Energy, Environment, and Health

Rationale

A revolution is on the horizon: a wholesale transformation of the world economy and the way people live. But, this new industrial revolution holds a more important promise: securing the world against the dangers of global warming. ⁷

Since the first Industrial Revolution, humanity has been on a one-way track toward increasing reliance upon and depletion of fossil fuel energy resources. This is not only destined to end in the complete exhaustion of these nonrenewable resources, continued conflicts among humans for resource control, and the loss of more species than the planet has seen in the past 65 million years, but also in the devastation of Earth's carrying capacity for its modern burgeoning human population. While the mechanisms and urgency of the consequences of this current global warming trend are still debated, the indisputable truth is that the current trend of fossil fuel use is a primary contributor to this accelerated global warming.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. ⁸

Solutions to help mitigate the impacts of human-induced global climate change must be adopted at all levels, from industry and policy to institutional and consumer habits. It is important to not only educate my students about the currently understood connection between fossil fuel use and global climate change, as well as the bodies of core knowledge behind this issue, but to also bring awareness to the attainable actions they may undertake to be part of the solution.

Science-Based Societal Issue

The topic of global climate change carries a considerable economic and political charge; despite the advocacy (mainly publicity and rhetoric) it has received by influential figures in the popular culture, it is not being integrated into the required science instruction that students receive in California public schools. The topic of energy resource consumption and sustainability receives only cursory treatment in our current California textbook and State Educational Standards. I would like to bring a more comprehensive understanding of the various types of hydrocarbon energy sources to my students; moreover, I would like them to receive instruction on the various types and viability of alternatives to fossil fuel consumption.

The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril. There may still be disputes about exactly how much we're contributing to the warming of the earth's atmosphere and how much is naturally occurring, but what we can be scientifically certain of is that our continued use of fossil fuels is pushing us to a point of no return. And unless we free ourselves from a dependence on these fossil fuels and chart a new course on energy in this country, we are condemning future generations to global catastrophe. ⁹

Relevance to Students

Looking at the "big picture" can be daunting, whether the news is bleak or the prospects promising. So, the fundamental research unit will be two-fold within the students' sphere of experience and influence; they will examine both their personal habits and those of the school in terms of energy consumption. It is the intention that this unit helps students to become aware of their own energy consumption habits, and glean a sense of personal responsibility and action. Students will assess the energy consumption of their school site and develop a conservation efficiency plan that may be presented to the school and district administration for consideration as described in the Authentic Approach section below. In the interest of the longevity of this unit for subsequent years and its applicability across varied subjects and school sites, an alternate (though admittedly less authentic) hypothetical conservation design plan is also described below.

Primer to Subsequent Units of Instruction

Certain components of the unit have been designed to deliver content that is fundamental and recurring within the Earth Science curriculum. Energy in the Earth System appears in multiple units, and ensuring students are working with uniform background knowledge instruction regardless of prior knowledge and science instruction. For example, the two sources of energy driving the systems and processes of Earth are the Sun and Earth's core; this fact is among the topics covered in this unit which will also appear in subsequent units of instruction. Another common and recurring topic this unit will introduce is a basic understanding of energy and the various forms of energy. These connections to other units within the course are discussed in the Conclusion and Next Steps section below.

Preparation for advancement to upper level physical science classes is also an aim of this unit plan. This unit will support the purpose of the course itself in providing my students with some common knowledge and core concepts in physical science. Energy is an abundant theme in all fields of science and a fundamental concept that high school students should have learned.