Climate Agreements and SDG13

Sustainable Development Goals
  • What actions can society take against climate change and extreme weather hazards?
  • What are the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015?
  • What does the 1.5°C goal mean?  
  • How can “Sustainable Development Goal 13: Climate Action” help in the fight against the climate crisis?

Read the article, simplified from the BBC about the Paris Climate Agreement and answer the questions.

Resources

Climate Agreements and SDG13 ppt

Climate agreements worksheet

Paris Agreement Article worksheet

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Indigenous Knowledge

indigenous voices must-be heard at cop28

How indigenous knowledge is used by local communities to inform climate change technologies, preserving biodiversity.

  • What actions can society take against climate change and extreme weather?
  • How can climate change be managed by mitigation and adaptation?
  • Who are Indigenous groups and how can they help in the fight against the climate crisis?  

A. Read the article “How Indigenous knowledge plays a critical role in tackling climate change.”

B. Highlight key terms, any things or vocabulary you do not understand, and interesting information.

C. Answer the comprehension questions based on the text:

Resources

Indigenous Knowledge ppt

Indigenous Knowledge worksheet

Indigenous Knowledge worksheet – reduced text

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Adaptation and Mitigation

mitigation and adaptation graphic organiser
  • What actions can society take against climate change and extreme weather hazards?
  • How can climate change be managed by mitigation and adaptation?
  • How effective are mitigation and adaptation at combatting the climate crisis?
  • What happens when mitigation and adaptation fail?

Students complete a graphic organiser using videos and information sheets. This could be done as a marketplace activity, where students rotate around stations in the room gathering information.

Resources

Adaptation and Mitigation ppt

Adaptation/ mitigation worksheet

Adaptation and Mitigation – information sheets for the activity

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Adaptation in Sheffield

geog trumps cards

Example of climate change adaptation and mitigation – Sheffield and flooding along the River Don

  1. The objective of this resource is to understand how a local area within the UK can adapt to extreme weather and try to contribute to mitigating climate change.
  2. To do so you will first play a game, then you will produce a plan to combat flooding in Sheffield in a decision-making exercise.
  3. Finally, you will look at some of the actual strategies being used in Sheffield to try and tackle flooded linked to climate change.
  • Why does Sheffield Flood? What role does Extreme weather play?
  • What actions can society take against climate change and extreme weather?
  • How can climate change be managed by mitigation and adaptation?
  • Is Sheffield ready for the extra flooding attributed to climate change?

Resources

Adaptation Top Trumps – introduction

Adaptation Top Trumps – file for printing

External link: strategies to adapt to inland flooding in Sheffield from Earth Learning Ideas 

DME – saving Sheffield from flooding

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Case Study: Monsoon Flooding

Flooding in the UK

flooding in Sheffield mindmap
  • Example of climate change adaptation and mitigation – Sheffield and flooding along the River Don
  • Background to the Don and Rother River catchment – what are the background flood factors?
  • Attribution – Is Climate Change to Blame for Extreme Weather?

Resources

Flooding in Sheffield, causes and attribution to climate change

Flooding in Sheffield – worksheet

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Heat Waves in the UK

  • What are heat waves (extreme heat) like?
  • The place-specific causes – the extreme weather conditions which led to the event
  • The consequences of heatwaves for people and place
  • The Responses to an Extreme Weather Event in the UK

Resources

Cambridge Heatwave ppt

Cambridge temperature data worksheet

2022 heatwave – consequences for people and place worksheet

Heat waves and climate change worksheet

Knowledge Organiser: 2022 Heatwave in Cambridge Case Study

Interview with Jamie Fountain

 

Cambridge temperature map with river Cam
Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

What Makes Weather Extreme?

In this lesson we deal with what hazardous weather is and why our weather is becoming more hazardous.

1.How do we define ‘extreme weather’ and why can it be difficult?

2.What events qualify as “extreme weather”?

3.What has happened to the frequency of extreme weather events globally?

4.What has happened to the distribution of extreme weather events?

Climate Education Quality Mark April 2025

Weather Risk Game

Climate Change Quality Mark Content

Weather risk game

Powerpoint: Weather Risk Game

Word Document: Money

Time: 30 minutes

You will need: money.docx printed in colour, WeatherRiskGame.pptx, 6 dice – large ones which the whole class can see work best. I got some foam ones very cheaply.

a) Before the event, mark the dice ‘p’ and 1-5. On the die marked 1, cross out or otherwise mark one side, on the die marked 2 cross out or otherwise mark two sides etc. Crossed-out sides represent good weather and sides which aren’t crossed out represent bad weather. The more sides are crossed out, the lower the chance of bad weather!

foam dice

b) Use the ppt to guide the activity.
c) The students will need to get into 6 groups. Give each group one colour of money and ask them to cut it up. You should keep the ‘insured’ slips.
d) Each time you play, roll the P dice first. On the basis of which side it shows, the students should decide whether to insure their businesses or not (if a 6 is shown, then there is no chance of bad weather and presumably no-one will insure). If they choose to insure, they should pay you the appropriate sum in return for an ‘Insured’ slip. Then, roll the appropriate die (so if the P die gave a 3, next roll the die labelled 3). If a crossed-out side is rolled, then anyone who was not insured should pay you the appropriate sum.
e) Collect in all the insured slips and start again.
f) Continue until either one team, or all teams except one are out, depending on time.

