how to prevent climate change as a student essay

News from the Columbia Climate School

You Asked: How Can Students Make a Difference on Climate Change?

Earth Institute

“ You Asked ” is a series where Earth Institute experts tackle reader questions on science and sustainability. In honor of Climate Week NYC and the Covering Climate Now initiative , we’re dedicating a few weeks to focusing on your questions about climate change.

The following question was submitted through our Instagram page by one of our followers:

How can many of us, as younger students, do our part to help limit the effects of climate change?

Response from Meredith Harris, a student in Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary (Class of ’21):

Students can take action by educating their non-environmentally informed friends about the perils of climate change, and the basic habits they can change in their daily lives (such as eating less meat) to help make an impact. While it is difficult to write policy, or change the minds of adults in power, informing the current and next generation will help prepare society for how we can combat the most life-threatening issue any of us will have to face in the coming years.

Response from Arianna Christina Menzelos, a student in Columbia College (Class of ’21):

There’s no question that I want radical climate action — i.e. upending social, economic, and political orders in favor of a more sustainable status quo overnight. However, I worry that a narrow focus on macro goals (a Green New Deal, international agreements, etc), will prevent me from taking initiative on the impacts that I  can  make as a student. In the past two years, I co-led a campaign with my close friend to urge Columbia to commit to carbon neutrality. Sure, Columbia is not New York City, or the state, or the country, but it is my world (at least for the next two years).

My best advice in taking climate action is to choose a project — no matter the scale — and see it to its completion. Then, you can take up another one. And maybe one day it  will  be on a more global scale!

Note: On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, millions of young people and adults will strike all across the US and world to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. Click here to find a climate strike near you.

Got a question about climate change? Feeling curious about conservation? To submit a question, drop a comment below, message us on Instagram , or email us  here .

Related Posts

How One Sustainable Development Student Balances Academics and Athletics

From Fission to Fusion: A Sustainability Student’s Quest for a Greener Future

Army Veteran and Environmental Advocate: A Sustainability Science Student’s Journey to Columbia

Celebrate over 50 years of Earth Day with us all month long! Visit our Earth Day website for ideas, resources, and inspiration.

Get the Columbia Climate School Newsletter →

Essay on Prevention of Global Warming for Students and Children

500 words essay on prevention of global warming.

Global warming is a term you must have heard by now as it is very prevalent in today’s world. Moreover, it has become a very dangerous environmental issue which we must resolve as soon as possible. If we do not prevent it now, soon we will find it hard to survive on this planet.

Every person needs to contribute equally to help prevent global warming. Similarly, we must identify the causes that are contributing to this dangerous phenomenon and work hard to find solutions. Furthermore, we must immediately put a halt to all those activities which are causing global warming .

Causes of Global Warming

There are many activities through which global warming is happening. Mostly human activities are contributing to this damaging phenomenon. The carbon dioxide levels are increasing in the air which is causing global warming. Moreover, the increase in greenhouse gases is also contributing to this phenomenon.

Furthermore, the usages of hot water for various purposes like bathing, cleaning and more release gases contribute to it. After that, when we make use of ordinary bulbs instead of LED lights, we contribute majorly to global warming. Similarly, the way people leave their electronic devices unattended when not in use also plays a big role.

Most importantly, deforestation and cutting plants everywhere just make it worse for our planet. The way we burn wood and fossil fuels only makes the condition of global warming worse. Similarly, when we use too much of automobiles that release harmful toxins in the air, the temperature of earth increases and causes global warming. In order to prevent global warming, we must adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle to make the future safe for our future generations.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Ways to Prevent Global Warming

There are many changes we can bring about in our life both big and small to prevent global warming and save our planet. Firstly, we must stop deforestation in all forms. Do not cut down more trees as it will only worsen the level of carbon dioxide in the air. Instead, encourage people to plant even more trees to create a fine balance in nature.

Moreover, it reduces the usage of energy everywhere. It does not matter if you are at your home or at your office, the higher the energy used the more the carbon dioxide produced. Thus, do not waste electricity as it requires the burning of fossil fuels. As a result of the burning of fossil fuels , greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increase rapidly and contribute to global warming. Moreover, reduce the carbon footprint and do not travel through planes that often.

Most importantly, replace all your ordinary bulbs with LED lights. It will help in reducing the use of energy by a massive amount. Similarly, do not waste that energy. Instead of becoming more dependent, we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and electricity right away.

Opt for eco-friendly options like solar energy and win power. Take up the habit of recycling and reusing. Do not throw away things instead learn to reuse them properly. Further, carpool with your neighbors and relatives to not contribute to automobile exhausts and emissions.

FAQs on Prevention of Global Warming

Q.1 What is causing global warming?

A.1 There are many human activities that cause global warming. Some of them are the usage of hot water, old light bulbs, burning fossil fuels, wasting electricity, using excessive automobiles, deforestation and many more.

Q.2 How can we prevent global warming?

A.2 We can prevent global warming by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Try to carpool with your relatives and friends to not produce carbon emissions. Moreover, do not cut down trees unnecessarily and also replace old electronic gadgets.

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

How to Mitigate Climate Change as a Student

by Sophie Parker | 09 May, 2023 | Blog Articles , Get the Edge

When it comes to learning about such an overwhelming topic like climate change and its effects, it can be difficult to know where to begin. That’s why it’s always best to start with the basics. 

As engaged students, you guys will know a fair bit about climate change already. It’s a serious issue dominating the conversation at the moment, popping up on your social feeds, the news, Netflix and political platforms (hopefully).

There are a ton of layers and complexities to the issue, though, so it’s easy to lose sight of the basics. Here, we go through the essentials to give you a solid foundation of climate change knowledge. Then you can  really  dive into the specific areas that you’d most like to learn more about.

Let’s get right to the main question:

Discover More

Thanks for signing up.

Table of Contents

What is climate change?

Climate change is the phenomenon where the world is rapidly warming up, leading to changes in weather patterns across the globe. This is primarily caused by the human activity of burning fossil fuels at an unprecedented rate, resulting in a greenhouse effect that has increased the average global temperature   by approximately 1°C since the industrial era. Notably, two thirds of this increase occurred after 1975.

This may seem like a teeny change in temperature, but it has caused polar ice caps to melt, sea levels to rise and extreme weather events to become the norm (think all the floods, intense storms, severe droughts, forest fires and more happening around the world recently).

While average global temperatures have gone up and down throughout Earth’s history, scientists know that human activity is at the root of our current global warming problem. Why? Because our global temperatures are rising at a rate that’s faster than anything the planet has seen before.

Our greenhouse gas emissions have increased  a lot  because of industrialisation, deforestation and our agricultural practices. Today, our atmosphere contains about 42 percent more carbon dioxide than it did in the pre-industrial era. That’s not good.

If we keep going down this path, the effects of climate change are only going to get way worse. And the real kicker? The places with the lowest emissions and smallest carbon footprint—small islands and developing countries, for example—are probably going to be those most affected by the climate crisis.   

What is a carbon footprint?

A carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions for which a person, place or thing is responsible. So, that could be a whole country, a company, a product, an activity, or even an individual (yup, that’s you). Nearly everything has a carbon footprint, from the last flight you took to the online video games you play. 

There are a few greenhouse gases to take into account when calculating a footprint. Carbon dioxide is the most common, responsible for 76 percent of global greenhouse gases. But there’s also methane (16 percent) and nitrous oxide (6 percent). 

In order to calculate a footprint, all other greenhouse gases are converted to their carbon dioxide equivalent (or CO2e) based on their  global warming potential . Carbon footprints are generally measured in metric tonnes per year.

Why is calculating a carbon footprint important? Well, as consumers, knowing the size of a product, service or company’s footprint could help you decide where to spend your money (an electric car vs. petrol is an obvious example).

Also, and more importantly, understanding what contributes to a carbon footprint (say, for a company or a country) is a crucial first step in reducing it.

What is the Paris Climate Agreement?

Why have there been global climate strikes.

Even though the Paris Agreement seemed very hopeful, progress has just not been fast enough. According to a   2018 IPCC report  by leading climate change scientists, we only have until 2030 to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5°C (even the extra 0.5 degree has us projected to face much worse outcomes). As of 2020, at the rate we’re going, the world is slated to reach a   global temperature increase of 3°C .

So, sparked in large part by climate change activist   Greta Thunberg’s weekly climate strikes , the world’s youth—those who will be most impacted by the effects—have staged protests to demand more action from world leaders and institutions, and draw more attention to the climate crisis.

Millions of people in   more than 150 countries  have participated in thousands of climate strikes around the world.

What do we need to do about climate change?

Yes, we’re already seeing the effects of climate change, but many scientists believe that a commitment to climate change solutions (a.k.a. major changes in our emissions) will help to soften the blow. And, thankfully, there are a lot of ways to reduce those emissions.

1. Government incentives to reduce emissions

For one, governments can place different incentives to shape people’s (and corporations’) behaviour. Carbon pricing, such as a carbon tax, helps to hold companies and individuals accountable for their carbon use by forcing them to pay a fee for their emissions. And tax incentives can help convince people to make the switch to electric transportation.

2. Investment in alternate power sources

We also need to invest less in fossil fuels and more in alternate power sources: nuclear and renewable sources such as wind and hydro.

3. Corporate transparency and accountability

Corporations should commit to full transparency and accountability when it comes to their carbon footprint and ultimately pledge to actively reduce and neutralise their emissions.

4. Individual lifestyle changes

As individuals, we can all make lifestyle changes to reduce our footprints. (Don’t worry, you don’t have to live off the grid in the woods.) Consider using energy-saving appliances and changing the way you get to school. And think about working towards an environmental job, eating less meat, wasting less food and just buying less stuff in general.

5. Active participation in the climate change movement

Last but not least, even if you’re not old enough to vote yet, consider being an active voice in the movement—and help to inspire change.

5 ways to mitigate climate change as a student

As students, it’s crucial to understand that you have the power to make a difference in the fight against climate change. Embracing climate change solutions as a student involves making small, conscious choices that can have a significant impact when practiced consistently over time. Here are five ways you can mitigate climate change as a student:

1. Embrace Sustainable Transportation

Opt for walking, biking, or using public transport whenever possible, as these options significantly reduce your carbon footprint. If you have a car, consider carpooling with friends or classmates to reduce the number of individual car trips.

2. Adopt a Green Diet

The meat and dairy industries contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. By reducing your consumption of animal products and incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet, you can actively reduce your carbon footprint. Consider participating in Meatless Mondays or adopting a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle to make a real impact.

3. Conserve Energy and Water

Be mindful of your energy and water usage at home and school. Turn off lights when not in use, unplug electronics, and use energy-efficient appliances. Be conscious of your water consumption by taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, and fixing any leaks. Encourage your school to adopt water-saving measures and energy-efficient systems.

4. Support Eco-Friendly Initiatives

Get involved in environmental clubs or organizations in your school or community that promote sustainability, recycling, and conservation efforts. Support local eco-friendly initiatives, such as tree planting, clean-up drives, or campaigns to ban single-use plastics. If no such clubs or organizations exist, consider starting one yourself to engage your peers in the fight against climate change.

