Games and climate literacy...Climate Board Game Module PURPOSE To teach students about how Earth’s climate is changing and how our actions as humans influence and change the climate

Games and climate literacyMegan K. Fung, Laura R. Tedesco and Miriam E. Katz

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATIONDOI: 10.1038/NGEO2499

NATURE GEOSCIENCE | www.nature.com/naturegeoscience

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2499

A Guideline for Teachers Implementing the

Climate Board Game Module PURPOSE

To teach students about how Earth’s climate is changing and how our actions as humans

influence and change the climate.

Objectives for Students

1. Learn about climate change, past, present, and future.

2. Study how humans influence Earth’s climate.

3. Explore how a changing environment and climate affects humans.

4. Discover different types of energy resources and modes of transportation.

5. Learn how to critique an original game and design a new game.

6. Develop teamwork skills.

OVERVIEW

The original game is used as a starting point for the students and is meant to be a “rough draft”

for the students to critique, modify, and expand. The game is created to teach participants about

how individual lifestyle choices impact the climate, and how a changing environment affects us

as we grow up. The game mimics the Game of LifeTM

and as players travel around the board,

they “grow up” and have to make life decisions that have a direct impact on their surrounding

environment. As players move forward, they collect climate awareness tokens. These tokens

represent climate friendly actions, and the player with the most tokens wins the game. Players

learn about the climate through Roadblocks, Quick Facts, and Trivia cards placed throughout the

game.

Stage 1: 1-2 class periods

- The class is divided into groups of 4-6 students.

- The board game is handed out to each team, along with the Climate Change Board Game

Instructions worksheet.

- Students play the climate board game designed by the teacher (or taken straight from this

paper).


- Each group receives the Instructions for Students worksheet.

- Students critique the original board game.

- Students propose a plan to modify and improve the game, while still following the

original requirements.

- Students design their own version of the board game.


- Students exchange their finished board games with their peers and play the new game.

Stage 4: 1 class period

- Students evaluate their peers’ final board game.

INSTRUCTIONS

In order to implement the climate board game module, each classroom needs copies of an

original climate board game created by the teacher (or taken straight from this paper, see Game

Template). An example of the board structure:

- A start and a finish space

- Roadblocks placed every 10 spaces

- Quick Facts and Trivia spaces distributed throughout the game

- Spaces on the board to place the actual Roadblock, Quick Facts, and Trivia cards

The Roadblock, Quick Facts, and Trivia cards can be taken directly from the documents at the

end of this file. Each sheet can be printed, folded, cut, and taped together to create the cards.

Each classroom should have enough copies for groups of 4-6 students to play the game at once.

Each group of students must also have the Student Instruction worksheet, which includes all the

information on Roadblocks, Quick Facts, and Trivia questions. The following list of materials is

necessary for the students to then create and design their new climate change board game, based

on the original board game

Materials

1. Blank board games: poster board or thick cardboard

2. Card stock

3. Dice or spinners

4. Chips or other pieces used as tokens

5. Game pieces

6. Markers, pens, and colored pencils

7. Rulers

8. Scissors

9. Access to a computer to type up instructions (optional)

10. Climate change/environmental science reference books or access to the internet to

research climate facts (see below)

Additional Resources

The following websites are used as references for the Quick Facts and Trivia cards. Teachers

wishing to expand upon the provided cards will find these links helpful resources. These are also

excellent sites for the students to explore during the designing phase. We especially recommend

the online climate booklets from the National Academy of Sciences, which are designed for the

general public. https://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/

- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

- http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

- http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Climate-

Change/Facts.aspx

- http://www.ipcc.ch/

- http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/index.html

REFERENCES

1. Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network. 2013. Teaching climate and energy

science: CLEAN. Available at http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/index.html (accessed 1

May 2013).

2. Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California

Institute of Technology. 2013. Evidence: Global climate change. Available at

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence (accessed 1 May 2013).

3. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2013. Available at http://www.ipcc.ch/

(accessed 1 May 2013).

