Our world is always changing. Look out your window long enough, and you might see the weather change. Look even longer, and you’ll see the seasons change. The Earth’s climate is changing, too, but in ways that you can’t easily see. and warmer temperatures mean that an earlier spring.

 

A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change: The Ultimate Resource for Kids

 

 

Image by NASA

Climate change represents an enormous, global issue.
The deterioration of our planet threatens the vitality of future generations. Given this, it is extremely important to engage the younger generation in this cause. Educating today’s youth about the environment and the impact of climate change on the future is extremely important in gaining their interest and support. The future of our planet is essentially in the hands of the younger generation. They will be the population forced to live with environmental challenges if behaviors don’t change. The youth of today will also be responsible for maintaining, supporting and educating future generations about the importance of taking care of our planet. A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change is an awesome resource by the US EPA committed to educating today’s youth about climate change and how they can help. This resource provides a great opportunity for today’s educators to inspire youth to learn about climate change and engage their help in promoting a healthier planet.

The site is broken down into 5 sections; Learn the Basics, See the Impacts, Think Like a Scientist, Be Part of the Solution, and Take a Climate Change Expedition. Take a look at this brief overview of A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change.

 

Learn the Basics

This section of the website serves to provide an overview of the basics of climate change and its causes. Learn the Basics also features an animated video to explain the Greenhouse Effect in a manner that kids can understand. Climate change is explained as a pattern of weather change that has been happening for many years. The rising temperature of the earth over the last many years represents global warming, which is causing profoundly negative effects on the global environment. Global warming is at fault for the loss of habitats worldwide as well as stronger storms and a warming ocean.

The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Greenhouse gases represent natural gases designed to maintain the earth at a reasonable temperature. Both greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide represent heat trapping gases. The combination of both of these gases is responsible for the warming environment of the earth.

 

Take a Climate Change Expedition

This interactive tool on the site flags locations all over the global map highlighting the effects of climate change across the world. From the Midwest United States to Southwestern Africa to Southeast Asia, to the Arctic Ocean. This click and view format provides kids with a visual aid of the effects of climate change on the global environment. This is a great tool that educators can use to introduce the concept of climate change to students.

 

Image by epa.gov

 

See the Impacts

This section challenges youth to evaluate the current climate and consider how it is changing. Evidence of global warming can be seen everywhere. If you take the time to look, the warming climate is causing changes all of the place. Snow and ice now melt earlier in the spring and rain patterns have changed. These changes are having an impact on agriculture as crops try to adjust to changing water supply and temperature. They are also negatively impacting wildlife; destroying habitats and confusing the animals that have been used to a different type of climate. Climate change will continue to progress and become more severe if humans do not reduce the amount heat trapping gases put into the environment.

 

Think Like a Scientist

 

This section is designed to inspire youth to approach the changing environment as a scientist would. It educates kids about how scientists look at these types of problems and how they go about fixing them. This section of the site also features a slide show to highlight the many tools that scientists use to learn about the earth’s climate. Challenging kids to think scientifically about global warming promotes their understanding of the concept and its importance.

 

Be Part of the Solution

This section of the site is probably the most impact for youth. It provides them with the most important aspect of global warming; what can be done. There are tons of ways that kids can impact the environment and reduce heat trapping gases. Kids can learn about reducing energy; turning off lights, saving water and recycling are all great actions that kids can kick climate change to the curb.

The Role of Educators

This section provides a great resource for educators to make an impact on students and inspire them to make a difference in the world of climate change. Global warming is a huge problem that will remain unchanged if people don’t get involved and make positive changes to impact the environment. Teaching kids of this importance is necessary to progressing forward.