Key figure from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that shows changes in global average surface temperature, global average sea level, and Northern Hemisphere snow cover from as far back as 1850.

This video looks at the impact of changing climate on animal habitats around the world, showing how different creatures are responding to changing temperatures and precipitation patterns.

This video addresses the impact of climate change on several butterfly populations. Warming temperatures lead to shifts in location of populations of butterflies or die-offs of populations unable to adapt to changing conditions or shift to new locations.

This video provides a comprehensive introduction to the role of coral reefs, the physiology of corals, and the impacts of ocean warming and acidification on coral survival. It highlights experts from the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and the University of Miami.

This video illustrates conditions under which two infectious diseases - cholera and dengue fever - flourish, and how climate change is likely to exacerbate those conditions. Note: you may need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

This NBC Learn video features climate scientists doing their research on Mt. Kilimanjaro to study the climate of the past. The scientists put the recently observed changes on the glacier into perspective by comparing past climate fluctuations, stressing that the current observed rate of change is unprecedented. Note: you will need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

This video addresses acidification of the ocean and the ecological and economic implications of the resulting pH change on marine life. It includes information about how ocean acidification resulting from increased absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere is affecting ocean species such as sea urchins and oysters. Scientists from the University of California at Santa Barbara discuss their experiments with sea creatures in acidic sea water. There is an associated lesson plan and classroom activity that has students test the effects of CO2 on water pH.

This video follows Bermuda scientists into the field as they collect data that documents a warming trend in ocean temperatures. BIOS Director Tony Knapp discusses some of the impact of warming temperatures on sea levels, storms, and marine ecosystems.

This is a multi-faceted activity that offers students a variety of opportunities to learn about permafrost and the role of methane in thawing permafrost.

This video discusses the social and economic impacts (worldwide and in the US) of sea level rise caused by global warming (aired April 1, 2011). Note: you may need to scroll down the Changing Planet video page to get to this video.

This video examines the thawing of permafrost due to changes in climate and shows examples of the impacts that warming temperatures have on permafrost in the Arctic, including the release of the greenhouse gas methane. Dramatic results are shown, including sink holes forming on the landscape and beneath buildings, roads, and other infrastructure, causing some communities to relocate.

The video addresses impact of warming temperatures on major lakes of the world with specific focus on Lake Superior and Lake Tanganyika. It discusses the science of water stratification and its impact on lake ecosystems and on human populations whose livelihoods depend on the lakes.

This video examines what will happen to crops as Earth's temperature rises and soils dry out because of changing climate.

SYNOPSIS: In this lesson, students use chemical reactions that occur in landfills and composting as a vehicle to learn about chemical changes found in their daily lives.

SCIENTIST NOTES: Students learn how to distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter through this lesson. They can comprehend the chemical makeup, interactions, and changes that take place in landfills and other waste disposal facilities thanks to the films, articles, and class activity. Disastrous gases like methane are emitted into the atmosphere after the breakdown of various products and materials at waste disposal facilities due to their distinctive chemical properties. The environment and human health are likely to suffer as a result. So, it's crucial to separate these wastes since some of them can be reused or recycled to lower the amount of methane in the environment. Above all, students will be able to create a model for trash management, promote sustainably managed waste, and present solutions to local communities. To prevent injuries in the classroom, the teacher should oversee the balloon activity that involves using objects like banana peels and balloons on bottle mouths, among others. The lesson, including all accompanying materials and videos, has all been fact-checked, and it is appropriate for use in a classroom.

POSITIVES:
-Students work collaboratively in groups and with partners to share diverse ideas and perspectives.
-Students participate in hands-on learning to aid in understanding and participation.
-Students learn through a variety of pathways including kinesthetic, auditory, and visual learning to reach diverse and unique individuals.
-Students are given a variety of optional extensions to create the most meaningful change in their communities.

ADDITIONAL PREREQUISITES:
-Teachers can use this as a multi-day lesson in two to three parts. Each of the Inquire, Investigate, and Inspire sections can be completed on a separate day.
-Teachers can cut the chemical or physical change sorting game cards out prior to teaching the lesson.
-Materials required for the hands-on landfill activity include the following:
-Clear plastic tub (~12-in long × 6-in wide × 5-in deep) (~30-cm x 15-cm x 13-cm) with about 1 inch (2.54 cm) of sand in the bottom
-Clay (~750 cubic cm); this clay does not need to be the high-quality type used for modeling; clayey or silty soil from your backyard works fine
-Sand (~1500 cubic cm) (available at home and garden stores)
-Gravel (~100 cubic cm) (available at home and garden stores)
-~15 cotton balls
-(Optional) Tiny houses and buildings (such as Monopoly game houses and hotels), or any other simple representation to simulate the presence of a town sitting on the sand base
-Materials required for the balloon activity:
-Plastic (or glass) bottles
-Balloons
-Food scraps
-Tape (for securing the balloon around the top of the bottle)

DIFFERENTIATION:
-All hands-on activities can be taught as demonstrations.
-Lab groups may be created with students of mixed abilities.
-Articles may be read in small groups, whole groups, or individually based on students’ needs.
-Students can do the optional activity listed in the Inspire section and complete another balloon activity with food waste.
-Students can explore deeper the differences between methane and carbon dioxide outputs as greenhouse gases in landfills versus composting.

As a segment in PBS's Coping with Climate Change series, Hari Sreenivasan reports on the actions the city of Chicago is taking to mitigate climate change in an urban landscape.

In this video clip from Earth: The Operators' Manual, host Richard Alley discusses China's efforts to develop clean energy technologies and to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, by building coal plants using CO2 sequestration technology. (scroll down page for video)

Students focus on the three interconnected choices global society faces as Earth's climate continues to changeâsuffer, adapt, and mitigateâto analyze and predict current and future impacts to Earth's systems. Using videos excerpted from NOVA: Decoding the Weather Machine, students explore ways that adaptation and mitigation strategies can work at various levels to minimize suffering and then develop an evidence-based action plan for their local community.

This video and accompanying essay examine ways to reduce the environmental impact of burning coal. Two technologies are discussed: turning solid coal into a clean-burning fuel gas (syngas), and capture and storage of CO2.

In this activity, students learn about the scientific evidence supporting climate change, use this information to evaluate and improve conclusions some people might draw about climate change, and participate in a role-play to negotiate solutions to climate change.

In this activity students learn how Earth's energy balance is regulating climate. This activity is lesson 4 in the nine-lesson module Visualizing and Understanding the Science of Climate Change.