Why I’m Giving Up Air Travel

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences

Provided by David Suzuki Foundation

What it is

In this op-ed article, climate change and transportation policy analyst Gideon Forman explains his decision to reduce his carbon footprint by not flying in airplanes except in cases of family emergencies.

Positives

The article provides a link to more information about the impacts of flying on climate change.
Gideon Forman describes his reasoning for choosing not to fly, providing an opportunity for students to empathize with him and/or discuss his choice.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of what causes global warming and climate change.

Differentiation

This resource provides an excellent opportunity to connect the topic of climate change with ethics and global citizenship.
This article gives students the chance to activate prior learning about the sources of greenhouse gas pollution.
Students can discuss the author's choice to stop flying for non-essential travel and write their own opinion articles on whether people should fly for non-essential reasons or not.

This article is appropriate and recommended for teaching.

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Standards alignment · D4.4.9-12 + 4 more

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D4.4.9-12Critique the use of claims and evidence in arguments for credibility.
D4.7.9-12Assess options for individual and collective action to address local, regional, and global problems by engaging in self-reflection, strategy identification, and complex causal reasoning.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-3.Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.

English Language Arts

RI.CI.11–12.2Determine two or more central ideas of an informational text and analyze how they are developed and refined over the course of a text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex account or analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.