed at responding to the negative health impacts of climate change in the Southwest?
Example Lesson
CDC's Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Description: Introduce the CDC's BRACE Framework that allows health officials to develop strategies and programs to help communities prepare for the health effects of climate change. Students can brainstorm examples of health impacts in their community and explore strategies for building resilience using the BRACE framework. (Please note: Web page also available as PDF in Section Resources)
Instructional Time: One class period
Grade Level: Sixth through twelfth
Supporting Videos
A new effort to help communities adapt to climate change
PBS NewsHour
Description: Biden's infrastructure bill includes $50 billion for climate resiliency funding to help mitigate and adapt to global warming. Tom Casciato reports on a unique partnership in California that uses behavioral science and cultural awareness in climate studies to help communities cope with extreme weather, as part of our series, 'Peril and Promise: the Challenge of Climate Change.'
Video Length: 8:01 minutes
Guiding Question Three
What determines which communities are considered frontline communities in the Southwest?
Example Lessons
Tackling Climate Change through Environmental Justice High School
EcoRise
Description: This multi-lesson resource set for high school is focused on environmental justice and social science. It asks students to consider inequality and justice in the context of their own lives and the environment through a series of both hands-on and research-focused activities. This unit supports student understanding of the multiple, complex issues and perspectives of environmental justice in the United States. In part one, students complete a group activity under the pressures of environmental discrimination and then evaluate their success. The second and third part uses short videos to explain a real-life example of overcoming environmental discrimination to encourage students to reflect on the complexity of these issues. In the final part, students debate a solution to an issue using assigned roles in a town hall platform.
Instructional Time: This learning activity takes six 60-minute class periods.
Grade Level: Ninth through twelfth
Supporting Videos
Victor Galván discusses environmental impact
PBS
Description: While the state of Colorado is known for its beautiful natural spaces, it also has one of the most polluted zip codes in the country. The majority Latino-community of Commerce City, in northeast Denver, has dealt with the fallout from factories and pollution in their backyards and Victor Galván, an activist from the area, has made it his life's work to advocate for change for the Latino community
Video Length: 3:48 minutes