5. Educate and Inspire Others

Share your knowledge about climate change and its effects with your friends, family, and classmates. Encourage them to join you in adopting sustainable practices and participating in eco-friendly initiatives. One way to deepen your understanding and inspire others is to attend educational programmes, such as Oxford Scholastica’s Oxford Summer School . Attending programmes like the International Relations Summer School or Science Summer School provide opportunities to engage with experts and fellow students to learn more about pressing global issues, including climate change.

Remember, every action counts, and as a student, you have the power to make a difference. By adopting these practices and inspiring others to do the same, you can help mitigate climate change and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.

Ready to get a head start on your future?

Recommended articles

A Day in the Life of an Oxford Scholastica Student: The First Monday

Hello, I’m Abaigeal or Abby for short, and I attended Oxford Scholastica’s residential summer school as a Discover Business student.  During the Business course, I studied various topics across the large spectrum that is the world of business, including supply and...

Mastering Writing Competitions: Insider Tips from a Two-Time Winner

I’m Costas, a third-year History and Spanish student at the University of Oxford. During my time in secondary school and sixth form, I participated in various writing competitions, and I was able to win two of them (the national ISMLA Original Writing Competition and...

Beyond the Bar: 15 Must-Read Books for Future Lawyers

Reading within and around your subject, widely and in depth, is one of the most important things you can do to prepare yourself for a future in Law. So, we’ve put together a list of essential books to include on your reading list as a prospective or current Law...

6.4 Annotated Student Sample: “Slowing Climate Change” by Shawn Krukowski

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify the features common to proposals.
• Analyze the organizational structure of a proposal and how writers develop ideas.
• Articulate how writers use and cite evidence to build credibility.
• Identify sources of evidence within a text and in source citations.

Introduction

The proposal that follows was written by student Shawn Krukowski for a first-year composition course. Shawn’s assignment was to research a contemporary problem and propose one or more solutions. Deeply concerned about climate change, Shawn chose to research ways to slow the process. In his proposal, he recommends two solutions he thinks are most promising.

Living by Their Own Words

A call to action.

student sample text The earth’s climate is changing. Although the climate has been changing slowly for the past 22,000 years, the rate of change has increased dramatically. Previously, natural climate changes occurred gradually, sometimes extending over thousands of years. Since the mid-20th century, however, climate change has accelerated exponentially, a result primarily of human activities, and is reaching a crisis level. end student sample text

student sample text Critical as it is, however, climate change can be controlled. Thanks to current knowledge of science and existing technologies, it is possible to respond effectively. Although many concerned citizens, companies, and organizations in the private sector are taking action in their own spheres, other individuals, corporations, and organizations are ignoring, or even denying, the problem. What is needed to slow climate change is unified action in two key areas—mitigation and adaptation—spurred by government leadership in the United States and a global commitment to addressing the problem immediately. end student sample text

annotated text Introduction. The proposal opens with an overview of the problem and pivots to the solution in the second paragraph. end annotated text

annotated text Thesis Statement. The thesis statement in last sentence of the introduction previews the organization of the proposal and the recommended solutions. end annotated text

Problem: Negative Effects of Climate Change

annotated text Heading. Centered, boldface headings mark major sections of the proposal. end annotated text

annotated text Body. The three paragraphs under this heading discuss the problem. end annotated text

annotated text Topic Sentence. The paragraph opens with a sentence stating the topics developed in the following paragraphs. end annotated text

student sample text For the 4,000 years leading up to the Industrial Revolution, global temperatures remained relatively constant, with a few dips of less than 1°C. Previous climate change occurred so gradually that life forms were able to adapt to it. Some species became extinct, but others survived and thrived. In just the past 100 years, however, temperatures have risen by approximately the same amount that they rose over the previous 4,000 years. end student sample text

annotated text Audience. Without knowing for sure the extent of readers’ knowledge of climate change, the writer provides background for them to understand the problem. end annotated text

student sample text The rapid increase in temperature has a negative global impact. First, as temperatures rise, glaciers and polar ice are melting at a faster rate; in fact, by the middle of this century, the Arctic Ocean is projected to be ice-free in summer. As a result, global sea levels are projected to rise from two to four feet by 2100 (U.S. Global Change Research Program [USGCRP], 2014a). If this rise actually does happen, many coastal ecosystems and human communities will disappear. end student sample text

annotated text Discussion of the Problem. The first main point of the problem is discussed in this paragraph. end annotated text

annotated text Statistics as Evidence. The writer provides specific numbers and cites the source in APA style. end annotated text

annotated text Transitions . The writer uses transitions here (first, as a result , and second in the next paragraph) and elsewhere to make connections between ideas and to enable readers to follow them more easily. At the same time, the transitions give the proposal coherence. end annotated text

student sample text Second, weather of all types is becoming more extreme: heat waves are hotter, cold snaps are colder, and precipitation patterns are changing, causing longer droughts and increased flooding. Oceans are becoming more acidic as they increase their absorption of carbon dioxide. This change affects coral reefs and other marine life. Since the 1980s, hurricanes have increased in frequency, intensity, and duration. As shown in Figure 6.5, the 2020 hurricane season was the most active on record, with 30 named storms, a recording-breaking 11 storms hitting the U.S. coastline (compared to 9 in 1916), and 10 named storms in September—the highest monthly number on record. Together, these storms caused more than $40 billion in damage. Not only was this the fifth consecutive above-normal hurricane season, it was preceded by four consecutive above-normal years in 1998 to 2001 (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2020). end student sample text

annotated text Discussion of the Problem. The second main point of the problem is discussed in this paragraph. end annotated text

annotated text Visual as Evidence. The writer refers to “Figure 6.4” in the text and places the figure below the paragraph. end annotated text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: Visual. The writer gives the figure a number, a title, an explanatory note, and a source citation. The source is also cited in the list of references. end annotated text

Solutions: Mitigation and Adaptation

annotated text Heading. The centered, boldface heading marks the start of the solutions section of the proposal. end annotated text

annotated text Body. The eight paragraphs under this heading discuss the solutions given in the thesis statement. end annotated text

student sample text To control the effects of climate change, immediate action in two key ways is needed: mitigation and adaptation. Mitigating climate change by reducing and stabilizing the carbon emissions that produce greenhouse gases is the only long-term way to avoid a disastrous future. In addition, adaptation is imperative to allow ecosystems, food systems, and development to become more sustainable. end student sample text

student sample text Mitigation and adaptation will not happen on their own; action on such a vast scale will require governments around the globe to take initiatives. The United States needs to cooperate with other nations and assume a leadership role in fighting climate change. end student sample text

annotated text Objective Stance. The writer presents evidence (facts, statistics, and examples) in neutral, unemotional language, which builds credibility, or ethos, with readers. end annotated text

annotated text Heading. The flush-left, boldface heading marks the first subsection of the solutions. end annotated text

annotated text Topic Sentence. The paragraph opens with a sentence stating the solution developed in the following paragraphs. end annotated text

student sample text The first challenge is to reduce the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The Union of Concerned Scientists (2020) warns that “net zero” carbon emissions—meaning that no more carbon enters the atmosphere than is removed—needs to be reached by 2050 or sooner. As shown in Figure 6.6, reducing carbon emissions will require a massive effort, given the skyrocketing rate of increase of greenhouse gases since 1900 (USGCRP, 2014b). end student sample text

annotated text Synthesis. In this paragraph, the writer synthesizes factual evidence from two sources and cites them in APA style. end annotated text

annotated text Visual as Evidence. The writer refers to “Figure 6.5” in the text and places the figure below the paragraph. end annotated text

student sample text Significant national policy changes must be made and must include multiple approaches; here are two areas of concern: end student sample text

annotated text Presentation of Solutions. For clarity, the writer numbers the two items to be discussed. end annotated text

student sample text 1. Transportation systems. In the United States in 2018, more than one-quarter—28.2 percent—of emissions resulted from the consumption of fossil fuels for transportation. More than half of these emissions came from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and minivans (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2020). Priorities for mitigation should include using fuels that emit less carbon; improving fuel efficiency; and reducing the need for travel through urban planning, telecommuting and videoconferencing, and biking and pedestrian initiatives. end student sample text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: Group Author. The parenthetical citation gives the group’s name, an abbreviation to be used in subsequent citations, and the year of publication. end annotated text

student sample text Curtailing travel has a demonstrable effect. Scientists have recorded a dramatic drop in emissions during government-imposed travel and business restrictions in 2020. Intended to slow the spread of COVID-19, these restrictions also decreased air pollution significantly. For example, during the first six weeks of restrictions in the San Francisco Bay area, traffic was reduced by about 45 percent, and emissions were roughly a quarter lower than the previous six weeks. Similar findings were observed around the globe, with reductions of up to 80 percent (Bourzac, 2020). end student sample text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: One Author. The parenthetical citation gives the author’s name and the year of publication. end annotated text

student sample text 2. Energy production. The second-largest source of emissions is the use of fossil fuels to produce energy, primarily electricity, which accounted for 26.9 percent of U.S. emissions (EPA, 2020). Fossil fuels can be replaced by solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal sources. Solar voltaic systems have the potential to become the least expensive energy in the world (Green America, 2020). Solar sources should be complemented by wind power, which tends to increase at night when the sun is absent. According to the Copenhagen Consensus, the most effective way to combat climate change is to increase investment in green research and development (Lomborg, 2020). Notable are successes in the countries of Morocco and The Gambia, both of which have committed to investing in national programs to limit emissions primarily by generating electricity from renewable sources (Mulvaney, 2019). end student sample text

annotated text Synthesis. The writer develops the paragraph by synthesizing evidence from four sources and cites them in APA style. end annotated text

student sample text A second way to move toward net zero is to actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests and oceans are so-called “sinks” that collect and store carbon (EPA, 2020). Tropical forests that once made up 12 percent of global land masses now cover only 5 percent, and the loss of these tropical forest sinks has caused 16 to 19 percent of greenhouse gas emissions (Green America, 2020). Worldwide reforestation is vital and demands both commitment and funding on a global scale. New technologies also allow “direct air capture,” which filers carbon from the air, and “carbon capture,” which prevents it from leaving smokestacks. end student sample text

student sample text All of these technologies should be governmentally supported and even mandated, where appropriate. end student sample text

annotated text Synthesis. The writer develops the paragraph by synthesizing evidence from two sources and cites them in APA style. end annotated text

annotated text Heading. The flush-left, boldface heading marks the second subsection of the solutions. end annotated text

student sample text Historically, civilizations have adapted to climate changes, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. Our modern civilization is largely the result of climate stability over the past 12,000 years. However, as the climate changes, humans must learn to adapt on a national, community, and individual level in many areas. While each country sets its own laws and regulations, certain principles apply worldwide. end student sample text

student sample text 1. Infrastructure. Buildings—residential, commercial, and industrial—produce about 33 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide (Biello, 2007). Stricter standards for new construction, plus incentives for investing in insulation and other improvements to existing structures, are needed. Development in high-risk areas needs to be discouraged. Improved roads and transportation systems would help reduce fuel use. Incentives for decreasing energy consumption are needed to reduce rising demands for power. end student sample text