4. National Academy of Sciences. 2012. Climate change: evidence, impacts and choices.

https://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/

(accessed 8 Feb. 2014). 5. National Wildlife Federation. 2013. Fast facts about climate change: Climate change.

Available at http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-

School/Pathways/Climate-Change/Facts.aspx (accessed 1 May 2013).

6. Ruddiman, W. F., ed. 2008. Earth's Climate: Past and Future, 2nd ed. New York: W.H.

Freeman and Company, p. 388.

7. Teed, T. 2013. Game-based learning: Starting point-teaching entry-level geosciences.

Available at http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/games/index.html (accessed 3 December

2013).

8. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2013. Climate change. Available at

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ (accessed 1 May 2013).

Instructions for Students

Designing a Game on Climate Change How will your actions and decisions as you grow up influence and change Earth’s Climate?

You and your classmates will design and create a board game that teaches players about how

humans impact the climate, and how a changing environment will affect us as we grown up.

The Goal is to learn about climate change through making real life decisions, answering trivia

questions, and by learning about current issues related to climate change. Players will collect

“climate awareness tokens” along the way and the player with the most tokens at the end of the

game will be declared the most climate friendly.

As players travel around the board, they will “grow up” and have to make life decisions that will

have a direct impact on climate.

There are a few requirements that must be included in your game, but the design, layout, and

overall creativity is up to you!

INSTRUCTIONS

As a team, you and your classmates will design a new version of the climate change game

presented to you by your teacher. You will have the opportunity to play the original version of

the game, make comments/suggestions, create a new game, swap your game with another group,

and then play and critique their board game.

1) Assemble in teams of 4-6 students.

2) Read the board game instructions.

3) Play the original climate change board game.

4) Write down the components of the game you liked and disliked and discuss the

results with your group.

5) Read over the required materials that need to be included in the game that your team

will design.

6) Look at the provided information on climate change and decide how you want to

incorporate that information into your game.

7) Design an original game on climate change!

8) Swap your new game with another team’s game.

9) Play the game created by your classmates.

10) Critique and evaluate your peers’ final board game.

Things to think about

- What climate facts do you consider to be most important/or interesting?

- How will you incorporate these additional climate facts?

- How will the board be set up?

- What type of game pieces will you use?

- Will there be a reward for players who finish first?

- Will tokens be taken away for an incorrect answer?

- How many tokens will be given out per question?

- How will your board game instructions differ from the original game?

The Game of Climate Change

REQUIREMENTS

The following information includes all of the Roadblock, Trivia, and Quick Fact Cards used in

the original game. You may modify how the questions are asked, delete questions you don’t

want, add new questions, and change or add parameters to the Roadblock cards.

NOTE: You must include at least 5 Roadblock stops (4 original and 1 new), 20 Trivia cards (10

original and 10 new), and 20 Quick Fact cards (10 original and 10 new) in your new game. A list

of helpful resources to research facts/ideas follows.

Roadblocks 1. Players will encounter Roadblocks along the game, which will force the player to stop

and make a decision before continuing the game. Based on a player’s decision, they will

have the opportunity to collect or give back climate awareness tokens.

2. When a player passes over a “Roadblock” space, s/he must immediately stop on the space

and pick up the top two cards. Read the descriptions on the top of each card and pick one

of the cards. Place the unwanted card in the middle of the deck. Flip over the card you

have chosen and follow the instructions.

Roadblock #1: Car – What type of car will you buy?

Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types

of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others.

1. Electric car

2. Hybrid car- electric and gasoline powered

3. Clean Diesel (low sulfur) car

4. Compact gasoline powered car

5. Gasoline truck

Roadblock #2: Mode of transportation – How will you travel to work each day?

1. Bike

2. Walk

3. Public transportation: bus, metro, subway

4. Carpool: 2 or more persons

5. Drive

Roadblock #3: Food – Where will your food come from?

1. Locally grown or produced

2. Domestic (made in the USA)

3. International (made overseas and shipped to the USA)

Roadblock #4: Energy – What type of energy will be used to power your house?

