Questions on the High School Backgrounders

Backgrounder #1: Climate Change: What’s the big deal?

Content Questions

1. How has the climate changed in the last 100 years?
2. What causes climate change? (What are greenhouse gases, and how are they causing the planet to heat up?)
3. How is climate change affecting the north?
4. How can we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions?

Reflective Questions (Select one)

1. As a northerner, what does climate change have to do with you? What impact could it have on your future, your culture, your way of life, your community?
2. Scientists like David Suzuki are saying that we are going to have to make major changes in the way we live if we really want to slow down climate change. What kinds of changes to your lifestyle would you and your friends be willing to make?

Research Question

Research one of the following aspects of climate change in the your territory:

• reasons for accelerated temperature change in the north
• impacts on the land
• impacts on plants and animals
• steps your region is taking to reduce fossil fuel dependency

Note: Some of the other Backgrounders provide a good starting point for research on these questions.

Backgrounder #2: The Greenhouse Effect

Content Questions

1. How does the natural greenhouse effect keep the earth’s temperature at a liveable level?
2. How did the industrial revolution disturb the carbon dioxide balance and increase the earth’s temperature?
3. Why have temperatures increased more in the north than in other parts of the world?

Reflective Question

People have known about the dangers of too many GHGs in the atmosphere since 1957, yet GHG emissions have continued to rise. North America – both the US and Canada – are among the worst GHG emitters. Why do you think people are unwilling to reduce their GHGs? What will it take to bring about real GHG reductions?

Research Question

What is the role of the oil companies in encouraging governments to keep on using fossil fuels, and emitting GHGs? Different oil companies have taken different approaches to fossil fuels and “clean” fuel sources. If you go to the homepages of different companies, and do a search on their names, you may find out some interesting things. (For example, what companies are mixing biofuel with fossil-fuel gas, and which are putting money into clean alternative energy.) Also, try going into the websites of environmental groups to see what they are saying about oil companies. Decide which oil company you think concerned citizens should support, and why.

Backgrounder #3: Greenhouse Gases (GHGs)

Content Questions

1. How do greenhouse gases affect the earth’s temperature?
2. What are the “big four” greenhouse gases? What are the main sources of each of these four?
3. How do carbon sinks work? What are the major types of carbon sinks?

Reflective Question

Transportation is one of the main “bad guys” in the GHG emission picture. Private cars (often carrying just one passenger), trucks (transporting food and other goods from long distances) and airplanes (carrying both goods and people) are responsible for a large amount of GHG emissions. In the north, where population is dispersed and the growing season is short, people are especially reliant on these methods of transportation. Spend some time thinking about how northerners could realistically cut back on transport-related GHG emissions. What would you and your family be willing to do in this area?

Research Question

Research the role of carbon sinks in reducing climate change. Where are the world’s largest carbon sinks? What will happen if they disappear?

Backgrounder #4: Weather and Climate

Content Questions

1. What’s the difference between weather and climate?
2. How does heat from the sun get trapped, then moved around the earth?
3. How might increased temperatures change the water levels and precipitation patterns in the north?
4. What’s an ecosystem? How could northern ecosystems be affected by climate change?

Reflective Question

Northern aboriginal cultures have been influenced by climate. If the northern climate changes, how might traditional cultures be affected?

Research Question

How has the climate changed in your region over the past 30 years? Ask an elder what changes he or she has noticed. Contact Environment Canada or your local weather office to compare local knowledge with scientific weather measurements.

Backgrounder #5: How do we know?

Content Questions

1. How do paleoclimatologists find out information about past climates?
2. How can ice give us information about climates long ago?
3. What is the IPCC, and why is it important?
4. What kinds of climate change research are happening in the Arctic?
5. Why is local knowledge important to climate change researchers?

Reflective Question

Often we think of research scientists as people in white coats, working in distant laboratories. But northern scientists studying climate change are collecting local knowledge, and small communities are getting involved in collecting information. Can you see any way that you, your school, and your community could become involved in local monitoring, either now or in the future?

Research Question

What climate change research is going on near you? Search the northern websites listed in the Resources section to see what research projects you can find.

Backgrounder #6: A Changing Land

Content Questions

1. What major changes in northern land can you expect to see if climate change increases?
2. What changes will climate change bring to the tundra?
3. What effect will climate change have on tundra plants and animals?
4. How will boreal forests be affected by climate change?

Reflective Question

How might changes in the land – permafrost and wetlands, for instance – affect your community, your lifestyle, and your culture, hunting and fishing?