student sample text 2. Food waste. More than 30 percent of the food produced in the United States is never consumed, and food waste causes 44 gigatons of carbon emissions a year (Green America, 2020). In a landfill, the nutrients in wasted food never return to the soil; instead, methane, a greenhouse gas, is produced. High-income countries such as the United States need to address wasteful processing and distribution systems. Low-income countries, on the other hand, need an infrastructure that supports proper food storage and handling. Educating consumers also must be a priority. end student sample text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: Group Author. The parenthetical citation gives the group’s name and the year of publication. end annotated text

student sample text 3. Consumerism. People living in consumer nations have become accustomed to abundance. Many purchases are nonessential yet consume fossil fuels to manufacture, package, market, and ship products. During World War II, the U.S. government promoted the slogan “Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without.” This attitude was widely accepted because people recognized a common purpose in the war effort. A similar shift in mindset is needed today. end student sample text

student sample text Adaptation is not only possible but also economically advantageous. One case study is Walmart, which is the world’s largest company by revenue. According to Dearn (2020), the company announced a plan to reduce its global emissions to zero by 2040. Among the goals is powering its facilities with 100 percent renewable energy and using electric vehicles with zero emissions. As of 2020, about 29 percent of its energy is from renewable sources. Although the 2040 goal applies to Walmart facilities only, plans are underway to reduce indirect emissions, such as those from its supply chain. According to CEO Doug McMillon, the company’s commitment is to “becoming a regenerative company—one that works to restore, renew and replenish in addition to preserving our planet, and encourages others to do the same” (Dearn, 2020). In addition to encouraging other corporations, these goals present a challenge to the government to take action on climate change. end student sample text

annotated text Extended Example as Evidence. The writer indicates where borrowed information from the source begins and ends, and cites the source in APA style. end annotated text

annotated text Source Citation in APA Style: One Author. The parenthetical citation gives only the year of publication because the author’s name is cited in the sentence. end annotated text

Objections to Taking Action

annotated text Heading. The centered, boldface heading marks the start of the writer’s discussion of potential objections to the proposed solutions. end annotated text

annotated text Body. The writer devotes two paragraphs to objections. end annotated text

student sample text Despite scientific evidence, some people and groups deny that climate change is real or, if they admit it exists, insist it is not a valid concern. Those who think climate change is not a problem point to Earth’s millennia-long history of changing climate as evidence that life has always persisted. However, their claims do not consider the difference between “then” and “now.” Most of the change predates human civilization, which has benefited from thousands of years of stable climate. The rapid change since the Industrial Revolution is unprecedented in human history. end student sample text

student sample text Those who deny climate change or its dangers seek primarily to relax or remove pollution standards and regulations in order to protect, or maximize profit from, their industries. To date, their lobbying has been successful. For example, the world’s fossil-fuel industry received $5.3 trillion in 2015 alone, while the U.S. wind-energy industry received $12.3 billion in subsidies between 2000 and 2020 (Green America, 2020). end student sample text

Conclusion and Recommendation

annotated text Heading. The centered, boldface heading marks the start of the conclusion and recommendation. end annotated text

annotated text Conclusion and Recommendation. The proposal concludes with a restatement of the proposed solutions and a call to action. end annotated text

student sample text Greenhouse gases can be reduced to acceptable levels; the technology already exists. But that technology cannot function without strong governmental policies prioritizing the environment, coupled with serious investment in research and development of climate-friendly technologies. end student sample text

student sample text The United States government must place its full support behind efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses and mitigate climate change. Rejoining the Paris Agreement is a good first step, but it is not enough. Citizens must demand that their elected officials at the local, state, and national levels accept responsibility to take action on both mitigation and adaptation. Without full governmental support, good intentions fall short of reaching net-zero emissions and cannot achieve the adaptation in attitude and lifestyle necessary for public compliance. There is no alternative to accepting this reality. Addressing climate change is too important to remain optional. end student sample text

Biello, D. (2007, May 25). Combatting climate change: Farming out global warming solutions. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/combating-climate-change-farming-forestry/

Bourzac, K. (2020, September 25). COVID-19 lockdowns had strange effects on air pollution across the globe. Chemical & Engineering News. https://cen.acs.org/environment/atmospheric-chemistry/COVID-19-lockdowns-had-strange-effects-on-air-pollution-across-the-globe/98/i37

Dearn, G. (2020, September 21). Walmart said it will eliminate its carbon footprint by 2040 — but not for its supply chain, which makes up the bulk of its emissions. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-targets-zero-carbon-emissions-2040-not-suppliers-2020-9

Green America (2020). Top 10 solutions to reverse climate change. https://www.greenamerica.org/climate-change-100-reasons-hope/top-10-solutions-reverse-climate-change.

Lomborg, B. (2020, July 17). The alarm about climate change is blinding us to sensible solutions. The Globe and Mail. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-alarm-about-climate-change-is-blinding-us-to-sensible-solutions/

Mulvaney, K. (2019, September 19). Climate change report card: These countries are reaching targets. National Geographic . https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/09/climate-change-report-card-co2-emissions/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2020, November 24). Record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season draws to an end. https://www.noaa.gov/media-release/record-breaking-atlantic-hurricane-season-draws-to-end

Union of Concerned Scientists (2020). Climate solutions. https://www.ucsusa.org/climate/solutions

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2020). Sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions

U.S. Global Change Research Program (2014a). Melting ice. National Climate Assessment. https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/report/our-changing-climate/melting-ice

U.S. Global Change Research Program (2014b). Our changing climate. National Climate Assessment. https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/highlights/report-findings/our-changing-climate#tab1-images

annotated text References Page in APA Style. All sources cited in the text of the report—and only those sources—are listed in alphabetical order with full publication information. See the Handbook for more on APA documentation style. end annotated text

The following link takes you to another model of an annotated sample paper on solutions to animal testing posted by the University of Arizona’s Global Campus Writing Center.

Discussion Questions

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction

• Authors: Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Maria Jerskey, featuring Toby Fulwiler
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Writing Guide with Handbook
• Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
• Location: Houston, Texas
• Book URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/1-unit-introduction
• Section URL: https://openstax.org/books/writing-guide/pages/6-4-annotated-student-sample-slowing-climate-change-by-shawn-krukowski

© Dec 19, 2023 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.

How Do We Reduce Greenhouse Gases?

To stop climate change , we need to stop the amount of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, from increasing. For the past 150 years, burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, which naturally pull carbon dioxide out of the air, has caused greenhouse gas levels to increase. There are two main ways to stop the amount of greenhouse gases from increasing: we can stop adding them to the air, and we can increase the Earth’s ability to pull them out of the air.

This is called climate mitigation . There is not one single way to mitigate climate change. Instead, we will have to piece together many different solutions to stop the climate from warming. Below are descriptions of the main methods that we can use.

Many of these solutions are already being implemented in places around the world. Some can be tackled by individuals, such as using less energy, riding a bike instead of driving, driving an electric car, and switching to renewable energy. Other actions to mitigate climate change involve communities, regions, or nations working together to make changes, such as switching power plants from burning coal or gas to renewable energy and growing public transit.

Use less electricity.

Taking steps to use less electricity, especially when it comes from burning coal or gas, can take a big bite out of greenhouse gas emissions. Worldwide, electricity use is responsible for a quarter of all emissions. 

Some steps that you can take to use less electricity are simple and save money, like replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs that use less electricity, adding insulation to your home, and setting the thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer, especially when no one is home. There are also new technologies that help keep buildings energy efficient, such as glass that reflects heat, low-flow water fixtures, smart thermostats, and new air conditioning technology with refrigerants that don’t cause warming. In urban and suburban environments, green or cool roofs can limit the amount of heat that gets into buildings during hot days and help decrease the urban heat island effect .

Green roof on the Walter Reed Community Center in Arlington, VA, US Credit: Arlington County on Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0

Generate electricity without emissions.

Renewable energy sources include solar energy, geothermal energy, wind turbines, ocean wave and tidal energy, waste and biomass energy, and hydropower. Because they do not burn fossil fuels, these renewable energy sources do not release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as they generate electricity. Nuclear energy also creates no greenhouse gas emissions, so it can be thought of as a solution to climate change. However, it does generate radioactive waste that needs long-term, secure storage.

Today, the amount of electricity that comes from renewable energy is growing. A few countries, such as Iceland and Costa Rica, now get nearly all of their electricity from renewable energy. In many other countries, the percentage of electricity from renewable sources is currently small (5 - 10%) but growing.

Wind turbines can be on land or in the ocean, where high winds are common. Credit: Nicholas Doherty on Unsplash

Shrink the footprint of food.

Today, about a fifth of global carbon emissions come from raising farm animals for meat. For example, as cattle digest food they burp, releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, and their manure releases the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. And forests, which take carbon dioxide out of the air, are often cut down so that cattle have space to graze.

Eating a diet that is mostly or entirely plant-based (such as vegetables, bread, rice, and beans) lowers emissions. According to the Drawdown Project , if half the population worldwide adopts a plant-rich diet by 2050, 65 gigatons of carbon dioxide would be kept out of the atmosphere over about 30 years. (For a sense of scale, 65 gigatons of carbon dioxide is nearly two-years-worth of recent emissions from fossil fuels and industry.) Reducing food waste can make an even larger impact, saving about 90 gigatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over 30 years.

Eating a plant-rich diet lowers greenhouse gas emissions. Credit: Victoria Shes on Unsplash

Travel without making greenhouse gases.

Most of the ways we have to get from place to place currently rely on fossil fuels: gasoline for vehicles and jet fuel for planes. Burning fossil fuels for transportation adds up to 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. We can reduce emissions by shifting to alternative technologies that either don’t need gasoline (like bicycles and electric cars) or don’t need as much (like hybrid cars). Using public transportation, carpooling, biking, and walking leads to fewer vehicles on the road and less greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Cities and towns can make it easier for people to lower greenhouse gas emissions by adding bus routes, bike paths, and sidewalks.

Electric bicycles can be a way to get around without burning gasoline. Credit: Karlis Dambrans/CC BY 2.0

Reduce household waste.

Waste we put in landfills releases greenhouse gases. Almost half the gas released by landfill waste is methane, which is an especially potent greenhouse gas. Landfills are, in fact, the third largest source of methane emissions in the U.S., behind natural gas/petroleum use and animals raised for food production (and their manure). In the U.S., each member of a household produces an average of 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of trash per day. That's 726 kg (1660 lbs) of trash per person per year! Conscious choices, including avoiding unnecessary purchases, buying secondhand, eliminating reliance on single-use containers, switching to reusable bags, bottles, and beverage cups, reducing paper subscriptions and mail in favor of digital options, recycling, and composting, can all help reduce household waste.     

Reduce emissions from industry.

Manufacturing, mining for raw materials, and dealing with the waste all take energy. Most of the products that we buy — everything from phones and TVs to clothing and shoes — are created in factories, which produce up to about 20% of the greenhouse gases emitted worldwide.

There are ways to decrease emissions from manufacturing. Using materials that aren’t made from fossil fuels and don’t release greenhouse gases is a good start. For example, cement releases carbon dioxide as it hardens, but there are alternative products that don’t create greenhouse gases. Similarly, bioplastics made from plants are an alternative to plastics that come from fossil fuels. Companies can also use renewable energy sources to power factories and ship the products that they create in fuel-saving cargo ships.

Take carbon dioxide out of the air.

