Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: Students understand that although climate change will have both negative and positive impacts on biodiversity most will be negative. Students recognise that biodiversity is vulnerable to numerous types of climate change impacts but that there are actions we can take to help biodiversity cope with the impacts from climate change.

Teacher content information: It is predicted that most aspects of biodiversity will be impacted by climate change. In terms of animals, most will experience some kinds of change to their habitat, food, access to water and interactions with other creatures. Some of these impacts will be dramatic and negative and may contribute to the extinction of some creatures. However, there are other creatures who may benefit from climate change.

How can human behaviour benefit biodiversity? Here are some examples:

The Wedge-tailed Eagle benefits from being able to eat road kill.
Native ducks benefit from the increasing network of human-made dams.
Many native birds benefit from fruit tree orchards.
House sparrows benefit from human structures for nesting.
Brushtail possums benefit from increased food and habitat opportunities in urban areas.

It's important to remember that while these examples represent positive impacts, the number of negative impacts associated with human behaviour is far greater. Even for the animals above, the positive impacts don't necessarily outweigh the negative. Most of these animals suffer from a decline in natural habitat and natural food sources.

The IPCC

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was created to:

provide policymakers (governments) with regular scientific updates about climate change;
highlight the impact climate change will have on the planet in the future; and,
offer some ideas about how to tackle the challenges of climate change's potential effects on the planet.

In 2021-22, the IPCC released their sixth assessment report. This is the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change.

The report makes a number of important points:

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.
Global surface temperature will continue to increase until at least mid-century under all emissions scenarios considered. Global warming of 1.5°C and 2°C will be exceeded during the 21st century unless deep reductions in CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions occur in the coming decades (B1). The report describes five possible climate futures, where #1 is not great and #5 is extremely bad. If we want to keep global warming at less than two degrees, which the IPCC says is the best-case scenario, we need to reduce our CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions significantly and start right away.

'Net zero' or 'carbon neutral' are terms that refer to achieving an overall balance between greenhouse gas emissions produced and greenhouse gas emissions taken out of the atmosphere. Getting to net zero means we can still produce some emissions, so long as we're doing something else to reduce the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere at the same time, kind of like balancing a set of scales (more info).

Psychological safety. The IPCC Report sets a hard challenge. While this real-world issue is essential for students to understand, there is no doubt it can make them feel sad or anxious about the future is becoming darker and scarier by the day. So, reassure students that we can have a hopeful and optimistic outlook on this report, rather than one of doom and gloom. Explain that optimism involves looking objectively at a situation and making a conscious decision to focus on the good (more info), and that hope is the belief that you can make an impact (more info). Explain to students that you are going to look ahead, identify what needs to be improved, and then work on the skills and confidence so that they can go out and do it. If you're interested in learning more about how to approach challenging topics around climate change and sustainability in your classroom through a Hope and Optimism lens, consider our PD course.

Student and classroom organisation:

Step 1.

Explain to students that human behaviour has many negative impacts on biodiversity. Ask students to think of three examples and write these on the board. Can students think of any positive impacts of human behaviour on biodiversity? Write these on the board.

Step 2.

How will climate change affect biodiversity? Show students the short presentation (click here to download - also available on the student worksheet) of the three animals from the Australian Wet Tropics. Each slide shows the current distribution of an animal and how this distribution will change with an increase in temperatures (see thermometer in bottom right of slide). The red areas on the slide represent areas of high density while the yellow areas represent the extent of the animal's range. You will see that for two of the animals - the Mountain Thornbill and the Prickly Forest Skink - the distribution declines to a point where the animal is extinct. However for one animal - the Yellow Spotted Honey Eater - their range increases.

Engage students in a discussion around the presentation. Consider the following questions:

How might climate change impact negatively on biodiversity? (Suggested answers: decline in habitat range and quality, decline in food sources, decline in water, increase in extreme weather events such as drought or storms).
How might climate change benefit biodiversity? (Suggested answers: less competition for resources and habitat, expanding habitat range.)

Step 3.

Explain to students that in this activity they will be looking at five different creatures and looking at the impacts - both negative and positive - of climate change on these creatures.

Break the class into five groups and assign each group with one of the following creatures:

Group 1. Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby Petrogale xanthopus
Group 2. Giant Gippsland Earthworm Megascolides australis
Group 3. Common clownfish Amphiprion ocellaris
Group 4. Southern Corroboree Frog Pseudophryne corroboree
Group 5. Regent Honeyeater Xanthomyza phrygia

Ask groups to create a fact sheet poster for the animal they are researching using the student worksheet to guide their research. Fact sheet posters should include a photo or drawing of the animal and a distribution map.

Assessment/Reflection

Ask students to present their fact sheets to the class, and ask groups to assess presentation using the Peer Assessment Rubric (also available on the student worksheet).

Extension/Homework

Ask students to look at what might happen if the animal they looked at became extinct because of climate change:

How would the animals ecosystem be affected?
How would other animals be affected?
How would humans be affected?
Any other impacts?

Climate change and biodiversity in Australia

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