Climate Careers: Ethics & Decision-Making Lesson
Created by Teacher(s): Yen-Yen Chiu|Published on: May 19, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plan
Subjects: English Language Arts
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Created by: New York Climate Education Hub teachers
Region: Global, New York
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
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This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
In this lesson, students step into climate-related careers and explore ethical dilemmas using five decision-making frameworks. Students balance competing priorities in real-life scenarios through a debate and advocate for specific climate solutions in a memo.
Inquire: Students discuss local climate scenarios to identify difficult trade-offs and values involved in environmental decisions
Investigate: Students apply five ethical frameworks to climate career dilemmas and develop claims based on different priorities and impacts.
Inspire: Students defend ethical positions in a structured debate and synthesize their reasoning into a memo recommendation.
Share: This lesson plan is licensed under Creative Commons.
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Yen-Yen Chiu
Director of Education
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