1. Solar panels on rooftop

2. Local wind farm

3. Natural gas

4. Oil

5. Coal

Roadblock #5: What size house will you have?

It takes energy and electricity to power your house. The larger the house is, the more energy

needed to keep your house warm during the winter, and cool during the summer.

1. Small house

2. Medium house

3. Large house

4. Mansion

Vacation: you and your family want to start planning your graduation trip. Choose a travel

destination you will visit 10 years from now.

1. Great Barrier Reef, Australia: relax on the beach or go snorkeling in one of the most

diverse coral reef ecosystems in the world.

a. Outcome: The ocean is growing warmer and more acidic as CO2 is dissolved into

seawater. Coral reefs and organisms that live around them are starting to

disappear and die as a result. This will make locations like the Great Barrier Reef

less attractive to tourists.

2. Lake Placid, NY: Enjoy playing in the snow and go skiing, snowshoeing, and

snowboarding.

a. Outcome: Warming temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns are

making it more difficult for ski resorts (even the large ones) to stay open.

3. Glacier National Park: Hike, bike, and horseback ride through this gorgeous park and

take a look at the spectacular ice forms.

a. Outcome: As a result of warming temperature, scientists predict all of the glaciers

at Glacier National Park will be melted by 2020.

4. Arctic Cruise: Enjoy the spectacular wildlife and scenery aboard a large cruise vessel.

a. Outcome: Warming temperatures are making it difficult for polar animals (like

the arctic fox and polar bears) to survive.

Climate Change Quick Facts

1. Pick up a “Quick Facts” card and read the question out loud to all of the players. The first

person in the group to answer the question correctly, receives one token.

2. If nobody can answer the question correctly, the player holding the card reads the answer

out loud and collects one token.

NOTE: The player reading the card decides if another player’s answer is sufficiently correct. The

correct answer should be similar to, or include parts of, the answer provided on the Quick Facts

card. If no player’s answer is sufficient, the player reading the card receives one token.

List of Questions and Answers for the Climate Change Quick Facts Cards

1. What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer: The Earth’s greenhouse effect naturally helps keep the temperature of the planet

warm.

2. What are greenhouse gases?

Answer: Greenhouse gases, like water vapor and carbon dioxide (CO2) act like a blanket

and keep the Earth warm. If the level of greenhouse gases is too high, the Earth can get

too hot.

3. What is climate change?

Answer: Climate change is a change in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns that

lasts for a long time.

4. Give an example of a natural factor that can cause climate change.

Answer: Natural factors can include changes in the sun’s energy or Earth’s distance from

the sun. Both of these examples change how much sunlight reaches our planet.

5. Human activities can cause climate change. Give an example of one of these activities.

Answer: Changes in greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere (caused by burning

fossil fuels, such as gasoline) and changes in land surfaces (like burning and cutting

down trees).

6. How does a warming climate affect precipitation (rain and snow)?

Answer: Some areas will experience increases in precipitation, which can cause flooding.

Other areas will receive less rainfall than usual, putting these areas at a higher risk for

droughts.

7. How will warming temperatures affect hurricanes?

Answer: Warmer sea surface temperatures strengthen hurricanes, so it is likely that we

will experience more intense and frequent winds and hurricanes. Hurricane Irene and

Hurricane Sandy are two examples of this.

8. How much will our planet continue to warm by 2100?

Answer: Scientists estimate that at our current rate of emissions we will see an average

temperature increase of 3-7°F by 2100. The range of estimated warming depends on

whether we will take steps to decrease the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

9. What is the difference in climate change and global warming?

Answer: Global warming refers to an average increase in global temperature. Climate

change can include global warming, but also refers to other changes, such as sea level

and precipitation.

10. CO2 emissions increases the amount of CO2 dissolved in the ocean which changes the

chemistry of seawater. This process, called ocean acidification, threatens the survival of

shell-building marine organisms. Which organism(s) are already being affected by ocean

acidification?

Answer: Corals and marine mollusks (organisms that make their home out of a carbonate

shell).

