Student Investigation Is Climate Change Affecting Human Health?

Transcription

1 Student Investigation Is Climate Change Affecting Human Health? Description During this activity, students will investigate the claim that climate change is affecting human health. They will connect research on targeted human health issues, such as asthma, vectorborne diseases, cancer, etc., with scientific evidence that climate change is a factor in their increased occurrences. This lesson incorporates the use of thinking maps, the 5E Model, and student-led research. Key Search Words Climate change Human health Anthropogenic Thinking Maps Adaptation Vulnerability Climate system 5E Model Curriculum Alignment North Carolina Essential Standards Earth/Environmental Science EEn.2.6 Analyze patterns of global climate change over time. EEn.2.8 Evaluate human behaviors in terms of how likely they are to ensure the ability to live sustainably on Earth. Biology Bio2.2 Understand the impact of human activities on the environment (one generation affects the next). Next Generation Science Standards ESS3.D: Global Climate Change Global climate change, shown to be driven by both natural phenomena and by human activities, could have large consequences for all of Earth s surface systems, including the biosphere. Humans are now so numerous and resource dependent that their activities affect every part of the environment, from outer space and the stratosphere to the deepest ocean. Though the magnitudes of human impacts are greater than they have ever been, so too are human abilities to model, predict, and manage current and future impacts. (HS-ESS3-5) Climate Literacy Framework Principle 3: Life on Earth depends on, is shaped by, and affects climate. Principle 6: Human activities are impacting the climate system. Principle 7: Climate change will have consequences for the Earth system and human lives.

2 Learning Objectives Upon completion of this activity a student will be able to: cite specific examples of climate change, describe how and if these climate changes are affecting human health, cite specific examples of human health issues that are directly or indirectly attributed to climate change, and assess whether climate change is a contributing factor to the overall decline in human health. Classroom Time Required Pretest (1/2 class period) Data Collection (2 3 class periods) Thinking Maps (1 class period) Analysis/Conclusion (1 class period) Materials and Setup Pre-test (word document provided), one copy per student Computers with Internet access, one per student or student pair Data Collection Chart, one per student Supplies for thinking maps paper, colored pens or pencils, etc. Student Preparation for Activity Students will need to have an understanding of what constitutes a reliable scientific source of information prior to conducting this activity Students will need training on the construction of thinking maps, their purpose and how they are used, as well as access to printable or electronic versions of them. See Resources section for more information. Background Knowledge for Students/Teacher In the years since humans first lived on Earth, human culture has changed tremendously. At first, humans were hunter/gatherer types. Then came the agricultural revolution when settlements, urbanization and domestication of animals were thematic. In the last century, the industrial revolution has seen mass production, mining, fossil fuel combustion, increased use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, etc., which has brought us to our current state of the information and globalization revolution. As these stages have progressed to our modern age of exponential human population growth, we have had an increasingly negative impact on our surrounding environment, with one consequence being climate change. Of the many ways the environment impacts humans, human health is one of the most important. Students should understand that human health is affected by the environment, whether it be from viruses and bacteria or chemicals and radiation, and this includes climate change. According to the NIEHS, the major public health organizations of the world have said that climate change is a critical public health problem. Climate change makes many existing diseases and conditions worse, but it may also help introduce new pests and pathogens into new regions or communities ( Furthermore, according to NIEHS, children, the elderly, the poor, and those with underlying health conditions are at

3 increased risk for health effects from climate change. See Resources section for additional background information. Procedure This lesson is a guided inquiry lesson. The role of the teacher is to facilitate students construction of knowledge. This means the teacher: provides appropriate questions to start the students in their investigation, guides the students to appropriate observations that will help them gather the needed evidence, and selects applications of the knowledge constructed so that students will refine, correct and extend their knowledge. In each activity below there will be suggested appropriate teacher questions. These questions are used to guide the students and to help the teacher evaluate the progress of the students. Engage Administer the pretest over a minute period. The completed pretests should be collected. Students should not be given a grade on the pretest. During the lesson, the pretest will be returned to each student and he/she will be asked to include their pretest assessment in their final analysis/conclusion. Explore Students will use the Internet (see Resources section) to investigate what the scientific community says about the link between climate change (CC) and human health (HH). They will use a data collection chart (provided) to record whether each of the organizations (sources) they investigate surmises a connection or not, and then record a quote or quotes that supports this claim. They will also cite a specific example of an illness or disease that scientists are saying is being/will be impacted by climate change. The chart has been expanded to enable students to investigate additional organizations which could include local or state agencies. Remind students to use only reliable scientific resources. Students will then choose *one* of the health effects they found to be linked to climate change factors and further investigate the claim. Again, students must use reliable scientific sources for their information. They must provide data (either quantitative or qualitative) in a visual format (i.e. charts, graphs, tables, etc.) to support the claim that there is a link between climate change and their chosen illness/disease. Many good resources, such as the 2014 National Climate Assessment, are cited in the Resources section. Explain This step calls for students to critically evaluate any links between climate change and human health they ve found in their research and then represent it visually to support a deeper level of understanding. Students will construct a thinking map of their choice to illustrate the links that they ve discovered from their investigation. Examples include multi-flow (cause and effect), circle (defining in context), tree (classifying and grouping), bridge (analogies), etc. They can focus on all, most, a few, or one of the links they ve discovered through their research. A sample map is provided below.

