Database Provider

TIME

Author

Gaia Vince

Grades

9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, AP® / College

Subjects

Social Studies, Civics, Geography, English Language Arts

Resource Type

Article

Regional Focus

Global, North America, United States, South and Central America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Polar Regions

Where We'll End Up Living as the Planet Burns

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Synopsis

This article by author Gaia Vince makes interesting projections about where massive populations of people will need to move and migrate to as the planet warms.
Students will learn about the places on Earth that are becoming less habitable and the many places that may be able to welcome climate migrants as temperatures rise.

Teaching Tips

Positives

This article paints an alarming picture that will surely engage students in a lively discussion.
The article, while jarring, lays out many places that will flourish as temperatures rise.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should understand how rising temperatures will impacts environments around the world.

Differentiation

Cross-curricular connections can be made in science classes discussing climate change and the greenhouse effect.
This article would pair well with a world map, where students can place post-its on the parts of the map that include notes from the text. After reading, students can analyze the notes and discuss trends that they see globally.
Social studies classes can use this article to connect to lessons about global networks and governing bodies, international agreements, immigration policies, and the economic impacts of climate migration for countries losing or gaining population.

Scientist Notes

The resource lays emphasis on how climate change is putting humans at risk, presenting unsafe conditions and options for migration. It appraises regions that are likely to be the worst hit from extreme conditions and areas likely to benefit from climate shifts. For instance, Russia is likely to benefit the most from increasing temperatures while tropical, polar, and arid regions are likely to be adversely impacted by climate change. Where adaptation options are finally exhausted, humans and other living things from islands, vulnerable areas, and coastal communities will tend to move inland and to safe places (and population density will likely increase there). This resource is in-depth and is recommended for teaching.

Standards

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.

English Language Arts

Reading: Informational Text (K-12)
- RI.9-10.10 By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at grade level text complexity or above with scaffolding as needed. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at grade level text complexity or above.
- RI.11-12.1 Accurately cite strong and thorough textual evidence, (e.g., via discussion, written response, etc.), to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferentially, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
- RI.11-12.10 By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at grade level text complexity or above with scaffolding as needed. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at grade level text complexity or above.

Social Studies

U.S. History: America in the World - Economics, Innovation, and Technology
- 6.1.12.EconNE.9.a: Explain how economic indicators are used to evaluate the health of the economy (i.e., gross domestic product, the consumer price index, the national debt, and the trade deficit).

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