11. Methane is a gas in the atmosphere, but in Earth’s colder regions it also can be trapped in

the ice in permafrost (frozen ground). How do warming temperatures affect the stability

of methane trapped in permafrost?

Answer: The melting of polar permafrost is releasing frozen methane, adding additional

greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

12. What are two ways in which climate change influences sea level?

Answer: (1) The water from melting glaciers and ice sheets flows into the oceans, and (2)

as oceans warm, seawater expands (called thermal expansion). These two processes are

causing sea level to rise.

13. How will rising sea levels influence humans and the world we live in?

Answer: Seawater moving into low-lying areas will contaminate drinking water,

submerge coastal infrastructure and barrier islands, and increase the risk of damage to

homes from storm surges.

14. How does climate change influence freshwater resources?

Answer: Changing precipitation and temperature patterns will alter the distribution and

availability of freshwater sources. For example, winter snowpack and mountain glaciers

that provide water for large populations are declining as a result of global warming. In

some areas, reservoirs are shrinking because of drought; elsewhere, flooding

contaminates freshwater with silt and pollutants.

15. How does climate change influence weather patterns?

Answer: Episodes of extreme weather events are projected to increase. For example,

many locations are already experiencing a rise in the number of heat waves they

experience each year.

16. How does climate change influence ecosystems on land and in the ocean?

Answer: some animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses are expanding into new areas as

changes make conditions favorable for them. Other organisms are declining as they are

unable to adapt and cannot survive in the new conditions. As a result, infectious diseases

and certain species will invade new areas and threaten native organisms.

17. What are some types of historical records that help us to document climate changes over

the past millennium?

Answer: Personal journals, ship logs, paintings, farming records, and native knowledge

18. What are some types of natural records that help scientists understand the climate system,

and to reconstruct past climate changes?

Answer: Tree rings, ice cores, fossils, and sediments.

19. What are the differences between climate and weather?

Answer: Weather is the minute-by-minute changes in the condition of the atmosphere on

a local scale. Climate is an area’s average weather condition and the extent to which it

varies over a long period of time.

Climate Change Trivia Card

1. When you land on a “Climate Change Trivia Card” have the person to your right read the

question out loud to you. If you answer the question correctly, collect one token. If you

answer the question incorrectly, the person reading the card collects one token.

List of Questions and Answers for the Climate Change Trivia Cards

1. True or False

As a result of climate change, the entire world is receiving less precipitation (rain or

snow).

Answer: False

Note: Some areas of the world are receiving more rain, while other locations are getting

less precipitation than normal.

2. True or False

The climate is warming as a result of more greenhouse gases being emitted into the

atmosphere.

Answer: True

3. Without any greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, the planet would be what temperature?

a. 100°F hotter than today

b. 60°F colder than today

c. The same as today

Answer: b.

4. Which of these are greenhouse gases?

a. Carbon dioxide (CO2)

b. Methane (CH4)

c. Water Vapor (H2O)

d. None of the above

e. All of the above

Answer: e.

5. Which statement is true regarding increasing global temperatures?

a. Our planet has warmed 1.5°F since 1880.

b. The past decade was the warmest on record since data started being kept in 1880.

c. Within the past 30 years, the rate of warming has tripled compared to the past 100

years

d. All of the above

Answer: d.

6. True or False

Our planet is warming

Answer: True

7. What would happen to temperatures if humans suddenly stopped emitting greenhouse

gases?

a. Temperatures would immediately decrease

b. Temperatures would stay the same

c. Temperatures would rise for approximately 1000 years

Answer: c.

Note: CO2 stays in the atmosphere for a long time

8. True or False

Unlike glaciers (which are on land), sea ice floats in the ocean. Melting sea ice

contributes to sea level rise.

Answer: False

Note: Sea ice floats on the water and does not change sea level when melted. This is

similar to melting ice cubes in a glass of water.

9. True or False

Melting polar glacial ice sheets (Antarctica and Greenland) contribute to sea level rise.

Answer: True

Note: When glacial ice melts, it flows from land into the ocean.

