I am trying to collect information to create global warming awareness in school kids, what are your best tips.

Question

... and advise on the problematic on things anyone can do on every day life?

I 've already posted this question on another section
also if you can send me links , i'll apreatiate it , thanks in advance!! :-*
and you can also write to me at :

[e-mail]

Answer 1

Good places to start:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/
http://globalwarmingkids.net/

Google global warming kids for more.

EDIT - mick t - I'm so glad you quoted the British judge. He also said the following four things were proven scientific fact. I'm glad you agree:

(1) global average temperatures have been rising significantly over the past half century and are likely to continue to rise ("climate change");

(2) climate change is mainly attributable to man-made emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide ("greenhouse gases");

(3) climate change will, if unchecked, have significant adverse effects on the world and its populations; and

(4) there are measures which individuals and governments can take which will help to reduce climate change or mitigate its effects."

He also said the movie was generally correct and could be shown in schools. The plaintiff was suing to prevent that. He lost.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2007/2288.html

Answer 2

If you use the Gore film in UK you will be legally obliged to warn them of the political bias, and list the errors.

Below is a copy of the report of the trial of tthe Gore film.

The department of education has been taken to the high court by a father claiming that Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is unfit for schools because it is politically biased and contains serious scientific inaccuracies and sentimental mush.

The presiding Justice Burton will make a final ruling within a week but has already stated that the film does promote partisan political views. This is resulting in the government education system having to amend their Guidence Notes to make clear that:

1.) The film is a political work and promotes only one side of the argument.

2.) If teachers present the film without making this plain they may be in breach of section 406 of the Education Act 1966 and guilty of political indoctrination.

3.) Eleven inaccuracies have to be specifically drawn to the attention of school children.

The eleven inaccuracies are:

1. The film claims that melting snows on Mount Kilimanjaro evidence global warming. The Government’s expert was forced to concede that this is not correct.

2. The film suggests evidence from ice cores covering the last 650,000 years proves that rising CO2 causes temperature increases. The court found that the film was misleading due to the fact that the actual evidence from those ice cores demonstrate that the CO2 rises actually followed temperature increases by 800 to 2000 years and so could not have been causative.

3. The film uses emotive images of Hurricane Katrina and suggests that this has been caused by global warming. The Government's expert had to accept that it was "not possible" to attribute one-off events to global warming.

4. The film shows the drying up of Lake Chad and claims that this was caused by global warming. The Government's expert had to accept that this was not the case.

5. The film claims that a study showed that polar bears had drowned due to disappearing arctic ice. It turned out that Mr. Gore had misread the study: in fact four polar bears drowned and this was because of a particularly violent storm.

6. The film threatens that global warming could stop the Gulf Stream throwing Europe into an ice age: the Claimant's evidence was that this was a scientific impossibility.

7. The film blames global warming for species losses including coral reef bleaching. The Government could not find any evidence to support this claim.

8. The film suggests that the Greenland ice covering could melt causing sea levels to rise dangerously. The evidence is that Greenland will not melt for millennia.

9. The film suggests that the Antarctic ice covering is melting, the evidence was that it is in fact increasing.

10. The film suggests that sea levels could rise by 7m causing the displacement of millions of people. In fact the evidence is that sea levels are expected to rise by about 40cm over the next hundred years and that there is no such threat of massive migration.

11. The film claims that rising sea levels has caused the evacuation of certain Pacific islands to New Zealand. The Government is unable to substantiate this and the Court observed that this appears to be a false claim.

Note to melissa - There are no penguins in the Arctic, they are specifically southern hemisphere species, and the polar bears have a healthy and increasing population.

Answer 3

What age range?

Recently, I had to write a scheme of work for this area (social responsibility / environmental issues) for L1s (yr10). Thought local council might be interested, to help them tick some of their target boxes - but, despite a helpful clerical officer they were unable to help. Interestingly, they felt the person who dealt with the rubbish at the local tip would be the best person to help.

Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth' is a good place to start - as long as you make the disclaimers explicit (requirement if showing in the classroom, after recent ruling by someone or other)

Our students had to choose a campaign they could engage in - completing their own research on-line and by arranging to speak with local companies etc about their policies* etc etc. One group made a responsibility video, about recycling - slightly negative about our local council - oh, I wonder why that was? We've just got clearance to put it on our school website - so hope it will be accessible in the New Year.

*most big companies / corporations are keen to make their policies explicit - so you will find info on their websites - obviously it is skewed, but it makes a good opener for discussion

All local authorities also publish policies / intentions / commitments etc - knowing the local situation and stumbling blocks is essential to children and to their helping to move the situation on.

Hope these ideas are of some use

Answer 4

Do you really mean you want to impose your beliefs on kids before they have a chance to thing critically.

If so, you are probably doomed to failure as when they get older, many of them will just become cynical about the education system.

This is nothing new as throughout history teachers have tended to be politically left wing and inevitably tried to influence the politics of the students they teach, but they eventually make up their own minds.

Answer 5

Teach them that we are coming out of an ice age. That the sun is warming the earth up. That man is an amoeba in the scope of things.

Answer 6

Global warming is a myth created by Al Gore, the inventer of the internet.

Climate cycles have occurred since time began, and we are going thru yet another climate cycle. Don't be sucked in by the global warming hysteria crowd.

Answer 7

For get it it,s a load of rubbish from the gloom and doom merchants. Read up on how the rush for bio fuel is destroying the Indonesian rain forest.These Global Warming enthusiasts are proving to be more dangerous to the environment by there Cookie ideas.

Answer 8

The best thing you can do is tell them the truth that it occurs on a 1500 year cycle and has absolutely nothing to do with human activities. It is a natural occurrance based on the output from the sun.

Answer 9

If your looking for a teaching plan for school kids, assuming your'e a teacher.

Then you contact your local council environmental department and invite them for a talk.

Use the local initiatives in their existing plan as the basis of yours and interact.

Grass roots participation?

Answer 10

My best advice is not to exaggerate the science. Al Gore, Jim Hansen and others have said they thought it was okay to exaggerate the science, but that only gives the skeptics more ammunition. Do not use Al Gore's book or movie as a reference. It is not reliable.