Confronting the Climate Crisis

How can society lower the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere?

Know (knowledge):

• The cause and effects of global warming
• Pathways to slowing the release of greenhouse gases that cause global warming
• Personal and social actions that might be taken to address the climate crisis
• The artist Billie Eilish, and the way she addresses climate concerns in her song "All Good Girls Go to Hell"

Mastery Objective

• Students will be able to identify the causes and effects of global warming and consider pathways to addressing the climate crisis by conducting experiments,  examining charts, interacting with climate projections, and analyzing musical examples.

On October 2018, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report outlining the impacts of a global climate 1.5° Celsius warmer than pre-industrial levels. The scientific predictions were bleak, describing the possibility of large-scale droughts, famine, loss of ecosystems, species die-off, and the decline of habitable land resulting in mass climate migrations. Even more startling, IPCC scientists reported that even limiting warming to 1.5° Celsius would require “rapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, infrastructure, and industrial systems" that are possible but “unprecedented.”

Scientists since the 1960s have known that the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide trap heat in Earth's atmosphere, warming the planet. Such gases are primarily emitted through the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and natural gas. But given the importance of such fuels in the global economy, there has been little effort to curb their use. In fact, some of the first institutions to become aware of the dangers of greenhouse gases were fossil fuel companies themselves, who spent billions of dollars shielding their findings from the public.

In part thanks to the publication of the 2018 IPCC report, the danger greenhouse gases pose to the planet is no longer a secret. 97% of scientists agree that climate change is caused by human actions. Just one hundred (mostly fossil fuel) companies are responsible for 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions. These companies, furthermore, are financed by the largest financial institutions in the world, such a JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and BlackRock.

Thankfully, people across the globe are taking action. Research institutes are developing climate pathway models that keep global warming below 1.5 ° Celsius. In 2019, 48 cities in the United States have taken action towards curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and states like California, Colorado, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Washington have enacted legislation aimed at getting 100% of their energy from clean, renewable sources. At the federal level, the idea of a “Green New Deal”-- a countrywide, climate-focused federal works program--is gaining publicity. In the private sector, the number of Fortune 500 companies to set 100% renewable energy targets have doubled since 2017.

Much of these efforts have been accelerated thanks to pressure from a myriad of environmental activist movements - many of which have been spearheaded by teenagers and young adults. In Europe, Greta Thunberg almost single-handedly initiated a series of global student strikes to demand that the emission of greenhouse gases is addressed by governments internationally. In the United States, 16 year old Isra Hirsi serves as one of the co-directors and co-founders of the US Climate Strike, an organization formed in solidarity of Thunberg’s efforts. Hirsi has used her activism to focus on the intersection of climate change, race, and socioeconomic background.

The ongoing climate emergency has also been addressed by musicians. Climate change has become a prominent theme in the work of Bon Iver, The 1975, Lil Dicky, Mitski, and Grimes. In September 2019, chart topping artist Billie Eilish released the music video for the environmentally-minded song, “All the Good Girls Go To Hell.” The video features a winged Eilish stumbling out of an oil spill while the surrounding landscape is engulfed in flames. In announcing the video, Eilish framed such apocalyptic imagery as a warning and call to action, urging her millions of social media followers to join in the global climate strikes first initiated by Thunberg.

Throughout this lesson, students will conduct a simple experiment to examine how greenhouse gases trap heat. They also discuss the ways the Billie Eilish song and music video “All Good Girls Go to Hell” addresses environmental concerns, and evaluate various possible climate pathways through a creative writing exercise. Finally, they reflect on ways they might be able to contribute to the fight for a healthy climate and environment by drafting a climate action plan.

This lesson made possible in part by Leaving a Positive Legacy, Inc.  Positive Legacy is a 501c3 nonprofit that integrates music and service to benefit people and the planet.

1. Two empty 2-liter bottles
2. 3 Alka-Seltzer tablets
3. A heat lamp
4. 2 temperature sensors or thermometers
5. Computers, laptops, Chromebooks, or other devices with internet access

1. Drill or punch a hole in the top of the bottle caps of the two two-liter bottles, so that the temperature sensor or thermometer and poke through. Alternatively, wrap the lids of the bottles in aluminum foil so that the temperature sensor can puncture the foil cap.
2. Fill each 2 liter bottle halfway with water. Label one bottle “1” and the other “2”.
3. Place both bottles two feet from the heat lamp, in clear view for students, making sure the light shines on the bottles as evenly as possible.
4. Place the two temperature sensors in the bottles, through the bottle cap.
5. On the board, draw a chart with three columns, the first labeled “Time,” the second labeled “Bottle 1,” and the third “Bottle 2.”