10. As a result of changing precipitation patterns and increasing global temperatures, farmers

in Greenland are now for the first time able to grow which crop?

a. Strawberries

b. Mangoes

c. Bananas

Answer: a.

11. Which of the following animals are suffering as a result of climate change?

a. Polar Bears

b. Sea Turtles

c. Emperor Penguins

d. All of the above

Answer: d.

12. Which of the following actions can help clean our climate?

a. Reducing emissions (CO2 & CH4)

b. Walking to school

c. Planting trees

d. All of the above

Answer: d.

13. Albedo is the amount of sunlight (incoming solar energy) that is reflected from a surface.

A more reflective surface will have a higher albedo, and decrease the amount of solar

energy that is absorbed into the climate system. Which of the following surfaces has the

highest albedo?

a. Clean snow

b. Asphalt

c. Ocean

Answer: a.

14. Which is NOT a human process that has influenced the amount of greenhouses gases in

the atmosphere?

a. Planting rice paddies (wetlands)

b. Clearing forests

c. Burning fossil fuels

d. All have influenced greenhouse gases

Answer: d.

15. True or False

The sun is the primary source of energy for Earth’s climate system.

Answer: True

16. Our understanding of how the climate system works has improved through which of the

following?

a. Observations

b. Modeling

c. Both a and b

d. Neither

Answer: c.

17. True or False

Climate is the same thing as weather.

Answer: False

18. What types of evidence do scientists use to examine past climate conditions?

a. Tree rings

b. Corals

c. Ice cores

d. Leaf shapes

e. All of the above

Answer: e.

19. Which of the following decreases greenhouse gases in our atmosphere?

a. Deforestation

b. Burning fossil fuels

c. Seafloor accumulation of marine sediments

Answer: c.

20. Airborne particles called “aerosols” can be lifted into the atmosphere through natural and

manmade processes. Which of the following processes emit aerosols?

a. Sea spray

b. Forest fires

c. Volcanic eruptions

d. Burning fossil fuels

e. All of the above

Answer: d.

Additional Resources

The following websites are excellent resources for researching topics and facts for your new

Roadblocks, Quick Facts, and Trivia cards.

- https://nas-sites.org/americasclimatechoices/more-resources-on-climate-change/

- http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/

- http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence

- http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-School/Pathways/Climate-

Change/Facts.aspx

- http://www.ipcc.ch/

- http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/index.html

List of Roadblock Choices and Outcomes

This sheet can be printed, folded, cut, and taped together to create the cards.

Front of card Back of card

Roadblock #1 What type of car will you buy? Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others. ELECTRIC CAR

Outcome: Earn two tokens

Roadblock #1 What type of car will you buy? Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others. HYBRID CAR: ELECTRIC AND GASOLINE POWERED


Roadblock #1 What type of car will you buy? Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others. CLEAN DIESIEL (LOW SULFUR) CAR

Outcome: Earn one token

Roadblock #1 What type of car will you buy? Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others. COMPACT GASOLINE POWERED CAR

Outcome: Earn zero tokens

Roadblock #1 What type of car will you buy? Many cars emit pollutants, like carbon dioxide, that are harmful to the environment. Some types of cars produce fewer of these fuel emissions than others. GASOLINE TRUCK

Outcome: Take away one token


Roadblock #2 Mode of Transportation: How will you get to work each day? BIKE


Roadblock #2 Mode of Transportation: How will you get to work each day? PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: BUS, METRO, SUBWAY


Roadblock #2 Mode of Transportation: How will you get to work each day? WALK


Roadblock #2 Mode of Transportation: How will you get to work each day? CARPOOL: 2 OR MORE PERSONS


Roadblock #2 Mode of Transportation: How will you get to work each day? DRIVE



Roadblock #3 Where will your food come from? It requires energy to transport food from where it is produced to where it is sold. LOCALLY GROWN OR PRODUCED


Roadblock #3 Where will your food come from? It requires energy to transport food from where it is produced to where it is sold. DOMESTIC: MADE IN USA


