9-3 13 Misconceptions about Climate Change

Part One: Warm Up

Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions of years). Climate change may refer to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather around longer-term average conditions (i.e., more or fewer extreme weather events). Climate change is caused by factors such as biotic processes, variations in solar radiation received by Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanic eruptions. Certain human activities have been identified as primary causes of ongoing climate change, often referred to as global warming.

Part Two: Discussion

• In your own words, what is climate change?
• Do you think it's important for businesses to be concerned about climate change? Why or why not?
• What are some actions your city or country has taken to improve the way it affects climate change?
• How is climate change connected to ecology? Culture? Your individual life?
• Brainstorm examples for the topics below:
  • climate change in my city
  • eliminating fossil fuels
  • renewable resources
  • clean energy
  • living "green"