Research Question

How are the land and the vegetation in your region changing? What do northern scientists predict may happen to the lands and the vegetation of the north? Check out the list of websites on at the end of Backgrounder #6. Another useful website is: Northern climate Exchange – http://www.taiga.net/nce/.

Backgrounder #7: The Changing World of Water & Ice

Content Questions

1. What changes have occurred to Arctic ice since the 1950s?
2. Explain the “positive feedback loop” in Arctic ice melting – or, in other words, when ice melts (creating patches of open water), why does the remaining ice melt even faster?
3. What’s happening to sea levels? What effects will changing sea levels have on coastal communities in the north?
4. Explain what effect climate change is having on glaciers. What impact might fresh water from melting glaciers have on the oceans, and marine life?

Reflective Questions (choose one)

1. How could thinning ice and earlier break-up affect the lifestyle of people in your community?
2. Some people are happy about the possibility of sending ships through the Arctic Ocean in the summer months. How do you feel about it, and why?

Research Question

Research what is happening to the Arctic glaciers and sea ice.

Backgrounder #8: Impacts on Northern Wildlife

Content Questions

1. In what ways will caribou be affected by climate change?
2. What animals are moving north? Why are they moving?
3. What impact could climate change have on small mammals?

Reflective Question

How would it affect you if the caribou herds diminished? How would it affect the lifestyles of many northern people?

Research Questions

1. What are scientists saying about how climate change could affect the Porcupine Caribou herd and other northern caribou herds? A good site to start looking is on the Taiga site, at http://www.taiga.net/top/caribou.html.
2. Choose a northern species of animal in your region and research it. What are the habitat and the habits of the animal? Think about the food they eat, what preys on them, what climate they like, what type of land they live in. Find out how this animal is likely to be affected by climate change.

Backgrounder #9: Impacts on Fish and Fowl

Content Questions

1. It seems that some fish may be able to adapt to climate change better than others. Explain which fish will be the winners, and which the losers, and why.
2. What problems could climate change cause for salmon?
3. How has warmer northern climate affected duck populations?

Reflective Question

How would it affect you if Arctic Char populations decline due to warming waters? How would it affect other animals? How might it impact the lifestyles of many northern people?

Research Question

What is happening to local fish populations? Ask an elder or your local biologist what is happening, and what they predict could happen if waters warm.

Backgrounder #10 – Impacts on Northern Marine Life

Content Questions

1. Polar bears are among the animals most affected by climate change. Explain how Hudson Bay polar bears are affected by earlier spring break-up and by changing snowfall patterns.
2. What impacts could climate change have on: seals, walruses, whales, and sea birds?
3. What could happen to the marine food chain if algae or codfish were reduced because of climate change?

Reflective Question

Hudson Bay polar bears are already being impacted by climate change. There are many concerns about the survival of polar bears across the Arctic. Many websites tell about the polar bears and what is happening to them. Why do you suppose the polar bear is such an important symbol of the north?

Research Question

Research the impacts of climate change on polar bears across the north. The list of websites in Backgrounder #10 is a good place to start.

Backgrounder #11: Northern Community Impacts and Adaptations

Content Questions

1. How do quickly changing patterns of permafrost, ice and snow make it difficult for northerners, especially those who live traditional lifestyles?
2. What are the pros of climate change for northern communities? What are the cons?
3. What are some of the adaptations that northern communities are already making in response to climate change?

Reflective Questions (choose one)

1. When you weigh the pros and the cons of climate change, do you feel the total result for you and your community will be pro or con?
2. How well do you think your community will be able to adapt to the changes caused by climate change? How could they start to prepare for the expected changes?

Research Questions

1. How is climate change currently impacting your region? Two good websites to start your research are:
   
   
   • Government of Canada Climate Change Regional Impacts (click your region on the map) http://www.climatechange.gc.ca/english/issues/how_will/regional.shtml
   • Northern Climate Exchange Knowledge Site (Matrix Maker): http://yukon.taiga.net/matrix/
2. What plans does your territorial government have in place for responding to climate change? Contact government officials and elected representatives to find out.

Backgrounder #12: Global impacts of Climate Change

Content Questions

1. Identify and explain the different ways people around the world will be affected by climate change.
2. In 1998, more than 25 million people had to leave their homes because of floods, drought, deforestation or other environmental problems. Explain how this is probably linked to climate change.
3. What difference would a few more bugs make? Explain how the northern movement of southern insects and parasites could make a big difference to people in Canada.
4. How might the world’s oceans and marine life be affected by climate change?

