Environmental Awareness Module - Planet / Sustainability

 

1. Welcome page.

Welcome to your second session of the Sustainability module!

 

It will take you 1 hour and a half to complete it, so be sure to be comfortable in your current space, to have a nice cup of tea with you (and maybe a snack if you need it!).

 

For this session you will need:

• A device with Internet access and sound output

• Your MAMA RISE notebook and a pen

• Markers, color pencils or watercolors for the final creative activity

 

Index of contents

• What is the greenhouse effect?

• What is causing this?

• Why do you think this happens? 

• What is global warming and climate change?

• Important notions to have in mind

 

After this session you will be able to:

• Understand what climate change actually means

• Recognize that the Earth's climate is changing and that human activities contribute to this change

• Identify the difference between climate and weather

• Understand how the greenhouse effect works and the role of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

• Share what you have learnt with other people

 

Ready? Let’s go!

2. Introduction to the session

 

Climate crisis is a global threat that is already affecting millions of people around the world. We are aware that it can be complicated to understand this phenomenon, that there is a lot of information out there and that the terminology is sometimes difficult to understand.

 

As mothers, it can be especially disheartening to read and learn about the situations arising from the climate crisis, but only by understanding the magnitude of the problem will we be able to reverse it by taking steps in our communities, connecting to others and educating our children in a different way of being in the world.

 

Today we are going to know together the most relevant key concepts to understand once and for all what is happening with the climate in our home, the Earth.

 

3. What do you already know about the climate crisis?

 

Maybe you are not aware right now, but there are probably many things that you already know about the climate crisis. Let’s find out! 

 

You have 5 minutes to write everything you know about the climate crisis. The facts do not have to be complex and it is ok if you are not 100% sure of their accuracy. No one is going to judge this list, so feel free to write down as many things as you can.

 

4. Learning content

 

❓Let’s start with a fundamental definition: What is the greenhouse effect?

 

The Earth retains its temperature thanks to a ‘blanket’ of greenhouse gasses that trap near the Earth’s surface heat that would otherwise escape into space. In this way the blanket of gasses acts like a greenhouse and makes the Earth a warmer place – Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth's average surface temperature would be as cold as −18 °C. The greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon that is vital to life on Earth.

As you can see in this image, the problem is not the greenhouse effect per se, but the fact that we are making this layer of gasses too thick for heat to escape back into space, and so, the Earth is getting warmer.

 

—

 

This leads us inevitably to the question: What is causing this?

❓Let’s ask ourselves… What human activities do you think are contributing to this?

✍️On a sheet of paper make two columns: on the left side make a list of all the things you do in a normal day (getting up, showering, eating breakfast, etc.) and on the right side, tick off the activities on the list that you think use energy from fossil fuels.

Keep in mind that fossil fuels are used in many ways, such as for transportation, heating, food consumption, and electricity. Plastics are also made from fossil fuels. 

💭When you have it, take a moment to reflect on what surprised you and how it makes you feel. Describe what your daily life would be like if you tried to halve your use of fossil fuels. How did they feel about living in this way? What were the good things about it? What were the things they would find most difficult?

—-

Everyone in the world leaves a carbon footprint. However, the carbon footprints of some people and countries are larger than others. 

❓Why do you think this happens? 

✍️Look at this list of countries and rank them according to what you think their CO2 emissions per person per year are. Put the country with the highest emissions first and the country with the lowest emissions last.

• United States of America

• China

• India

• Malawi

• Brazil

• Qatar

• South Africa

• United Arab Emirates

• Spain

Solution:

 

*Note: these data refer to consumption-based CO2 emissions. They include both emissions produced in the country and those caused by the production of products imported by the country.

💭What do you think of this ranking? Is it fair?

—-

▶️Let’s WATCH

:

 

Human activities are increasing the concentration of naturally occurring greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide, causing the world to heat up unnaturally and the weather to become more extreme.

 

The heating process is often referred to as ‘global warming’ and the overall effect is known as climate change.

 

Carbon dioxide is the principal contributor to climate change. As human activity increases, the concentrations of greenhouse gases – particularly carbon dioxide, but also methane and nitrous oxide – build up in the atmosphere. About two-thirds of greenhouse gas pollution comes from the carbon dioxide emitted when we burn fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil. 

Some notions to have in mind:

 

Greenhouse gases are gases contributing to the greenhouse effect: the accumulation of carbon dioxide, and others, in the atmosphere insulating the Earth, which prevents heat loss and raises atmospheric temperature.

 

Climate is average weather over a long period (usually 30 years or more) in a particular region.

 

Climate change – The accelerated rate of change which scientists know is the result of human activities. The burning of fossil fuels, which interferes with the natural balance of gases in the atmosphere, is largely to blame. As a result, global temperatures are rising and in the future we are likely to see an increase in weather extremes.