Along with reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that we add to the air, we can also take action to increase the amount of carbon dioxide we take out of the air. The places where carbon dioxide is pulled out of the air are called carbon sinks. For example, planting trees, bamboo, and other plants increases the number of carbon sinks. Conserving forests, grasslands, peatlands, and wetlands, where carbon is held in plants and soils, protects existing carbon sinks. Farming methods such as planting cover crops and crop rotation keep soils healthy so that they are effective carbon sinks. There are also carbon dioxide removal technologies, which may be able to pull large amounts of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.

As the trees and other plants in a forest use sunlight to create the food they need, they are also pulling carbon dioxide out of the air. Credit: B NW on Unsplash

© 2020 UCAR

• Solving Climate Change
• Why Earth Is Warming
• The Greenhouse Effect
• What's Your Carbon Footprint?
• Classroom Activity: Mitigation or Adaptation?
• Classroom Activity: Solving the Carbon Dioxide Problem
• Stabilization Wedges (Activity and Resources)

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

• About YPCCC
• Yale Climate Connections
• Student Employment
• For The Media
• Past Events
• YPCCC in the News
• Climate Change in the American Mind (CCAM)
• Publications
• Climate Opinion Maps
• Climate Opinion Factsheets
• Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY)
• Resources for Educators
• All Tools & Interactives
• Partner with YPCCC

Home / For Educators: Grades 6-12 / Climate Explained: Introductory Essays About Climate Change Topics

Climate Explained: Introductory Essays About Climate Change Topics

Filed under: backgrounders for educators ,.

Climate Explained, a part of Yale Climate Connections, is an essay collection that addresses an array of climate change questions and topics, including why it’s cold outside if global warming is real, how we know that humans are responsible for global warming, and the relationship between climate change and national security.

More Activities like this

Climate Change Basics: Five Facts, Ten Words

Backgrounders for Educators

To simplify the scientific complexity of climate change, we focus on communicating five key facts about climate change that everyone should know. 

Why should we care about climate change?

Having different perspectives about global warming is natural, but the most important thing that anyone should know about climate change is why it matters.  

External Resources

Looking for resources to help you and your students build a solid climate change science foundation? We’ve compiled a list of reputable, student-friendly links to help you do just that!  

Subscribe to our mailing list

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from Yale Program on Climate Change Communication:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Addressing the Climate Crisis in Your Classroom

Explore more.

• Classroom Management
• Course Design

C limate change is the biggest crisis facing our planet. While it’s critical that we tackle issues such as aging populations, inequality, and nationalism, these global challenges will only be exacerbated by the climate crisis. The extreme weather and sea level rise associated with global warming destroy cities, livelihoods, and species, heighten tensions across groups, and widen the unjust divides in the world.

The good news is that, as educators, we have a clear role to play. Article 12 of the Paris Agreement calls for all countries to deliver “climate change education, training, [and] public awareness”—which is our specialty. While few of us may be climate scientists, materials experts, or energy specialists, climate topics are relevant in almost every aspect of what we teach—whether that’s business, law, engineering, social sciences, or humanities. We can and should be raising awareness at our institutions, advancing important ideas, and developing the next climate change leaders.

As founding members of Business Schools for Climate Leadership (BS4CL) , which includes eight leading business schools in Europe, my colleagues and I have begun to work to find ways of addressing this issue. We’ve shared our thoughts about the need for our schools and other business schools to do even more to address the climate emergency , and we acknowledge that many others have also done excellent work in this area.

Here are four suggestions, drawing on our individual and collective experience, for how you can get started thinking about climate change and preparing your students to be climate leaders.

1. Educate Yourself (and Be OK With Not Knowing Everything)

Before you begin to incorporate climate change concepts into your learning objectives, you will need to understand the underlying science at a basic level. We tend to be perfectionists, so not having a full grasp of the subject may feel uncomfortable for many educators who prefer to have a deep understanding of a topic before bringing it into the classroom.

But with climate change, no one has all the answers—indeed many are not yet known. So I suggest we start with humility. Do the research to get ahead of the learning curve and recognize that your approach to this topic may need to be more experiential. In fact, you may find that you learn just as much from your students as they learn from you.

WATCH THE WEBINAR

Peter Tufano, professor and former dean of University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, recently sat down with HBR editor Amy Bernstein to talk about climate change in a webinar entitled What Business Schools Can Do to Address the Climate Crisis . Tufano and Bernstein discuss what educators can do to tackle climate change in the classroom and inspire students—our world’s future climate leaders. Click here to watch the full recording.

At BS4CL, we hold occasional webinars —open to the public—where we discuss recent developments, including the implications of the war in Ukraine on energy markets and decarbonization.

The hardest step is the first one. Once you start learning enough about the issues, it may be hard to stop, and I suspect that you’ll quickly find a way to apply it to your work.

2. Weave Climate Change into Your Curriculum

I strongly believe that our core values are expressed in our program’s core curriculum. So if you agree that climate change is the biggest issue facing our planet, then it needs to be in your syllabus. And you should be pushing for your department to give the crisis a more permanent place in the core curriculum.

At Oxford, we recognized that systemic problems like this need a home in our curriculum, so we created a required course called Global Opportunities and Threats: Oxford (GOTO) in which students are taught the fundamental science of climate change as well as a set of system mapping and leadership skills. They are then divided into teams and tasked with finding strategic intervention points. For example, “Rather than solving the entire climate crisis, how might you decarbonize certain parts of the world?”

We have also created a version of this course that’s in competition format and open to schools across the world. Map the System —run by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School—challenges students and educators to use systems thinking as a guiding approach to understanding complex issues such as climate change. While students often get rewarded for quick answers, in Map the System, they “win” by having a deep understanding of complicated systems and clear ideas of intervention points. (See the drop-down bar below for other experiential approaches to teaching about climate change.)

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

Throughout BS4CL, we have found that hands-on education is an effective way to increase student engagement. For example, our colleagues at the International Institute for Management Development are piloting a simulation of a future Conference of the Parties, where students role-play different stakeholders (government, climate activists, NGOs, business leaders) to try to hammer out global agreements on climate.

Additionally, our colleagues at HEC Paris and Oxford collaborate with schools in North America to support climate entrepreneurs—and enable students to work with these ventures—as part of Creative Destruction Lab . And at London Business School, students have created a Sustainability Innovation Lab that brings together students and companies on specific challenges, such as achieving a waste-free world.

Other colleagues at IESE have used simulations, such as the Fishbanks or Enroads simulations from MIT, in the classroom. And of course, you can break out of the classroom altogether, as our colleagues at HEC Paris are doing with their Climate Days event.

3. Find Allies—Even in Unlikely Places

Taking on this issue in your curriculum can be a big burden for one person to bear. Unlike the concepts in, say, basic finance or statistics courses, those in climate change are constantly evolving. It can feel like you’re starting over every term with your course planning.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW—THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE URGENCY

The current carbon dioxide level of our atmosphere is about 412 parts per million and rising. Earth has experienced carbon measurements over 400 parts per million just two other times in history—both happening millions of years ago when sea levels were up to 120 feet higher than they are now.

Failure to control our emissions means that we will face increasingly disastrous effects, such as more wildfires, floods, and extreme weather. This means we will have to work especially hard and quickly—both as individuals and as a society—to reduce our emissions (think heat pumps, electric vehicles, or just turning down your thermostat) and to remove carbon from the atmosphere (by planting trees or through complicated carbon capture and storage projects that suck carbon out of the air and store it underground).

Climate change is not a problem that can be solved by business or government alone—it is a planetary challenge that will require action at all levels. Together we can develop solutions and begin measuring our progress to decarbonize our atmosphere.

It’s also very likely that your strongest allies will be your students and alumni. A recent study of business students shows that 96 percent think that businesses should be leading efforts to address climate change and 64 percent want sustainability integrated into core curriculum and career services. So if you’re looking for a supermajority of support, it’s already there.

There are many ways to animate and support your allies—and draw from their energy. At INSEAD, faculty have joined many school initiatives, including the following:

The student-led INSEAD Climate Run , which educates the community about climate change and raises funds for nature-based solutions

The alumni-led Community Impact Challenge , which mobilizes the business community to join the race to zero

The staff-led INSEAD Earth Week , which shares best practices on how individuals can contribute to fighting climate change

4. Appeal to Your School Leadership

As important as it is to have bottom-up support from students and other faculty, it’s equally important to have top-down support from school leadership. Most deans and presidents I have met understand the importance of climate, but they often don’t know how to make it more central to their schools’ work. You can help them—and they can help you—by engaging directly in conversation.

Some things are more difficult, like changing the culture of academia and tenure standards. At Oxford, we took a small step by modifying our promotion standards to collect and consider evidence of measures of our colleagues’ impact, whether on abuse of technology or climate solutions. Our hope was that, in time, this would encourage more risk-taking activity by our faculty.

Changing course content, especially in core courses, can feel like a territorial and inertial process. Sometimes a little encouragement from the top of the organization—coupled with “bottom-up” support from students and alumni—can help move things along faster.

Working to Bridge Political Divides

The science of climate shouldn’t be political, but the implementation of climate policies can be divisive. Who benefitted from all the fossil fuels we burned, and who is expected to pay to slow the warming? Which regions, which countries, and which generations?

“Our students will have no choice but to bear the consequences of our action and inaction. Our job is to prepare them for the work ahead, encourage them to look for solutions, and help them recognize that they have some degree of agency over their futures.”

Everyone needs to see climate change as a critical part of their agenda. Political divides may create road bumps, but increasing wildfires, flooding, heat waves, and other early manifestations of global warming will provide ample evidence. The science of de-carbonization is simple—the longer we wait to act, the more aggressive we will have to be, or the more we will subject future generations to a planet unlike the one we have enjoyed. So it’s important that we try to bridge these political gaps and look for implementable solutions now.

Our students will have no choice but to bear the consequences of our action and inaction. Our job is to prepare them for the work ahead, encourage them to look for solutions, and help them recognize that they have some degree of agency over their futures. At the end of the day, the science of accumulating greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is relentless. We simply don’t have the luxury to wait a few years or a decade to act. We must incorporate climate into our teaching and research now.

Course Materials and Recommended Reading

Our colleagues at BS4CL created a set of materials—a toolkit —that we freely share with educators, students, and professionals. It looks at climate and business through eight lenses, ranging from interactions (climate and inequality) to tools (climate and risk management).

To further help you incorporate climate issues into your curriculum, here is a Course Explorer collection that offers a curated list of materials: Course Materials to Discuss Climate Change . You may also be interested in viewing additional sustainability-themed collections and course modules here .

And if you’re looking for a good, solution-focused guide to climate change, check out Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken.

Let us know . Are you addressing climate change in your classroom? If so, what challenges have you faced with the content, your students, or with your administration?

This piece is adapted and expanded from the April 19, 2022 , issue of The Faculty Lounge newsletter. Sign up for the newsletter here .

Peter Tufano is the Peter Moores Professor of Finance and former dean at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and a former professor at Harvard Business School. He is the cofounder of Commonwealth , a social enterprise that builds solutions to make people more financially secure.

Related Articles

We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience, including personalizing content. Learn More . By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies and revised Privacy Policy .

