Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!
Carbon Offsets and Climate Change
Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative |Published on: February 6, 2023
Lesson Plans Grades 9-12, ap-college
Synopsis
- In this lesson, students learn about carbon offsets and the Kyoto Protocol through data investigations, discussions, and historical analysis.
- Students will listen to a podcast, complete activities, watch an animation of carbon emissions, and read statements from large corporations about their environmental commitments.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Economics
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, The Kid Should See This
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The resource includes all teaching materials, an educator's guide on how to use the activities, resources for your own better understanding, and additional discussion questions.
- Each activity can be used as a standalone or in sequence.
Additional Prerequisites
- The entire lesson (podcast and all activities) will take 90-145 minutes to complete.
- The activities should follow the podcast, which provides critical information necessary for the rest of the lesson.
- Students should have a basic understanding of the link between carbon dioxide and climate change.
- The guide includes options for those with limited or no access to the Internet.
Differentiation
- The language in the Kyoto Protocol reading may be advanced for some students. Allow students extra time to research terms online or in a dictionary.
- Since it is not clarified in the lesson, we suggest explaining the difference between carbon offsets and carbon removal to students.
- Students may be surprised to learn that, in many cases, carbon offsetting can do more harm than good. Have students brainstorm ways to improve carbon offsetting and the carbon credit market.
- As an extension, more advanced students can be directed to recent studies on the effectiveness and social impacts of carbon offsets.
- This resource can also be used in history classes during lessons about the Kyoto Protocol and other climate agreements or in economics classes during lessons about the role of the private sector in climate mitigation.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
Founded in 2014, the Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI) is MIT’s institute-wide effort to mobilize the substantial scientific, engineering, policy, and design capacity of the MIT community to contribute to addressing climate change and other environmental challenges of global import. ESI pursues multidisciplinary research, education, events, and partnerships to help move society toward an environmentally and socially sustainable future. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts on MIT’s main campus, ESI is powered by a lean staff working closely with students and faculty across the full spectrum of disciplines. Led by architecture professor John E. Fernandez, a leading scholar in the emerging field of urban metabolism, ESI is advised by students, faculty, alumni, and thought leaders from many sectors of society.
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