001 - Climate Change

Factual Question

What is the process of climate change and how is creating change in different places?

Key Terminology

  • Climate Change

  • Global Warming

  • The Greenhouse Effect - Natural and Enhanced

Activity One - Comprehension

Before we begin to explore the idea of multi-national cooperation we need to explore an issue that impacts everyone on the planet. That impact is not felt equally across all places and therefore it is important to discover the basic causes and consequences of climate change. Watch the YouTube clip and read the article in the 'Useful Resources' box and answer the following questions on lined paper in full sentences.


  1. What do pictures and maps show us?

  2. What is spatial information?

  3. How can images help us to explore the concept of change?

  4. What is the impact of climate change? Explain the following points:

        • Glacial change

        • Change to mountainous environment

  5. What is climate change? Give an example of this.

  6. What is global warming?

  7. What influences Greenhouse Gases?

  8. How does the increase in Greenhouse Gases in the atmosphere impact our climate and the associated climatic impacts?

  9. How do we know climate change is happening?

  10. What is an interglacial period?

  11. What are the causes of past climate change?

  12. Who are the main producers of climate emissions?

  13. Which places will see the greatest negative impact and why?

  14. Give an example of a place that is impacted by climate change?

  15. What is the difference between the natural and enhanced Greenhouse Effect?

Useful Resources

Climate Change

Crash Course - Geography - Climate Change

Natural and Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Activity Two - The History (taken from OER Big History)

You have already studied in Year 10 the growth in our global population since the Industrial Revolution in the 1850s. A very simplistic approach to explaining the causes of climate change is to suggest that increased population with a decrease in poverty leads to a rise in emissions due to greater rates in the consumption of food, water, energy. But can we pin point a number of 'turning points' in human history that may have had a pivotal impact on our impact on the climate?


  1. Watch the YouTube clip and from its information create a timeline of the historical advancements that have enhanced the greenhouse effect.

Activity - Tools (taken from OER Big History)

As we are going to be investigating the impact of climate change from different countries perspectives we need to look at tools that we can use to investigate and document this information. We are going to do this through the frames of communities, networks, and the production and distribution of goods. Watch the YouTube clip and mind map what the 'frames are' , what they do to help you to organised your research and how they may encourage you to think more widely about events. What are the problems of 'frames'? How can these 'frames' help us to question?