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

JavaScript appears to be disabled on this computer. Please click here to see any active alerts .

Climate Change Resources for Educators and Students

The earth’s climate is changing. While the planet’s climate has changed before, this time is different. People are causing these changes, which are bigger and happening faster than any climate changes that modern society has ever seen.

This page provides federal and non-governmental resources for  students and educators  to learn about and teach climate change.

On this page:

Federal Resources for Educators

Federal resources for students, other educational resources.

• Climate Change Indicators : This website describes observed changes in the environment, society, and ecosystems. An easy-to-understand, data-rich resource for teaching about causes and effects of climate change.
• Climate Change Science : Learn about the science of climate change with information on climate change basics and causes.
• Climate Change Impacts : Explore information on climate change impacts to communities, ecosystems, and industries in the United States.
• What You Can Do About Climate Change : Find and share strategies for taking individual climate action with students or peers.
• Generate!—Board Game on Climate Change : This interactive board game enables players to explore energy choices and the environment and gets students “energized” in some friendly competition.
• ENERGY STAR Kids : Find out why energy efficiency is so important to addressing climate change and what you can do to help.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Climate Education This site is NOAA’s gateway to many of their educational pages for students and teachers on earth sciences, including climate change.

NOAA Climate.gov This site provides learning activities, curriculum materials, and multimedia resources for teaching about climate and energy.

NOAA: Data in the Classroom This site hosts curriculum modules that demonstrate techniques for using real climate change data in the classroom.

NOAA National Ocean Service Education Content and Modules This site provides students and educators with ocean, coastal, and climate literacy resources, including activities on ocean and climate literacy, sea level rise, and increasing your city’s resilience to climate change.

National Park Service Lesson Plans Search through lesson plans about America’s National Parks, including lessons about how they are being affected by climate change.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Global Climate Change in Perspective Learn about global climate change now and across geologic time, and access related resources, including study guides and videos.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Hot Potato: Climate Change, Food Systems, and You This site provides access to a museum-educator-led virtual program examining the relationship between climate and food systems, as well as other videos and resources related to climate change.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Find articles, videos, and resources about forests and climate change, including tips on using Forest Service research in the classroom.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): Resources for Educators A collection of resources in English and Spanish on energy efficiency and renewable energy, including videos, lesson plans, and coloring books.

Elementary to Middle School

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): Climate Kids Explore this interactive website with activities, articles, videos, and more about climate change, why it is happening, how it is impacting the earth, and how and why NASA studies the planet.

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Energy Kids Learn about different energy sources and get tips to save energy in your home. Then test your energy knowledge with fun games and quizzes.

Middle to High School

NASA: Eyes on the Earth With this app, monitor the earth’s vital signs, such as sea level height, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, and Antarctic ozone.

NASA: SciJinks Explore the world of weather through games, videos, downloadable posters, bookmarks, and more.

Content on non-Federal websites is not endorsed by EPA and is not subject to Federal information quality, privacy, security, and related guidelines.

American Museum of Natural History: OLogy Check out some of these games, stories, hands-on activities, and videos for learning about climate change.   Environmental Solutions Initiative at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (ESI at MIT): TILclimate Guides for Educators These “Today I Learned: Climate” guides comprise flexible, ready-to-use activities for high school teachers, designed to bring concepts from energy to hurricanes to food into the classroom. They are an extension of the TILclimate Podcast series and complement other learning resources on the MIT Climate Portal .   National Geographic Find lesson plans, articles, activities, and more for K-12 educators on earth science, climatology, conservation, and geography. Activities geared directly to students can be found at National Geographic Kids .  

• Climate Change Home
• What EPA Is Doing
• Partnership Programs
• What You Can Do

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Prevention of Global Warming Essay

Essay on Prevention of Global Warming

Global warming is an extremely serious concern and we humans must take immediate measures to control it as soon as possible. Industrialization has led to the fast growth of technology, health, and economy but has been ruining planet Earth for the last few centuries. The monumental increase in the accumulation of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere has raised an alarm. It will cause a chaotic change that we humans will not be able to survive. This effect also endangers the rest of the species existing harmonically with nature.

Global warming is a serious environmental issue that we need to concentrate on and solve immediately. It all starts with the identification of its causes. It has become a very threatening man-made disaster for the entire planet. We need to immediately act on the causes and stop them so that we can save our planet.

What Causes Global Warming? 

Man-Made activities such as running industries, using appliances emitting CFCs, have contributed to a humongous increase in the accumulation of global warming gasses. These glasses have an innate physical property to trap heat and cause the average temperature of the earth to increase. The accumulation of these gasses creates an invisible blanket in the earth’s atmosphere. This blanket lets the sun rays enter and heat up the earth’s surface. When the earth’s surface emits heat, this blanket does not allow it to pass through and traps it leading to the elevation of the average temperature of the earth.

It has been found that these gasses tend to accumulate more on the polar ice caps. It has a direct influence on the melting of ice caps causing the global sea level to rise. This is resulting in an increase in the average temperature of marine water and hampering its ecosystem. On the other hand, the coral reefs are getting extremely damaged from the rise in temperature too. Marine animals, as well as, freshwater animals are unable to adjust to such drastic changes and are suffering from the threats of extinction.

The rise in average atmospheric temperature will also cause the islands to drown. Many archipelagos of geographical significance will be underwater within a decade. In fact, the coastal lines are also receding causing turmoil in many countries. Scientists across the world have come to the conclusion that we have only 7 years left in our hands to make a change or this global warming will become irreversible causing a catastrophic change in the entire planet.

What can we do as Responsible Human Beings to Control Climate Change? 

Small changes will have a great impact and will help us to fight against global warming. For instance, if we use LED bulbs instead of light bulbs and CFLs, we can contribute to the cause. We can spread awareness regarding the emission of different global warming gasses from factory chimneys and domestic appliances. These glasses should be treated before they are released into the atmosphere. We can also pledge to use eco-friendly products that show immense responsibility towards our planet’s crises.

We can also stop deforestation and do our part by planting more trees. We need to restrict the use of fossil fuels and seek alternative renewable sources of energy. Our lifestyle should become eco-friendlier and more responsible for Mother Earth. Now is the time to act and make everyone aware. Start small but make it big by including everyone you know to protect our planet. We live in a big harmonious ecosystem. Disturbing its balance with manmade disasters like global warming will not leave a chance to survive if not checked. It is time to act accordingly and do every bit on our part to stop this catastrophe.

Some Facts about Global Warming

Global warming is defined as an increase in the average surface temperature of the Earth as a result of greenhouse gasses that accumulate in the atmosphere like a blanket that traps the sun's heat which causes the globe to warm.

Greenhouse gasses trap heat at the surface of the planet, making it habitable for people and animals. Global warming, on the other hand, is mostly due to an excess of these gasses and fossil fuels (natural oil, gasoline, coal).

The industry started growing in the 1700s, as a result, people began to use more fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas to power our automobiles, trucks, and factories. You will save money on petrol and help to avert global warming by driving a "smarter" automobile. 

Today's atmosphere contains more carbon dioxide than at any time in the past 800,000 years.

Global sea levels have risen by around 8 inches since 1870. 

The planet has already been affected by climate change. Glaciers have been shrinking constantly for years now, ice on rivers and lakes has broken up earlier, plant and animal ranges have altered, and trees have begun to bloom earlier.

Heatwaves brought on by global warming increase the risk of heat-related disease and mortality, especially for diabetics who are elderly or very young.

As the water heats, scientists fear that coral reefs may be unable to adapt rapidly enough to the consequent shifting circumstances, leading to an increase in bleaching incidents and illnesses.

FAQs on Prevention of Global Warming Essay

1. What is Global Warming?

Too much carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere behaves as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the earth, resulting in global warming. Carbon accumulates over time and overloads our atmosphere as we burn fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas for electricity or cut down and burn forests to construct pastures and plantations. Other strong global warming gasses, such as methane and nitrous oxide, are released by certain waste management and agricultural methods, worsening the situation. 

2. What Effects are being Witnessed due to Global Warming?

There has been a drastic change in the climatic conditions over a few decades. Due to heavy industrialization and uncontrolled emission of greenhouse gases, the average temperature of land and water is increasing. It has harmed the survival of many aquatic and terrestrial animals. If a pillar of an ecosystem is affected, the rest will be affected too. It will trigger a chain reaction causing the human species and other animals to go extinct. Marine life is highly affected. Coral reefs are extremely damaged due to an increase in water temperature. The storms and rainfall have become much stronger. These are a few effects of global warming that scientists have concluded.

3. What can We do to Control Global Warming?

We need to plant more trees, stop the emission of greenhouse gasses as soon as possible, and make people aware of the problem. It is our smallest initiative that will make a huge change in the forthcoming years. We need to stop using any product that contributes to this problem. All we have to remember is that we do not have a spare planet to live on.

4. What is the greenhouse effect?

The greenhouse effect describes how "greenhouse gasses" trap heat at the Earth's surface. The gasses are like a blanket wrapped over the earth which traps the heat, keeping it warmer than it would be otherwise. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides are examples of greenhouse gasses. Carbon dioxide's warming impact, according to scientists, aids in the stabilization of the Earth's atmosphere. The terrestrial greenhouse effect would be destroyed if carbon dioxide was removed. The Earth's surface would be 33 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) colder without carbon dioxide.

5. What is the difference between global warming and climate change?

Although the phrases "global warming" and "climate change" are frequently interchanged, "global warming" is simply one facet of climate change.

Global warming refers to the planet's long-term warming. Since the early 20th century, and especially since the late 1970s, global temperatures have been steadily rising. In comparison to the mid-20th century, the average surface temperature has risen roughly 1 °C (nearly 2 °F) globally since 1880. (of 1951-1980). This comes on top of an extra 0.15 degrees Celsius of warming between 1750 and 1880.

"Climate change" refers to a larger spectrum of changes that are taking place on our planet than just global warming. Sea levels are also rising day by day, mountain glaciers are decreasing constantly, ice melt in Greenland, Antarctica, and the Arctic is increasing, and flower/plant blooming periods are shifting. All of these are results of global warming, which is mostly caused by humans burning fossil fuels and emitting heat-trapping gasses.

6. Is it too late to prevent climate change?

Humans have already triggered massive climatic changes, and we are on the verge of causing many more. But, if we immediately stopped generating greenhouse gasses, the rise in global temperatures would begin to level out within a few years. Temperatures would subsequently reach a plateau but would stay substantially above normal for several centuries. Although there is a lag between what we do and how we feel, it is less than a decade.

While the consequences of human actions on Earth's climate to date are irreversible on the timeframe of today's people, every amount of prevented future temperature increases results in less warming that would otherwise endure indefinitely. Reduced greenhouse gas emissions provide advantages in the same period as the political actions that result in such reductions.

7. Where can I find notes and questions on Global Warming?

Vedantu provides students with notes and questions on global warming. This contains topics such as what is global warming, the effects of global warming, solutions to global warming, climate change, and much more.  Vedantu's content is created by teachers who are experts in their fields. Furthermore, the data is organized in a way that makes it easier for students to understand and remember the principles. Vedantu also offers study materials and a variety of competitive exams to students in grades 1 through 12. The content includes notes, important topics and questions, revision notes, and other things. All of these resources are available for free on Vedantu. To access any of these resources, students must first register on the Vedantu website. You may also join up using the Vedantu smartphone app.