Roadblock #3 Where will your food come from? It requires energy to transport food from where it is produced to where it is sold. INTERNATIONAL: MADE OVERSEAS AND SHIPPED TO THE USA


Roadblock #4 Where will your energy come from? Some types of energy are more environmentally friendly. SOLAR PANELS ON ROOFTOP


Roadblock #4 Where will your energy come from? Some types of energy are more environmentally friendly. LOCAL WIND FARM



Roadblock #4 Where will your energy come from? Some types of energy are more environmentally friendly. NATURAL GAS


Roadblock #4 Where will your energy come from? Some types of energy are more environmentally friendly. OIL


Roadblock #4 Where will your energy come from? Some types of energy are more environmentally friendly. COAL

Outcome: Take away two tokens

Roadblock #5 What size house will you buy? It requires energy to power your house. The larger the house, the more energy required to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. SMALL HOUSE


Roadblock #5 What size house will you buy? It requires energy to power your house. The larger the house, the more energy required to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. MEDIUM HOUSE



Roadblock #5 What size house will you buy? It requires energy to power your house. The larger the house, the more energy required to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. LARGE HOUSE


Roadblock #5 What size house will you buy? It requires energy to power your house. The larger the house, the more energy required to keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. MANSION

Outcome: Take away two tokens

VACATION You are planning a vacation for after graduation in 8 years. Where will you go? ARCTIC CRUISE Enjoy the spectacular wildlife and scenery aboard a large cruise vessel.

Outcome: Warming temperatures are making it difficult for polar animals (like the arctic fox and polar bears) to survive.

VACATION You are planning a vacation for after graduation in 8 years. Where will you go? GREAT BARRIER REEF, AUSTRALIA Relax on the beach or go snorkeling in one of the most diverse coral reef ecosystems in the world.

Outcome: The ocean is growing warmer and more acidic as CO2 is dissolved into seawater. Coral reefs and the organisms that live around them are starting to disappear and die as a result. This will make locations like the Great Barrier Reef less attractive to tourists.

VACATION You are planning a vacation for after graduation in 8 years. Where will you go? LAKE PLACID, NY

Enjoy playing in the snow and while skiing, snowshoeing, and snowboarding. Outcome: Warming temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns are making it more difficult for ski resorts (even the large ones) to stay open.


VACATION You are planning a vacation for after graduation in 8 years. Where will you go? GLACIER NATIONAL PARK Hike, bike, and horseback ride through this gorgeous park and take a look at the spectacular ice forms.

Outcome: As a result of warming temperature, scientists predict all of the glaciers at Glacier National Park will be melted by 2020.

List of Questions and Answers for the Climate Change Quick Facts Cards This sheet can be printed, folded, cut, and taped together to create the cards.


QUICK FACTS

What is the greenhouse effect? Answer: The Earth’s greenhouse effect naturally helps keep the temperature of the planet warm.

QUICK FACTS

What are greenhouse gases? Answer: Greenhouse gases, like water vapor and carbon dioxide (CO2) act like a blanket and keep the Earth warm. If the level of greenhouse is too high, the Earth can get too hot.

QUICK FACTS

What is climate change? Answer: Climate change is a change in temperature, rainfall, snow, or wind patterns that lasts for a long time.

QUICK FACTS

Give an example of a natural factor that can cause climate change. Answer: Natural factors can include changes in the sun’s energy or Earth’s distance from the sun. Both of these examples change how much sunlight reaches our planet.

QUICK FACTS

Human activities can cause climate change. Give an example of one of these activities. Answer: Changes in greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere (caused by burning fossil fuels, such as gasoline) and changes in land surfaces (like burning and cutting down trees).


QUICK FACTS

How does a warming climate affect precipitation (rain and snow)? Answer: Some areas will experience increases in precipitation, which can cause flooding. Other areas will receive less rainfall than usual, putting these areas at a higher risk for droughts.

