2040 - Understanding CO2 and Its Implications

This unit has been designed to introduce your students to climate change and its causes through the lens of mathematics. Following the structure below, your students will participate in a whole class graphing activity to explore how CO2 levels have changed over time. Students will then calculate percentages from ‘parts per million’. Finally, students will reflect on the implications of rising CO2 in the atmosphere and be introduced to the concept of carbon ‘drawdown’. They will then investigate the measurement of CO2 as outputs per individual and household, in terms of kilograms of CO2 per annum. They will examine the carbon footprint of average Australians in comparison to the world average and to countries such as Bangladesh, as featured in a clip from 2040. Students will then engage in some mathematical problem solving by seeking to maximise their ‘household’ carbon savings given a set of constraints. Finally, they will take this learning and form an action plan that can be used in their homes, your school, or the local community!

Each lesson in this unit can be taught as a stand-alone or in the sequence shown below. However you decide to engage with the content, we strongly advise that you complete the teaching and learning by taking social action using the A 2040 Vision For Your Community lesson.

2040 is proudly distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The Schools Version includes an educational license, allowing you to play it in class as a learning tool or even host on-site screenings for your school community.