Curriculum Guide for the Climate Impacts Map

Global Warming: Early Warning Signs Exploring Climate Change Impacts

About the Curriculum Guide

This set of teaching materials is designed to accompany Global Warming: Early Warning Signs - a science-based world map depicting the local and regional consequences of global climate change. The map was produced as a collaborative project by several environmental organizations, and has been peer-reviewed by scientists.

The Union of Concerned Scientists produced this Curriculum Guide. Geared towards students and teachers in grades 9-12, individual exercises are adaptable to different grade levels. Each activity is structured to include an initial “Engagement” exercise, one or more steps of a Student “Exploration” project, and further ideas for extended study. The materials align with National Learning Standards for Science, Geography, Social Studies, Language Arts, Environmental Education, and Technology.

The map -- an exciting visual tool for learning about the impacts of global climate change -- highlights recent events around the world in two broad categories: direct indicators of the observed long-term global warming trend (“fingerprints”), and events that are consistent with the projections for global climate change and are likely to become more frequent and widespread with continued warming (“harbingers”).

The Curriculum Guide activities engage students in an exploration of the impacts of global climate change on ecosystems and natural resources, on community, and on individuals and society. The first two activities look at the questions “What do we mean by global climate change?” and “How does the record of climate compare at local versus global scales?” Later activities address the impacts of climate change on natural ecosystems, human health, and economy and personal lifestyle.

A Description of the Activities

• Activity 1: Climate Change in My City. Students use an historical climate index to analyze climate change at local, regional, and global scales.

• Activity 2: Oral History Project: Climate Change Then and Now. Students interview older residents in the community about climate changes during their lifetime and compare the results to a climate change index that is based on historical temperature measurements.

• Activity 3: Climate Change and Disease. Students research the relationship between hosts, parasites, and vectors for common vector-borne diseases and evaluate how climate change could affect the spread of disease.

• Activity 4: Climate Change and Ecosystems. Students research the interdependencies among plants and animals in an ecosystem and explore how climate change might affect those interdependencies and the ecosystem as a whole.

Download the Early Warning Signs Curriculum Guide.

Contact Us!

Feedback on the map and teaching materials is welcome. We are also happy to answer your questions about the Curriculum Guide or to help if you have a problem downloading the documents. Please send your comments, questions, and/or requests for assistance to Jason Mathers at ssi@ucsusa.org.

About the Global Impacts Map

Global Warming: Early Warning Signs can be viewed on the web at http://www.climatehotmap.org. The Web site also includes the complete list of scientific references for the events highlighted on the map. Additional copies of the 2’ by 3’ color poster can be ordered from the web site. (There is a shipping fee.)