QUICK FACTS

How will warming temperatures affect hurricanes? Answer: Warmer sea surface temperatures strengthen hurricanes, so it is likely that we will experience more intense and frequent winds and hurricanes. Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy are two examples of this.

QUICK FACTS

How much will our planet warm by 2100? Answer: Scientists estimate that at our current rate of emissions we will see an average temperature increase of 3-7°F by 2100. The range of estimated warming depends on whether we will take steps to decrease the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

QUICK FACTS

What is the difference between climate change and global warming? Answer: Global warming refers to an average increase in global temperature. Climate change can include global warming, but also refers to other changes, such as sea level and precipitation.

QUICK FACTS

CO2 emissions increases the amount of CO2 dissolved in the ocean which changes the chemistry of seawater. This process, called ocean acidification, threatens the survival of shell-building marine organisms. Which organism(s) are already being affected by ocean acidification? Answer: Corals and marine mollusks (organisms that make their home out of a carbonate shell).


QUICK FACTS

Methane is a gas in the atmosphere, but in Earth’s colder regions it also can be trapped in the ice in permafrost (frozen ground). How do warming temperatures affect the stability of methane trapped in permafrost? Answer: The melting of polar permafrost is releasing frozen methane, adding additional greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

QUICK FACTS

What are two ways in which climate change influences sea level? Answer: (1) The water from melting glaciers and ice sheets flows into the oceans, and (2) as oceans warm, seawater expands (called thermal expansion). These two processes are causing sea level to rise.

QUICK FACTS

How will rising sea levels influence humans and the world we live in? Answer: Seawater moving into low-lying areas will contaminate drinking water, submerge coastal infrastructure and barrier islands, and increase the risk of damage to homes from storm surges.

QUICK FACTS

How does climate change influence freshwater resources? Answer: Changing precipitation and temperature patterns will alter the distribution and availability of freshwater sources. For example, winter snowpack and mountain glaciers that provide water for large populations are declining as a result of global warming. In some areas, reservoirs are shrinking because of drought; elsewhere, flooding contaminates freshwater with silt and pollutants.

QUICK FACTS

How does climate change influence weather patterns? Answer: Episodes of extreme weather events are projected to increase. For example, many locations are already experiencing a rise in the number of heat waves they experience each year.


QUICK FACTS

How does climate change influence ecosystems on land and in the ocean? Answer: some animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses are expanding into new areas as changes make conditions favorable for them. Other organisms are declining as they are unable to adapt and cannot survive in the new conditions. As a result, infectious diseases and certain species will invade new areas and threaten native organisms.

QUICK FACTS

What are some types of historical records that help us to document climate changes over the past millennium? Answer: Personal journals, ship logs, paintings, farming records, and native knowledge.

QUICK FACTS

What are some types of natural records that help scientists understand the climate system, and to reconstruct past climate changes? Answer: Tree rings, ice cores, fossils, and sediments.

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What is the difference between climate and weather? Answer: Weather is the minute-by-minute changes in the condition of the atmosphere on a local scale. Climate is an area’s average weather condition and the extent to which it varies over a long time.

REFERENCES

1. Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network. 2013. Teaching climate and energy

science: CLEAN. Available at http://cleanet.org/clean/literacy/index.html (accessed 1

May 2013).

2. Earth Science Communications Team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California

Institute of Technology. 2013. Evidence: Global climate change. Available at

http://climate.nasa.gov/evidence (accessed 1 May 2013).

3. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2013. Available at http://www.ipcc.ch/

(accessed 1 May 2013).

4. National Wildlife Federation. 2013. Fast facts about climate change: Climate change.

Available at http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA/Become-an-Eco-

School/Pathways/Climate-Change/Facts.aspx (accessed 1 May 2013).

5. Ruddiman, W. F., ed. 2008. Earth's Climate: Past and Future, 2nd ed. New York: W.H.

Freeman and Company, p. 388.

6. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2013. Climate change. Available at

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ (accessed 1 May 2013).

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Documents

Games and climate literacy...Climate Board Game Module PURPOSE To teach students about how Earth’s climate is changing and how our actions as humans influence and change the climate