 

Global warming – a gradual rise in temperature over all the Earth’s surface.

 

Sustainable use – use of a resource that can be continued on an on-going basis without depleting or damaging it. Sustainable activities meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

5. Final reflection

 

Draw a picture of how climate change makes you feel. No matter the result, you don't have to know how to draw, just take your time, play with colors and express what's inside you.

 

6. Self-evaluation, assessment and feedback

 

TEST. According to what you have learnt, mark the answer you consider correct:

 

1. Fires release the carbon stored in plants, so measuring the extent and severity of forest fires around the globe is an important ingredient in understanding the carbon cycle. 

1. True

2. False

2. Which one of these increases the level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere?

1. A. Cutting down trees

2. B. Transportation

3. C. Energy

4. D. All of the above

3. Most places on Earth are warmer than they were 100 years ago.

1. True

2. False

4. Which greenhouse gas is the main driver of Earth’s current warming?

1. Methane

2. Carbon dioxide

3. Nitrous oxide

4. Water vapor

5. Which of the following would have the biggest impact on reducing carbon emissions?

1. Growing our own vegetables

2. Stopping deforestation

3. Taking all fossil fuel-burning vehicles off the road

4. Shutting down all fossil fuel power plants

6. What is the Greenhouse effect?

1. The name of climate change legislation that was passed by Congress

2. When you paint your house green to become an environmentalist

3. When the gasses in our atmosphere trap heat and block it from escaping our planet

4. When you build a greenhouse

7. What can you do to help fight climate change?

1. Utilize public transit

2. Consume less meat products

3. Vote for political candidates who will advocate for climate-related legislation and policy improvements

4. All of the above

8. The overwhelming majority of scientists agree that climate change is real and caused by humans.

1. True

2. False

9. Wasting less food is a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1. True

2. False

Results:

 

1. True. Using NASA satellites such as Landsat, people can study the severity, size and location of forest fires from space, and we can estimate how much carbon is released into the atmosphere as the fires burn.

2. D. All of the above. Every time we drive a car, take a flight, burn fossil fuels for energy, or cut down trees or clear land of vegetation, we add carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

3. True. Although most locations on the planet have recorded increased temperatures since 1880, changes in global ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns have created small-scale temperature decreases in a few local regions.

4. B. Carbon dioxide. Some people mistakenly believe water vapor is the main driver of Earth’s current warming. But increased water vapor doesn’t cause human-produced global warming. Instead, it’s a consequence of it. Increased water vapor in the atmosphere supercharges the warming caused by other greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, followed by methane.

5. D. Shutting down all fossil fuel power plants. Shutting down fossil fuel plants and moving to clean, renewable energy sources (e.g., the sun and wind) would have the biggest impact.

6. C. When the gasses in our atmosphere trap heat and block it from escaping our planet. The Earth receives solar radiation from the sun. Passing through the atmosphere, some radiation is absorbed by the Earth, while some is reflected back to space. When the exchange of incoming and outgoing radiation occurs, some of the radiation becomes trapped by gasses in the atmosphere. This creates a “greenhouse” effect and warms the planet.

7. D. All of the above. All of these actions help minimize your own carbon footprint. By taking public transport, less cars will be on the road emitting GHG. Most of the world’s land is set aside for livestock, so by consuming less, less resources get used up in meat’s production. Along with these important steps, we also suggest adding your voice to the issues surrounding climate change, supporting clean energy and taking personal actions to reduce your impact on the planet.

8. TRUE. Studies show that 99 percent of climate scientists who are actively publishing agree that climate change is likely due to human activity. Most of the prominent scientific organizations across the globe have issued statements that publicly endorse this view. 

9. TRUE. In the process of producing food, about 13% never makes it to the grocery store while around 17% gets wasted in households. This amounts to more than a third of food produced globally contributing to climate change. Some of this waste food spoils in transit, while consumers throw some of this food out after purchase. Approximately 8-10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions relate to food waste.

 

7. Additional information and resources: 

 

*None since this lesson is more theoretical

 

8. To close: 

 

NATURE’S LEADERS, a poem by Looby Macnamara

 

Look to nature for answers on your leadership journey

Lead like a buzzard with joy on the thermals

Be like a tree drawing nourishment from deep within the Earth

Flow like an apple tree with abundant times of giving and fallow times of resting

Join hands together to carry heavy loads

Hold boundaries like a mama bear fiercely protective of her cubs

Lead like migrating birds using the stars and magnetic fields to navigate

Guide like the moon, waxing and waning, influencing ebbs and flows from a distance

Speak like the wren with a huge voice for your size, full of thrills and flourishes

Lead like a species on the edge of survival

Most of all lead like yourself

And follow your heart.