 

The Kelp Forest Initiative

The Kelp Forest Initiative – Teachers Guide

 
The Earthshot prize is inviting students across the world to help solve the Earth’s biggest environmental problems – and win £1 million to scale up their idea.
In this lesson, students will submit an (imaginary) application outlining an ambitious plan to reduce global warming by replanting kelp forests along the UK coast.
In doing so they will apply understanding about global warming and practice using models, collecting evidence and using it to support a claim.
This lesson is suitable for KS4 students.
 

CURRICULUM LINKS

England National Curriculum
KS4 Working scientifically:
  • Using a variety of concepts and models to develop scientific explanations and understanding
  • Explaining everyday and technological applications of science; evaluating associated personal, social, economic and environmental implications;
  • Making decisions based on the evaluation of evidence and arguments
KS4 Biology: how materials cycle through abiotic and biotic components of ecosystems

positive and negative human interactions with ecosystems.

KS4 Chemistry: Earth and atmospheric science: potential effects of, and mitigation of, increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane on the Earth’s climate.
 

STAGE RUNNING NOTES

Starter: Engage with the task for the lesson

Slide 2: The learning objectives for this lesson.

Slide 3: Introduce the scenario and the Earthshot Prize by clicking on the link to watch a short video (see weblinks below).

Slide 4: Ask students to discuss in pairs what the diagram shows and ask for feedback. You might like to ask students if they think this is a good way of showing climate data and why. You can visit https://showyourstripes.info/  where there are other options for showing the same data e.g. as a bar chart.

Slide 5: Introduce an idea to help reduce global warming – planting kelp forests. The link takes you to an optional YouTube video that shows a diver exploring a UK kelp forest.

Main Students interpret scientific diagrams

Slide 6: Give each student a copy of Student sheet 1 – the application form for the Earthshot idea. Tell them that they will be filling it in throughout the lesson and ask them to quickly read it so they know what information they will need. Tell them that they are going to fill in the first two sections using scientific diagrams.

Slides 7-8: Reveal each diagram in turn and ask the students to use each diagram to fill in the corresponding section on the application form. Students may want to supplement the information on the diagrams using their own knowledge.

Students use results from an experiment to collect evidence for the idea

Slide 9: Give pairs a copy of Student sheet 2, which outlines the algal ball experiment.

Student pairs/groups will study beakers of algal balls in hydrogencarbonate indicator, use a colour chart and work out what the results show.

The beakers need to be set up by the technician beforehand (see technician notes below) as it takes a minimum of 40 minutes to see a change.

They will set up 4 vials of hydrogencarbonate indicator – one containing no algal balls, one with 5 balls, one with 10 balls and one with 15 balls and leave exposed to a bright light so the algae can photosynthesise and use the dissolved carbon dioxide.

If you are unable to run the experiment, show the film of it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI3x68CkKW0

Ask students to use the results to fill in section 3 of Student sheet 1.

Students use information to explain how kelp forests can increase biodiversity

Slides 10-11: Show the students the chart and ask them to discuss in pairs what it shows. Listen to feedback from pairs.

Slide 12: Reveal that the chart shows that the number of different species on Earth – its biodiversity is decreasing because many species have gone extinct. Ask the students to use the information on Student sheet 4 to decide how planting more kelp can help increase biodiversity in the oceans and fill in section 4 of Student sheet 1.

Action: Students provide feedback on the Earthshot idea

Check student understanding by asking individuals for one sentence answers on:

• How planting more kelp can help reduce global warming.

• How planting more kelp can increase biodiversity.

They should be encouraged to not repeat a point made by another student.

Ask students’ opinions on whether they think their Earthshot idea has a chance of winning the prize and why.

WEBLINKS

YouTube video about the Earthshot Prize:

YouTube video that shows a diver exploring a UK kelp forest:

Climate stripes https://showyourstripes.info/

Biodiversity stripes https://biodiversitystripes.info/global

Reliable sources about kelp:

NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration): https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/understanding-blue-carbon

BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gmTAG-rose

The National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/seaweed-fastest-least-expensive-tool-climate-change

NCBE-SAPS photosynthesis kit https://www.ncbe.reading.ac.uk/photosynthesis-kit/ 

TECHNICIAN GUIDE:

The algal ball experiment

To prepare the algal balls see: www.saps.org.uk/teaching-resources/resources/235/algal-balls-photosynthesis-using-algae-wrapped-in-jelly-balls/

Bubble air through the hydrogencarbonate indicator with atmospheric carbon dioxide. The solution is ready to use when it’s a deep red colour.

For each group set up 4 small bottles of prepared hydrogencarbonate indicator – one containing no algal balls, one with no balls (control), 5 balls, one with 10 balls and one with 15 balls and leave exposed to a bright light at least one hour before the lesson so there is a distinct colour change in each bottle.

Climate quality mark December 2024

Related Resources...

Carbon Dioxide – Seasonal Cycles

Exploring the link between photosynthesis and seasonal cycles in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration

Climate Change and Biodiversity

Exploring the links between biodiversity and climate change. 

MetLink - Royal Meteorological Society
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