Rationale
I believe that my most important task as science educator is to use the curriculum in ways that will prepare my 10th and 11th grade Chemistry students to become critical, informed, and engaged young adults. Learning science is not just remembering facts and theorems; rather it is an opportunity to use scientific habits of mind to analyze the difficult problems confronting our society. At this moment in our collective history, I believe that climate change (and all of its associated consequences) is a crisis that threatens the sustainability of all life on our planet. And given that there is no national will to address the issue, the crisis will likely deepen before sensible policies are enacted.
For this reason, I feel that it is incumbent upon me to provide my students the knowledge and perspectives that will help them determine how best to address this issue in their lives. There is almost universal consensus that the increasing concentrations of GHG from our combustion of fossil fuels is the root cause of climate change. Many believe that shifting to renewable energy sources will decrease these emissions and help mitigate the effects of climate change.
While necessary attention is given to the ways in which the fossil fuel industry has harmed our planet, it important to note that all forms of energy production (renewable sources included) can impact society and the environment. These consequences are often overlooked as some are often hidden, or unintended and difficult to quantify.14 Zero emission vehicles may have a large environmental impact (footprint) given where and how their electricity is generated. While it is true that they are all zero emission vehicles, they may not all be carbon neutral.
The principal goal of this unit is to provide my students an understanding of the energy resources and technologies that will be available to them as they mature and to help them determine how they can contribute to our transition towards green sustainable energy.
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