Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes – Part A: The context - Briefly introduce students to the IPCC's Sixth Report on climate change science, and the hope lens we will use for approaching potential solutions to the challenges the report presents.
15 minutes – Part B: The challenge - Students investigate a range of methods of energy generation and their impact on the climate.
30 minutes – Part C: The solution - Students imagine a future of creative energy generation solutions that reduce our current carbon emissions.
5 minutes – Part D: Reflection - Students write information report summaries on different methods of energy production. Then, students advocate for a certain method of energy production with the primary goal of producing net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Part A: The context

Step 1.

Explain to your class that 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 Part 1 of the Sixth Assessment Report. This is the most up-to-date physical understanding of the climate system and climate change.

Step 2.

The report makes a number of important points:

It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land (A1). You might like to take a moment to discuss with students the meaning of the word unequivocal.
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 C02 and greenhouse gas emissions significantly, and start right away.

Step 3.

Explain that '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).

Step 4.

Give students some time to respond to this information. Enable them to share their feelings and discuss their thoughts on the matter, so that they feel validated and reassured about approaching this content.

Acknowledge how hard a challenge this report sets. 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 in your classroom through a Hope and Optimism lens, consider our PD course.

Part B: The challenge

Step 1.

Watch:

Cool Australia Presents Energy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgGiHnQ_MBc)

Step 2.

Currently, 24 gigatonnes of total annual carbon emissions are emissions from electricity and heating generation.

As a class, discuss:

How is most of our energy currently generated? From the time of the Industrial Revolution, most of our energy generation has relied on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are natural fuels that were formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms. Fossil fuels include things like gas, coal, and oil.
What are some more sustainable solutions to energy generation? Suggestions might include solar power, wind turbines, and hydroelectricity (water), geothermal power, and biogas.

Step 3.

If, by 2025, 50% of electricity worldwide comes from zero-emissions sources, and by 2035, 90% of electricity worldwide comes from zero-emissions sources, this alone will reduce these emissions by 16.5Gt (Source).

In 2020, only 38% of worldwide electricity generation comes from zero-emissions sources (Source).

In 2019-20, only 23% of Australia's electricity generation came from renewables (Source).

Step 4.

Watch:

Can 100% renewable energy power the world? - Federico Rosei and Renzo Rosei (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnvCbquYeIM)

Part C: The solution

Step 1.

Independently, students investigate methods of energy production, including renewable and non-renewable options.

You may wish to split your class into small groups and assign each group a single source of energy production to research, and then report back to the whole class. Or, you might have each member of the group focus on a particular method of energy production, and share their knowledge amongst the group. Alternatively, students might work independently to research all methods of energy production, including ones not listed here.

Students are to take notes with regards to writing a brief information report summary on each method of energy production, which will then inform their recommendation of which method of energy production Australia should pursue into the future in order to meet their goal of producing net-zero carbon emissions from energy production by 2050.

Step 2.

Before you begin, work as a class to brainstorm some ideas of categories for information students should be looking for as they conduct their research. These are the key pieces of information that an audience (the government, businesses, stakeholders, funders, citizens) will want to know and be convinced of when considering which method of energy production to support.

Suggestions might include:

What is the monetary cost of this method of energy production? Consider the costs of building the infrastructure.
What are the primary benefits of this method of energy production? Primarily you will be looking at carbon emissions here, as well as the renewability or non-renewability of the method.
What are some of the challenges or risks of implementing this method of energy production? That is, why might we consider not using this method of energy production, or why might it be difficult for this method of energy production to power Australia. Some of the methods may not be sustainable in the long run. This can include, for example, wind energy, as the wind might not be blowing all the time and we can't afford to have power outages on a still day. It may also be difficult or expensive to transition to purely renewable methods of energy production, since they currently only form 23% of Australia's energy production requirements. How will Australia survive in the short, interim, and long term?

Provisions for Learning Extension: This might be a good opportunity to talk to your class about some of the biases that might be present in these articles. Who is writing these articles? What agenda are they trying to push, or what might they want to convince the audience about? Why?

Step 3.

Cool's Everything You Need To Know About Energy factsheet contains a great overview of energy, electricity, how it is generated, as well as a brief insight into different methods of energy production. It's a great place to start.

Cool's digital library resource hub is also a great place for students to safely explore this topic.

360info has created an incredible special report which looks at energy in transition. It has a great number of vetted resources and articles dispelling some of the myths around energy production, looking at the big issues we are facing about energy production in the future, and covering key perspectives in the debate. It's a great hub to check out for students to further their knowledge.

Finally, students might wish to conduct some of their own independent research outside of these resources.

Step 4.

Ask students to critically reflect on the information summaries they have gathered about each different method of energy production.

Then, have students focus on one method of energy production that they believe is the best way of meeting the primary goal of producing net-zero carbon emissions from energy production by 2050.

Students write a short, persuasive summary on why they believe this method is the best option from all the ones they have researched. They should promote the benefits this option provides, and argue effectively on ways to mitigate the challenges this option contains.

Reflection

Invite some students to share their recommendations with the class.

Do their peers agree or disagree with their recommendations?

Remember, reasons for the recommendation have to be given and supported with evidence. Even positions that seem 'wrong' in terms of climate change and carbon emissions can be well-argued and presented to give people pause for thought, as there might be good reasons to consider alternative approaches.

Where to next?

There's too much to explore about energy production in just a single lesson. You could break down each of the methods of energy production featured in our fact sheets into their own lesson to allow students to explore them in-depth. You could also allow students more time to independently explore Cool's digital library on energy, featuring an awesome amount of curated resources.

If the IPCC report has really inspired your students, check out our unit on finding other solutions to our emissions challenges.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

IPCC - Everything You Need to Know About Energy

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