Introduction
More and more frequently, it seems as if the news headlines have been taken straight out of a script from a disaster film. Greenland Ice Sheet is Melting at Unprecedented Rate. Wildfires Ravage California, Forcing Thousands to Flee Their Homes. Sea Levels Rise, Threatening Coastal Communities. The term ‘natural disaster’ has evolved into something of an oxymoron. Many of the consequences of climate change and global warming have been exacerbated by our own behaviors, attitudes and ways of consuming resources, particularly fossil fuels.
In real life there is no A-list actor ready to jump in and shepherd civilians to salvation. My three- week unit (titled “My Future, My Home: Building a Greener House for Tomorrow”) is designed for 6th grade students to realize that every one of us must become environmental heroes in order to ensure the long-term survival of humanity and other species while allowing the Earth to thrive.
Our modern way of life relies on a tremendous amount of energy consumption in all we do, from driving, shopping and entertainment to preparing our meals and staying comfortable in our homes. Fossil fuels have been our primary source of energy since the industrial revolution started in the 1760s. With the invention of the steam engine that utilized coal to power its engine, the world’s annual coal production has increased 800-fold as of 2006 and continues to rise.1 Our use of other fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas is equally egregious. For example, we have used one trillion barrels of oil in the last 140 years.2 These consumption practices are not sustainable, and they threaten the long-term survivability of human beings and other living species on Earth.
One result of our exorbitant use of fossil fuels is a significant increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, which multiplies Earth’s natural greenhouse effect. In the last few decades, global warming, or a rise in average temperatures around the world, has been the most noticeable and damaging outcome. Global warming has reduced the size of the polar ice caps and glaciers while increasing the frequency of droughts and heat waves, as well as causing higher ocean temperatures. Taken on their own, each of these phenomena is disastrous, but all together their consequences are catastrophic. Environmental scientists are currently warning that if we do not curb our use of fossil fuels in a profound way within the next 10 years, global warming will not be able to be mitigated.
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