Reflective Questions (choose one)

1. Although the rich industrialized countries are the ones that create the most GHGs, people in the poor, southern countries are the ones who will suffer the greatest impacts of climate change. Put yourself in the role of a South Pacific islander, whose island home may disappear under the rising sea levels, and imagine what you would say to a Canadian with high GHG emissions?
2. Climate change has the heaviest impact on traditional peoples. Can you explain why you think this statement is true or false?

Research Question

Choose one country in the developing world. Research the predicted effects of climate change on that country.

Backgrounder #13: Renewable Energy Opportunities

Content Questions

1. What is non-renewable energy? Renewable energy?
2. List and describe five different types of renewable energy.
3. What are the barriers to replacing non-renewable energy sources with renewable ones?

Reflective Question

What’s stopping us from making the switch to non-renewable energies? Part of it may be cost, but what other reasons can you can think of?

Research Questions

1. What renewable energies are being used or planned for future use in your territory?
2. How would you go about adding a renewable energy component to your school? Good places to start are: the lesson entitled Renewable Energy And Your School, and the Re-Energy website (http://re-energy.ca/), which tells you how to build renewable energy projects.

Backgrounder #14: Helping in Your Own Way

Content Questions

1. When we’re considering how to reduce GHG emissions, what are the main areas to consider?
2. What are some ways of reducing the GHGs we emit by driving?
3. How can you save energy in your home?
4. What does the stuff you buy have to do with GHG emissions?

Reflective Questions (choose one)

1. The Government of Canada is challenging every Canadian to see if they can cut back their production of GHGs by one tonne (that’s 20%) by 2008-2012. Do you think you are up for it? What things could you change without too much difficulty?
2. In Canada, individuals are responsible for 25% of GHG emissions. But what about the big industries that produce much of the remaining 75%? How could you, as an individual, encourage companies to reduce their GHG emissions?

Research Questions

1. Research the energy use in your household. Look at your energy bills. Do a household audit (see the lesson entitled Auditing the Energy-Guzzlers in Your Home). With your family, set a target of energy reduction. Keep track of your energy bills to see how well you’re doing.
2. Methane emitted from landfill dumps is one of the runaway GHG gases. Research what your community is doing to reduce landfill dumping.

Backgrounder #15: What Schools can do!

Content Questions

1. List the things schools can do to reduce their GHG emissions.
2. Why is it important to keep lights off and heat in?
3. What does reducing consumption (the amount of things you use) have to do with reducing GHG emissions?
4. How can schools encourage greener transportation to and from school?

Reflective Question

What ideas can you think of to help your school reduce its GHG emissions? Try to be as realistic as possible, and to think of ways to motivate students and teachers to make changes.

Research Question

Research what other schools are doing to reduce their GHG emissions. Put together a set of recommendations for your school. (Refer to the websites listed at the end of Backgrounder #15, and also the website list in Resources.)

Backgrounder #16: Climate Change Agreements… and Disagreements

Content Questions

1. Explain the Kyoto Protocol: What is its goal? What challenges are there to getting it ratified?
2. What are ‘emission credits,’ and why are they controversial?
3. What arguments have some people have made against ratifying the Kyoto Protocol?

Reflective Question

One of the arguments that some Canadian businesses have made against ratifying the Kyoto Protocol is that, because the U.S. has refused to ratify the Protocol, Canada should refuse, too. These business people say that ratifying Kyoto will make our businesses less competitive because they will have to reduce their GHG emissions but American businesses won’t. What do you think of this argument? Should Canada have ratified the Kyoto Protocol (as we did), even though the Americans didn’t? Why or why not?

Research Question

Research the Kyoto Protocol. Who has ratified? Who hasn’t? What are some of the arguments that have been used for and against? (One interesting idea is the job opportunities that Kyoto may create. Go to the Suzuki Foundation Site: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/Kyoto/, and click on the link “Kyoto Economics” link at the bottom of the page.)

Backgrounder #17: Governments and Businesses: Walking the Talk

Content Questions

1. List as many examples as you can of governments taking action to reduce GHGs.
2. What are some ways that territorial governments can use the tax system to encourage GHG reduction?
3. What can municipal governments do to reduce GHG emissions?
4. What could industries do to reduce their GHG emissions? What are some cutting-edge industries doing?

Reflective Question

Sometimes industries need a little encouragement to bring about changes that would lead to a reduction of their GHG emissions. How can you as an individual encourage industries to become greener? How can governments encourage industries to become greener?

Research Question

Research what’s planned in your territory to reduce GHG emissions. Get a copy of the Action Plan for your territory. Find out what parts of it are being implemented, and what parts are not. (Note: If there is not action plan, find out why not.)