Climate change: educating students to fight the crisis

Facebook Twitter Print Email

With the latest UN climate report containing worrying evidence that climate change is having a major effect on all aspects of the environment, how can teachers help children and adults to sort through the growing mass of information, avoid being overwhelmed, and come to an understanding of the challenges, and potential solutions, to what the UN Secretary-General has called “an existential crisis”?

A UN programme for schools is looking to make education a central part of the international response to climate change, and empower students with the knowledge they need to fight the crisis, and adapt to its impacts.

For Natukunda Edetruda, a student at Immaculate Heart School, Uganda, it is important for young people to play a key role in fighting climate change. “The future lies in the hands of the youth, and the youth have a role to play to either destroy it or to keep it. I believe that change begins with an individual and, as an individual, I believe that I should be empowered to protect the environment”.

Natakunda’s school is one of 258 educational establishments, in 25 countries, that took part in a pilot project organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) Associated Schools Network ( ASPnet ), aimed at integrating sustainability, including climate action, into every aspect of school life.

Students and teachers at Immaculate Heart school have taken part in a diverse range of sustainability-related activities, including using recycled glass to make glaze for use in ceramics classes, and constructing a water filter to prevent diseases associated with dirty water.

Other schools in the programme focused on improving the built environment. Waldorf School in Namibia has offset the environmental impact of the school building by planting trees and vegetation, and St. Jude School in Costa Rica has replaced its air conditioners with more environmentally-friendly alternatives, and the students of Cours Saint Marie de Hann in Senegal made a hanging garden from recycled bottles and tyres.

The feedback from schools has been extremely positive, demonstrating a number of positive outcomes. Participating schools greened their premises, improving water, waste and energy management, and the overall health and well-being of school communities; students and teachers developed a stronger environmental conscience, and a vision of how their schools and communities can become more sustainable, and resilient to climate change.

Schools can empower students to change their behaviour and take action for the planet Sabine Detzel, outgoing International Coordinator, UNESCO Associated Schools Network

“There is an enormous wave of optimism that comes out of a project like this’ says Sabine Detzel, outgoing International Coordinator of ASPnet. “You see that people are interested to engage and are ready to do things, and that schools, in a very short time, can be transformed so that they motivate and empower students to change their behaviour and take action for the planet”.

The success of the pilot project, which ran from 2016 to 2018, has prompted ASPnet to invite all its member institutions – some 11,500 schools in 180 countries – to adopt a similar approach and develop action plans to counter climate change at the local level.

Getting climate-ready

The UNESCO programme demonstrates the importance of making climate action a part of every aspect of school life, from teaching to the way schools are run, and the impact they have on the local community.

The agency has produced a guide for schools, called Getting Climate-Ready , which advocates for this “whole-school” approach. Several benefits have been identified by teachers, such as more meaningful and hands-on learning opportunities, significant reductions in the schools’ ecological footprints, and savings through more efficient use of resources.

For example, at Colégio Israelita Brasileiro, a school in Rio de Janeiro, everyone at the school, from janitors to teachers, students and support staff, participates in climate-related learning activities. These include building solar and bamboo bicycle racks, and converting used cooking oil into biodiesel. The activities have created bonds between different members of the school community, and brought about a sense of belonging and pride.

At the First Experimental Lyceum, a school in Gennadeio, Greece, an innovative approach has been taken to climate action teaching: biology and chemistry students worked in groups to investigate climate change, virus transmission and the dynamics of ecosystems, using computer simulations.

The findings were then applied to their school building, to find its environmental weaknesses and develop a plan to improve it. This approach was found to engage students, and enrich their knowledge about real-world problems.

Whilst some subjects have an obvious link to climate action (for example, geography and the sciences), the guide suggest ways that many other subjects can include the topic.

History, for example, can examine how societies have, in the past, reacted to environmental challenges. Language and literature classes can help students to develop the communication skills needed to respond to local and global issues, mathematics students can produce graphs showing the change in school energy use, and civics students can interview local officials on the actions they are taking to address the problem.

‘Almost all countries’ educating children about climate change

Encouragingly, nearly all countries have committed to climate change education,  a  UNESCO report released in December 2019 has revealed.

The study found that the most common commitment is to the raising of public awareness, and that cognitive learning is more commonly discussed (i.e. integrating climate knowledge into classroom teaching), rather than social and emotional or behavioural learning. However, it also showed that actual progress is currently hard to monitor, because of a lack of data.

The UN is calling for nothing less than a transformation of the global economy in which technology, science, finance and ingenuity are all focused on ensuring a sustainable future for all.

However, this will only happen if school-leavers have the skills needed to answer the demands of this new, greener economy, and that will require strong leadership from all sectors of society, including governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society.

• Established in 1953, ASPnet contributes to the transformation of education systems and policies, through the creation of innovative content and teaching techniques,
• current membership covers over 11 500 schools from all levels of education in 180 countries,
• ASPnet is currently looking for partnerships with organizations interested in engaging with climate change education, and willing to contribute funding. Interested organizations can email ASPnet here .
• climate education

Russell Millner/Alamy

Defend Our Planet and Most Vulnerable Species

Your donation today will be triple-matched to power NRDC’s next great chapter in protecting our ecosystems and saving imperiled wildlife.

How You Can Stop Global Warming

Healing the planet starts in your garage, in your kitchen, and at your dining room table.

Weatherizing doors and windows by sealing drafts can make your home more energy efficient.

Getty Images

• Share this page block

Rising sea levels. Raging storms. Searing heat. Ferocious fires. Severe drought. Punishing floods. The effects of climate change are already threatening our health, our communities, our economy, our security, and our children’s future.

What can you do? A whole lot, as it turns out. Americans, on average, produce 21 tons of carbon a year, about four times the global average. Personal action is, of course, no substitute for meaningful government policies. We still must limit carbon pollution and aggressively move away from dirty fossil fuels toward cleaner power.

But it’s important to remember the equally vital contributions that can be made by private citizens—which is to say, by you. “Change only happens when individuals take action,” says clean energy advocate Aliya Haq. “There’s no other way, if it doesn’t start with people.”

Here are a dozen easy, effective ways each one of us can make a difference.

1. Speak up!

What’s the single biggest way you can make an impact on global climate change? “Talk to your friends and family, and make sure your representatives are making good decisions,” Haq says. By voicing your concerns—via social media or, better yet, directly to your elected officials —you send a message that you care about the warming world. Encourage Congress to enact new laws that limit carbon emissions and require polluters to pay for the emissions they produce. “The main reason elected officials do anything difficult is because their constituents make them,” Haq says. You can help protect public lands, stop offshore drilling, and more here .

2. Power your home with renewable energy.

Choose a utility company that generates at least half its power from wind or solar and has been certified by Green-e Energy , an organization that vets renewable energy options. If that isn’t possible for you, take a look at your electric bill; many utilities now list other ways to support renewable sources on their monthly statements and websites.

3. Weatherize, weatherize, weatherize.

“Building heating and cooling are among the biggest uses of energy,” Haq says. Indeed, heating and air-conditioning account for almost half of home energy use. You can make your space more energy efficient by sealing drafts and ensuring it’s adequately insulated. You can also claim federal tax credits for many energy efficiency home improvements. To help you figure out where to start, you could also get a home energy audit, which some utilities offer free of charge. (Alternatively, you can hire a professional to come to your home and perform one; the Inflation Reduction Act offers a partial tax credit for this.) The EPA’s Home Energy Yardstick gives you a simple assessment of your home’s annual energy use compared with similar homes.

4. Invest in energy-efficient appliances.

Since they were first implemented nationally in 1987, efficiency standards for dozens of appliances and products have kept 2.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. That’s about the same amount as the annual carbon pollution coughed up by nearly 440 million cars. “Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost way to reduce emissions,” Haq says. When shopping for refrigerators, washing machines, heat pump water heaters , and other appliances, look for the Energy Star label. It will tell you which are the most efficient. (There may also be rebates to earn from your purchase of Energy Star–certified products.)

And when you’re ready to swap out your old machines, don’t just put them on the curb: Recycling an old refrigerator through the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program can prevent an additional 10,000 pounds of carbon pollution because the global-warming pollutants in the refrigerants and foam would be properly captured rather than vented to the air.

5. Reduce water waste.

Saving water reduces carbon pollution, too. That's because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water. So take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth, and switch to WaterSense -labeled fixtures and appliances. The EPA estimates that if just one out of every 100 American homes were retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year would be saved—avoiding 80,000 tons of global warming pollution .

6. Actually eat the food you buy—and compost what you can’t.

Approximately 10 percent of U.S. energy use goes into growing, processing, packaging, and shipping food—about 40 percent of which winds up in the landfill. “If you’re wasting less food, you’re likely cutting down on energy consumption,” Haq says. As for the scraps you can’t eat or the leftovers you don’t get to, collect them in a compost bin instead of sending them to the landfill where they release methane. Recycling food and other organic waste into compost provides a range of environmental benefits, including improving soil health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling nutrients, and mitigating the impact of droughts.

7. Buy better bulbs.

LED light bulbs use one-sixth the amount of energy to deliver the same amount of light as conventional incandescents and last at least 10 times longer. They’re also cheaper in the long run: A 10-watt LED that replaces your traditional 60-watt bulb will save you $125 over the light bulb’s life. And because the average American home has around 40 to 50 light bulbs, this is a simple swap that will reap huge rewards. If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent with an Energy Star–labeled LED, we would prevent seven billion pounds of carbon pollution per year. That’s equivalent to the emissions of about 648,000 cars.

8. Pull the plug(s).

Taken together, the outlets in your home are likely powering about 65 devices—an average load for a home in the United States. Audio and video devices, cordless vacuums and power tools, and other electronics use energy even when they're not charging. This "idle load" across all U.S. households adds up to the output of 50 large power plants in the country . So don't leave fully charged devices plugged into your home's outlets, unplug rarely used devices or plug them into power strips and timers, and adjust your computers and monitors to automatically power down to the lowest power mode when not in use.

9. Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.

Gas-smart cars, such as hybrids and fully electric vehicles, save fuel and money . And once all cars and light trucks meet 2025’s clean car standards, which means averaging 54.5 miles per gallon, they’ll be a mainstay. For good reason: Relative to a national fleet of vehicles that averaged only 28.3 miles per gallon in 2011, Americans will spend $80 billion less at the pump each year and cut their automotive emissions by half. Before you buy a new set of wheels, compare fuel-economy performance here .

10. Maintain your ride.

If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, we could save 1.2 billion gallons of gas each year. A simple tune-up can boost miles per gallon anywhere from 4 percent to 40 percent, and a new air filter can get you a 10 percent boost. Also, remove unnecessary accessories from your car roof. Roof racks and clamshell storage containers can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 5 percent.

11. Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles.

Choosing to live in walkable smart-growth cities and towns with quality public transportation leads to less driving, less money spent on fuel, and less pollution in the air . Less frequent flying can make a big difference, too. “Air transport is a major source of climate pollution,” Haq says. “If you can take a train instead, do that.” If you must fly, consider purchasing carbon offsets to counterbalance the hefty carbon pollution associated with flying. But not all carbon offset companies are alike. Do your homework to find the best supplier.

12. Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

In the United States, the average person generates 4.5 pounds of trash every day. Fortunately, not all the items we discard end up in landfills; we recycle or compost more than one-third of our trash. In 2014 this saved carbon emissions equivalent to the yearly output of 38 million passenger cars . But we could be doing so much more. “ Reduce should always be the number-one priority,” says NRDC senior resource specialist Darby Hoover . And to reap the environmental benefits of “recyclable” goods, you must recycle according to the rules of your municipality, since systems vary widely by location . Search your municipality’s sanitation department (or equivalent) webpage to learn exactly what you can place in the recycling bin, as counties and cities often differ in what they accept.

This story was originally published on April 20, 2022 and has been updated with new information and links.

This NRDC.org story is available for online republication by news media outlets or nonprofits under these conditions: The writer(s) must be credited with a byline; you must note prominently that the story was originally published by NRDC.org and link to the original; the story cannot be edited (beyond simple things such as grammar); you can’t resell the story in any form or grant republishing rights to other outlets; you can’t republish our material wholesale or automatically—you need to select stories individually; you can’t republish the photos or graphics on our site without specific permission; you should drop us a note to let us know when you’ve used one of our stories.

Related Stories

What Are the Solutions to Climate Change?

How to Ditch the Biggest Fossil Fuel Offenders in Your Life

A Consumer Guide to the Inflation Reduction Act

When you sign up, you’ll become a member of NRDC’s Activist Network. We will keep you informed with the latest alerts and progress reports.

Climate Change in Education

Climate change is affecting learners everywhere — from wildfire smoke negatively impacting healthy development, to heat harming students’ ability to learn, to flooding forcing schools to close. Educational systems — and leaders — must increasingly grapple with how to best support learners, schools, and communities in a changing climate.

Working with schools and initiatives across Harvard — including the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability — HGSE will lead a connected, coordinated, and research-based approach to support the education field in understanding how climate change affects education, how it exacerbates existing inequities, and how leaders can advance solutions and ensure that learners across the world can thrive.

“Climate change is not a future problem; climate change is already happening and it affects us all. With about 70 million students enrolled in school from preK through postsecondary education, one in five Americans are currently connected to the education sector, making education a critical lever for change. What we do matters.” 

Dean Bridget Terry Long

Learning Opportunities

Think Tank on Global Education

Learn to foster global competence on climate action in your school using proven frameworks and tactics for organizational change.

Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship

Cultivates the skills you need to become an effective, strategic, and innovative leader.  Offers the School Leadership Pathway and Principal Licensure Strand.

Joseph Blatt

Tina Grotzer

Fernando Reimers

Laura A. Schifter

Hgse makes a difference by:.

• Preparing education leaders who are armed with research, knowledge, and actionable solutions
• Generating ideas and evidence to create equitable solutions and improve outcomes for learners in a changing climate.
• Bringing together system-level leaders, climate experts, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to advance climate solutions through education
• Build the resilience of educational systems to develop action and adaptation plans that support health, safety, and learning
• Help educators empower learners in understanding climate change — its causes, consequences, and solutions

News & Events

Advocacy, Resilience, and Hope on Display During Harvard Climate Action Week

The Challenge of Climate Change Messaging

Senior Lecturer Joe Blatt has assembled a cross-Harvard team to develop methods for turning climate change skeptics into green energy supporters after being awarded a Salata Institute grant

Stand Up for Mother Earth!

The do’s and don'ts of empowering young children in the face of climate change

Filmmaking Becomes a Classroom

With "Hollow Tree," HGSE student and film director Kira Akerman makes filmmaking an education journey

Opinion: How I Talk to My Kids about Climate Change

"The only way to prevent the dread and guilt from taking over is by taking action. For all our kids, it’s time we prioritize their future and help ensure they can thrive in a changing climate."

‘Educators Can Help Children Balance the Fine Tension Between Climate Despair and Hope'

"I think these topics become difficult when people don't respond to them. We need to move beyond inhibiting power structures and bring more voices to the table."

Creating Climate Advocates Can Only Take Place in Learning by Doing Environments

"Students need to feel 2 things: Relevance that what they are learning actually has meaning in their lives and they need to feel agency. We want people that are advocates for change — that can only take place through environments that are learning by doing environments that teach you how ecosystems are shaped by the world."

Climate Change Essay

500+ words essay on climate change.

Climate change is a major global challenge today, and the world is becoming more vulnerable to this change. Climate change refers to the changes in Earth’s climate condition. It describes the changes in the atmosphere which have taken place over a period ranging from decades to millions of years. A recent report from the United Nations predicted that the average global temperature could increase by 6˚ Celsius at the end of the century. Climate change has an adverse effect on the environment and ecosystem. With the help of this essay, students will get to know the causes and effects of climate change and possible solutions. Also, they will be able to write essays on similar topics and can boost their writing skills.

What Causes Climate Change?

The Earth’s climate has always changed and evolved. Some of these changes have been due to natural causes such as volcanic eruptions, floods, forest fires etc., but quite a few of them are due to human activities. Human activities such as deforestation, burning fossil fuels, farming livestock etc., generate an enormous amount of greenhouse gases. This results in the greenhouse effect and global warming which are the major causes of climate change.

Effects of Climate Change

If the current situation of climate change continues in a similar manner, then it will impact all forms of life on the earth. The earth’s temperature will rise, the monsoon patterns will change, sea levels will rise, and storms, volcanic eruptions and natural disasters will occur frequently. The biological and ecological balance of the earth will get disturbed. The environment will get polluted and humans will not be able to get fresh air to breathe and fresh water to drink. Life on earth will come to an end.

Steps to be Taken to Reduce Climate Change

The Government of India has taken many measures to improve the dire situation of Climate Change. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for climate change issues in India. It has initiated several climate-friendly measures, particularly in the area of renewable energy. India took several steps and policy initiatives to create awareness about climate change and help capacity building for adaptation measures. It has initiated a “Green India” programme under which various trees are planted to make the forest land more green and fertile.

We need to follow the path of sustainable development to effectively address the concerns of climate change. We need to minimise the use of fossil fuels, which is the major cause of global warming. We must adopt alternative sources of energy, such as hydropower, solar and wind energy to make a progressive transition to clean energy. Mahatma Gandhi said that “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not any man’s greed”. With this view, we must remodel our outlook and achieve the goal of sustainable development. By adopting clean technologies, equitable distribution of resources and addressing the issues of equity and justice, we can make our developmental process more harmonious with nature.

We hope students liked this essay on Climate Change and gathered useful information on this topic so that they can write essays in their own words. To get more study material related to the CBSE, ICSE, State Board and Competitive exams, keep visiting the BYJU’S website.

Frequently Asked Questions on climate change Essay

What are the reasons for climate change.

1. Deforestation 2. Excessive usage of fossil fuels 3. Water, Soil pollution 4. Plastic and other non-biodegradable waste 5. Wildlife and nature extinction

How can we save this climate change situation?

1. Avoid over usage of natural resources 2. Do not use or buy items made from animals 3. Avoid plastic usage and pollution

Are there any natural causes for climate change?

Yes, some of the natural causes for climate change are: 1. Solar variations 2. Volcanic eruption and tsunamis 3. Earth’s orbital changes

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Counselling

clock This article was published more than  2 years ago

You asked: What can I do as a teenager to stop climate change?

This month’s Climate Curious explores the topic of youth empowerment — and explains why seemingly small individual actions can lead to systemic change.

Taking climate action can be difficult at any age, but especially so for young people. While research has shown that youths are anxious about the warming planet, they can also feel powerless to act on it.

“What can I do as a teenager who isn’t allowed to go outside my house, to stop climate change?” asked one Washington Post reader in our question form , encapsulating the disconnect.

UNICEF estimates that there are 1.2 billion people between the ages of 10 and 19; roughly one-sixth of the global population. A recent study found that today’s kids will live through three times as many climate disasters as their grandparents. And when world leaders gather again for the COP26 climate change summit next month in Scotland, a day’s theme is dedicated to “youth and public empowerment.”

What questions do you have about climate change or extreme weather? Ask The Post.

“Younger people are growing into a world that is clearly changing around them. And they’re worried,” said Robin Webster, who leads the advocacy communication program at the nonprofit Climate Outreach. For teens looking to take action, she suggests they consider “thinking what are your passions? What do you feel like doing? And finding communities of people who are doing that as well.”

Entry points are infinite, says Webster. Do you like to garden? Consider starting a plot in your community garden . How about art? Create sculptures made from recycled materials. If you live far from school, you could organize a car pool, or if you live near water, you could organize a beach cleanup .

NASA has a whole section of its website dedicated to helping kids engage with climate change. “Turn off lights, TVs, computers, when you do not need them,” it reads . Maybe walk or bike to school instead of driving. Or, “turn down the thermostat on the heating when it’s cold. Sweaters, blankets, and socks are good for you and better for the planet.”

Previous Climate Curious columns also have explored numerous topics — ranging from how to save water to the impact of cutting back on food waste — that can be applicable to anyone, regardless of age.

Activists ‘born into the climate crisis’ face another challenge: Fear of the future

“Using less of everything is just key … What’s the thing that interests you?” said Joe Cox, President of the Museum of Discovery and Science in Florida. In addition to climate-focused exhibits, the museum holds climate summits, runs internship programs and engages youth in myriad environment-related activities. “What we’re really try to do is show that there are solutions.”

Of course, individual actions alone won’t curb climate change without broader shifts at the governmental and societal levels as well. But Webster says, “we found that people doing something, even if it’s a small thing, felt much more empowered to talk about it.” That, in turn, can lead to scaled impacts.

Mayana Torres, 21, is the outreach coordinator for the sustainability nonprofit Sustain US. But when she first learned about climate change while learning earth studies in her junior year of high school, she was among those that “didn’t think there would be anything I could engage in.”

Eventually plastic consumption caught her attention, and she decided that reducing waste would be a good place to start. Soon after, she began reevaluating the growth of her wardrobe and the fast-fashion consumption it entailed. Next, she attended the 2017 People’s Climate March in Washington, D.C.

How to start tackling your home’s water — and climate — footprint

“I was completely blown away,” said Torres, who had begged her grandmother to take her by train. The trip spurred a continued stream of action from her, including becoming a delegate to the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Torres says her actions have also helped to get others involved, explaining that when she started culling her wardrobe for the climate, some of her friends followed suit. Webster says that those kinds of conversations — with parents, grandparents and peers — are a critically important benefit to individual climate action. She points to the momentum that groups like “Fridays for Future” have built.

It’s a scary time to be growing up. Teens and parents are bonding over that.

That movement started in 2018, when a then-15-year-old Greta Thunberg would sit outside the Swedish parliament each Friday, with a handmade sign that read: “Skolstrejk for Klimatet,” or “school strike for climate.” Fridays for Future has since become an archetype of teen climate action, drawing millions of supporters around the globe.

Torres says that individual actions are steps in the path to systemic change — and they’re important reminders of the primary reason teens aren’t powerless.

“Remember that there are people beside you,” she said. “You’re not alone.”

