Teacher preparation:

Overarching learning goal: Through this activity students will understand the term 'food security' and how food security relates to climate change. Students will understand that potential climate change impacts will be different in different parts of Australia, that the risks to food security from climate change will vary around Australia and that threats to food security can have impacts locally and globally.

Teacher content information:

Australia has traditionally been blessed with the conditions for providing abundant amounts of food: large swathes of good agricultural land; a climate suited to grain growing and stock rearing; surrounding oceans full of seafood; and perfect conditions for growing grapes and a wide variety of fruit and vegetables. We've had more than we need and we've been able to sell our food overseas. But climate change could change all that. Changes to average rain falls, rising temperatures, and extreme weather events threaten our current food production patterns, thus threatening the amount of food we can produce for local consumption not to mention the amount available for export.

Climate change could pose a direct threat to food security. Basic food security provides people with the nutrition they need to be healthy and active, meaning they do not always have to struggle to find adequate supplies of food and that not all of their resources go to food. With surplus money that comes as a result of food security, they can buy other essentials, such as education and health care, further improving their chances. In this way food security is linked to economic well-being.

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.

Begin this activity by asking students to share what they know about food production in their state or territory. Consider the following questions and ask students to research any answers they are unsure of (also available on the student worksheet):

What types of food do we produce in our state or territory?
Is this food consumed only in Australia or is it exported to other parts of the world?
Why is this food produced here? What features of our environment and climate make this a good place to produce this food?
How important do you think the food growing in your state or territory is to the local or national economy?

Step 2.

Also ask students to share what they know about the term "food security". Ask students to watch the following video on food security in Australia:

Scinamation: Food Security: https://vimeo.com/26303624.

Once they've watched this clip, ask students to then research at least one definition for food security and add it to the student worksheet (students can work independently or in small groups). Ask students to share their definitions with the class.

Step 3.

Explain to students that in this activity they will be looking at how climate changes threatens the food security in their state or territory and how this compares with another state or territory. Break the class into six or seven groups and assign each group with one state or territory other than the one you are in (you can combine NSW and the ACT as these will have similar results). Ask students to compare the food security risks associated with climate change of the state or territory that you are in with the one they have been assigned. To do this they will need to:

Download the documents relating to your own state or territory
Download the documents relating to the state or territory they have been assigned
Download the map relating to your own state or territory
Download the map relating to the state or territory they have been assigned

The questions they should be trying to answer should include (also available on the student worksheet):

What are the potential climate change impacts to your state or territory where you live?
What are the potential climate change impacts to the state or territory you have been assigned?
How do these two regions compare in terms of climate change impacts?
What are the potential risks to food production in your state or territory?
What are the potential risks to food production in the state or territory you have been assigned?
How do these two regions compare in terms of food security risks?

Students should also attempt to answer at least one of the following questions:

How might the potential climate change impacts in the state or territory that you looked at affect the whole of the country?
How might the potential climate change impacts in the state or territory that you looked at affect the the globe?

Using the documents and maps provided below (also available on the student worksheet) ask students to create a new map or infographic that compares the two states or territories.

Step 4.

Students should present their maps or infographics to the class. Engage students in a discussion around the presentations. Consider the following questions:

What kinds of impacts on food production are predicted around Australia?
Which of these impacts do you think will be most significant for Australia and why?
Which of these impacts do you think will affect other parts of the globe?
How do you think we should be addressing these impacts?
How can science help us to address these impacts?
How can technology help us to address these impacts?

Assessment/Reflection

Ask students to complete the reflection questions on the student worksheet; OR
Ask students to complete the KWHL learning tool (also available on the student worksheet).

Extension/Homework

Ask students to investigate how different states and territories are managing or planning to manage the potential climate change impacts on their local food production. Create a short report summarising these proposals and actions.