Sign up for the latest news about climate change, energy and the environment, delivered every Thursday

13 ways to save the Earth from climate change

Easy ways to help

We know you love watching videos on your phone. But modern activities— such as plugging in devices, driving cars, and cooling homes—often rely on energy sources such as natural gas, oil, and coal. Those energy sources release a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. When CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap heat that would otherwise escape Earth’s atmosphere, the planet’s temperature rises. That’s called global warming, which causes climate change .

Most scientists believe that climate change is happening and causing rising seas, stronger storms, and shifting habitats for wildlife and people. But you don’t have to give up videos or totally shut down the A/C to fight climate change. Read on to learn how you can help!

Used Goods Are Good

Reduce and reuse as much as possible. Factories emit carbon dioxide when making new products. So instead of buying new stuff, fix your appliances and clothes. Good thing holey jeans are back in style!

Send a postcard

Send a letter, postcard, or drawing to your mayor, government representative, or even the president asking them to do something about climate change.

Slay the vampire

"Vampire" appliances suck energy even when turned off. Kill these monsters by unplugging phone and laptop chargers when not in use, and use power strips for lamps and TVs. (Bonus: It’ll save your parents money on energy bills!)

Close the door

If you see a business with its door wide open in the summer, ask an adult to help you email or talk to an employee about closing it. An open door to an air-conditioned building can let 2.2 tons of carbon dioxide escape over one summer. That’s about as much as a car on a 5,000- mile road trip.

Season your fruit

Try to eat mostly inseason and locally grown fruits and vegetables. This cuts down on the energy used to grow and transport food, which reduces the release of heattrapping gases.Does your favorite ice-cream shop use plastic spoons? Ask an adult to help you talk to the owner about switching to a non-plastic option. Some kinds of spoons are even edible!

Calculate your impact

Use an online carbon footprint calculator to see how much carbon dioxide your actions release. If you know how you’re impacting the planet, you can take steps for change.

Eat your veggies

Livestock such as cows account for some of Earth’s heat-trapping gas emissions. (Yep, it’s the cow toots!) Eating more plants cuts down on the need for so much livestock.

Help out at the hotel

Hang up and reuse your hotel towels instead of washing them after each use. That saves water and energy.

Walk it out

Walk or bike as much as you can. Biking or walking just one mile a day for a year could save 330 pounds of carbon dioxide—that’s the same as planting four trees and letting them grow for 10 years!

Spread the word

Write a letter to the editor about climate change in your local or school newspaper. The more people talk about the issue, the better!

Wear a warm sweater instead of turning up the heat, and open your windows and turn on a fan instead of blasting the air conditioner.

Be a science champion

Not everyone understands climate change. Learn the facts and talk to your friends and family. If everyone gets the science, we can work together to find solutions.

Hang up your freshly washed clothes to dry. You’ll be saving energy by not using the dryer and helping with chores.

Photo credits: Adobe Stock / jzehnder (smokestack); Katalinks, Shutterstock (vampire); Nate Allred, Shutterstock (cow); Photograph by iofoto, Shutterstock (bikes); Alex Staroseltsev, Shutterstock (strawberry); Cookie Studio, Shutterstock (sweater); Mike Flippo, Shutterstock (clothes)

Explore more

Learn about plastic and how to reduce your use., save the earth, save the earth tips, endangered species act.

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your California Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell My Info
• National Geographic
• National Geographic Education
• Shop Nat Geo
• Customer Service
• Manage Your Subscription

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Hundreds of teachers in limbo after spike in pink slips

Beyond a bed: What this L.A. home offers young adults experiencing homelessness

Plagued by delays and errors, California’s colleges navigate FAFSA fiasco

Patrick Acuña’s journey from prison to UC Irvine | Video

Family reunited after four years separated by Trump-era immigration policy

School choice advocate, CTA opponent Lance Christensen would be a very different state superintendent

Black teachers: How to recruit them and make them stay

Lessons in higher education: California and beyond

Keeping California public university options open

Superintendents: Well-paid and walking away

The debt to degree connection

College in prison: How earning a degree can lead to a new life

Getting California kids to read: What will it take?

May 14, 2024

April 24, 2024

Is dual admission a solution to California’s broken transfer system?

March 21, 2024

Raising the curtain on Prop 28: Can arts education help transform California schools?

We must do more to prepare California students to confront climate change

Mark St. John

May 6, 2024.

I live on the coast of California, near the Point Reyes National Seashore. In February 2023, we endured an abnormally violent storm with 60 mph wind gusts that brought down a large redwood tree onto two cars parked in my driveway. I was shaken but grateful to be alive. I was also grateful for the generosity of my neighbor who allowed me to borrow her car for the next two weeks as I sorted things out.

When the time came to return the borrowed car, I made sure to wash it, clean it out and return it with a full gas tank. I recalled hearing my father’s voice telling me to always return something you borrowed in better shape than when you got it.

I realize that my generation of baby boomers has essentially “borrowed” and used the planet for our own purposes for the past 50 years. And now it is time for us to return what we borrowed — and turn it over to the next generation.

Fifty years of population growth, industrial expansion, carbon burning and general lack of care has initiated a process of climate change that is generating a multitude of physical, economic and social crises. We are trying to mitigate these changes, but no matter how well we do that, we will nonetheless be turning over the planet to the next generation with irreparable damage done and in a state of accelerating decline.

So what else can my generation do? 

I think our generation owes it to the next generation to prepare them as well as we can for the world they will face. If we cannot return the earth to them in good shape, we can at least give them a powerful education so that they can survive — and do better than we have done — when it is their turn to assume stewardship of the planet.

Preparing our children for the world they will inherit is the right thing to do — for them and for us.  But it also could be very good for the California education system. Preparing students for the world they will inherit could help schools find renewed purpose and achieve the relevance that students are demanding.

In 2015, California published its Blueprint for Environmental Literacy . The document points out that K-12 students in California do not currently have “consistent access to adequately funded, high-quality learning experiences, in and out of the classroom, that build environmental literacy.” Many receive only a limited introduction to environmental content, and some have no access at all.

Why has so little changed in our schools over the nine years since the blueprint was published? 

One answer is that the state has not made environmental or climate change education a priority, nor has it invested in long-term, well-crafted initiatives to develop the capacity and propensity of the educational system to change itself. The state does relatively little to develop the curriculum, assessments and professional development that is required to create learning opportunities that can help students prepare for a world dominated by climate change. 

Over the next five years, California is planning to invest about $10 billion a year to combat the effects of climate change. By contrast, the state presently invests less than 0.1% of this amount to support the development of climate change education.

This means that for every $100 the state spends fighting climate change, it spends less than 1 cent on educating its students to understand the need for those efforts.

For every student in California, we spend over $20,000 a year on their school education. Of this amount, we devote less than $2 per student annually to develop our capacity to promote climate change literacy.

The Covid pandemic provides a clear example of what happens when investment in science and investment in education are not well-balanced. The nation succeeded in creating vaccines that were successful at fending off the worst effects of this new Covid virus. However, the lack of public understanding of vaccines, and in the science behind them, severely limited their timely adoption and success. 

The same is true with climate change. In the long term, we will not be able address climate change without an equal emphasis on climate change education.  

California is taking the lead in the nation in supporting policies and research that fight climate change. It could do the same with climate change education. 

We very much need the next generation to be smarter and wiser than mine. This is not just my generation’s idea of what is good for our youth. They are already demanding of us that we do better in terms of mitigation, adaptation and education. Can we look them in the eye and honestly say to them that we are doing everything we can do to prepare them for what is coming?

Mark St. John is founder of Inverness Research , a nonprofit organization that studies education initiatives, and a consultant to Ten Strands , a nonprofit organization promoting environmental literacy for California students.

The opinions in this commentary are those of the author. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our  guidelines  and  contact us .

To get more reports like this one, click here to sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email on latest developments in education.

Share Article

Comments (4)

Leave a comment, your email address will not be published. required fields are marked * *.

Click here to cancel reply.

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

Comments Policy

We welcome your comments. All comments are moderated for civility, relevance and other considerations. Click here for EdSource's Comments Policy .

Mark St John 1 day ago 1 day ago

To me it is a moral imperative to prepare the next generation for what they will face. This does not mean simply terrifying youth with apocalyptic visions of the future. It does not mean simple teaching about climate change. For youth to deal with the future they will inherit requires some key skills and attitudes. For example, the ability to think systemically... to carry out inquiries into physical and social phenomena... to … Read More

To me it is a moral imperative to prepare the next generation for what they will face. This does not mean simply terrifying youth with apocalyptic visions of the future. It does not mean simple teaching about climate change. For youth to deal with the future they will inherit requires some key skills and attitudes.

For example, the ability to think systemically… to carry out inquiries into physical and social phenomena… to collaborate… to have experience confronting real world challenges and engineering solutions… to have a critical understanding of the science causes and sociological impacts of climate change… Investigating climate change could be a great context for learning multi disciplinary knowledge and gaining skills and attitudes that empower problem solving on a societal scale…

tomm 1 day ago 1 day ago

A powerful storm in Norcal in February 2023 is not evidence of climate change. How about we stop scaring kids (and the rest of the population) by taking irrational measures like the politicians did in their response to COVID? Climate is always changing but catastrophic climate change is not real. Please watch the new movie "Climate:The Movie" that can easily be found by most search engines and you can watch it on … Read More

A powerful storm in Norcal in February 2023 is not evidence of climate change. How about we stop scaring kids (and the rest of the population) by taking irrational measures like the politicians did in their response to COVID?

Climate is always changing but catastrophic climate change is not real. Please watch the new movie “Climate:The Movie” that can easily be found by most search engines and you can watch it on your smartphone. Has real scientists plotting real data and will help you sleep at night. As the movie states, there are now 100’s of 1000’s of green jobs created by this false boogie man so might be too late to change the narrative at least in our lifetimes.

Kenneth Bouley 1 day ago 1 day ago

Mark, wise and well-worded. According to the UN’s I.P.C.C, the single biggest thing individuals can do is change their diets from meat to vegetarian/vegan. What are your thoughts on the status quo obstacles to that? One example is the stubborn defense of dairy and beef agriculture in Point Reyes National Seashore?

Jim 1 day ago 1 day ago

Perhaps learning to read and basic competency in math would help as well.

“Why has so little changed in our schools over the nine years since the blueprint was published? ”

Much has changed, perhaps the author should start with the decline of reading comprehension.

EdSource Special Reports

Amid Israel-Hamas war, colleges draw lines on faculty free speech

The conflict in Gaza has rekindled efforts to control controversy and conversation on campuses. The UC system could be the latest to weigh in.

Dissent, no funding yet for statewide teacher training in math and reading

A bill sponsored by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond would provide math and reading training for all teachers. But money is scarce, and some English language advocates have problems with phonics.

Dual admission programs a tool for addressing state’s transfer challenges, panel says

Panelists discussed dual admission as a solution for easing the longstanding challenges in California’s transfer system.

Grassroots contributions fueled bid to oust two from Orange County school board

A grassroots campaign recalled two members of the Orange Unified School District in an election that cost more than half a million dollars.

EdSource in your inbox!

Stay ahead of the latest developments on education in California and nationally from early childhood to college and beyond. Sign up for EdSource’s no-cost daily email.

Stay informed with our daily newsletter