4 Sample Thinking Map Connection between climate change, ozone and respiratory illnesses like asthma: There are two kinds of ozone. 1. stratospheric ozone (the good ozone that protects us from harmful UV radiation) and 2. tropospheric ozone (the bad ozone that is produced when oxygen combines with products of fossil fuel combustion). There are two reasons why ozone in the troposphere is bad. 1. In the upper troposphere, ozone acts a greenhouse gas because it absorbs outgoing infrared radiation, radiation that is trying to escape but is trapped instead, thus contributing to global warming/climate change. 2. In the lower troposphere (at earth s surface), ozone is an air pollutant, a molecule that contains 3 atoms of oxygen as opposed to the usual 2 that we breathe. Ground-level ozone can damage lung tissue, cause inflammation and exacerbate respiratory conditions like asthma. 3. Climate change is projected to harm human health by increasing ground-level ozone in some regions (NCA 2014).

5 Elaborate To further a student s understanding of how to combat the issue of environmental health risks from climate change, the class (or individuals) can read about a study that gives hope for the future and/or propose possible solutions themselves. One such study highlights 14 key air pollution control measures that, if implemented, could slow the pace of global warming, improve health and boost agricultural production is seen here View the slideshow of the 14 key air pollution control measures available at and then invite students to work in pairs to examine *one* of the fourteen measures in more detail and prepare to present their findings to the class. 1. switch to cleaner burning cook stoves 2. limit leaks from the fossil fuel industry 3. make fuel and vehicle standards more stringent 4. capture methane from coal mines 5. put a lid on landfill methane 6. ban agricultural burning 7. drain rice paddies more often 8. get super polluters off the road 9. improve wastewater treatment systems 10. upgrade brick kilns 11. compost biodegradable garbage 12. minimize methane from livestock 13. modernize coke ovens 14. patch up gas pipelines Evaluate Students will use their completed data collection chart, their thinking map, and their pretest responses to synthesize an analysis/conclusion of their findings. They must re-answer the pretest questions and compare their original pretest answers to what they now know as a result of the investigation. This analysis/conclusion can be in written format, power point presentation or visual format as long as it includes all of their findings and can substantiate their conclusion(s). Assessments (formative and summative) Pretest (1/2 class period) Data Collection (2 3 class periods) Thinking Maps (1 class period) Analysis/Conclusion (1 class period)

6 Reference Impact of Human Activities on Environmental Quality Environmental-Quality.pdf Resources Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Environmental Protection Agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) National Climate Assessment (NCA 2014) Human Health Chapter National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Natural Resources Defense Council U.S. Global Change Research Program World Health Organization Thinking Maps Author Info Rachel Owens has been teaching Earth Science, Environmental Science and Biology for 15 years, with 14 of them being with Nash-Rocky Mount Schools in Rocky Mount, NC. She holds a Bachelor s degree in Biology and a Master s in Literacy Education. She received NC Conservation Teacher of the Year in 2013, and has been trained by Al Gore s Climate Reality Leadership Corp. Rachel is also a NC Climate Fellow and finds environmental advocacy her true passion in life.

7 Student Pretest 1. Define climate change. What aspects of the climate are changing? 2. What are some effects of climate change? 3. How do you think climate change will impact human health? List specific examples. 4. List examples of things in the environment that cause human illness(es). 5. List any examples of human illnesses that are caused by environmental factors. 6. Is it possible that any of these illnesses are caused by factors other than ones in the environment, like genetics? 7. Are the predicted human health impacts from climate change of concern to you? Why or why not?

8 Answer Key Pretest 1. Define climate change. What aspects of the climate are changing? Climate change is a long-term change in global or regional climate patterns; some aspects that are changing are temperature, precipitation levels, storm intensities, etc. 2. What are some effects of climate change? Some effects of climate change include warmer temperatures globally, more evaporation and precipitation in some areas, while other areas experience droughts, melting glaciers, increased sea level, favorable response by crops to increased carbon dioxide levels, and changing dynamics of soil chemistry that can damage crops in some areas. Other smaller scale effects can be named as well. 3. How do you think climate change will impact human health? List specific examples. Generally climate change is a periodic naturally occurring event in Earth s history, but the current state of climate change is largely anthropogenic. It s impact can be stated by students in terms of death by weather-related incidences like storms, extreme heat or cold, drought, floods, etc. and the non-death effects like malnutrition, dehydration, spread of disease, etc. Any human health-related impact of climate change can be listed here. 4. List examples of things in the environment that cause human illness(es). Examples include pesticides, other chemicals used in agriculture, solar (UV) radiation, smog, toxic metals and noxious non-metals, poor sanitation and hygiene, bacteria, viruses, weather variations (flooding, drought, extreme heat and cold, etc.), and a host of other air, land and water pollutants. 5. List any examples of human illnesses that are caused by environmental factors. Examples include asthma, emphysema, cancer, headaches, allergies, nausea, rashes, muscles aches, dizziness, birth defects, infertility, auto-immune disorders, osteoporosis, heart disease and a host of other illness. 6. Is it possible that any of these illnesses are caused by factors other than ones in the environment, like genetics? Yes, other factors include genetic disposition, poor quality of life, i.e sedentary lifestyle or poor diet. 7. Are the predicted human health impacts from climate change of concern to you? Why or why not? This answer is opinion-based but students must explain why health is or is not of concern to them.

9 Climate Change and Human Health Investigation: Data Collection Chart Organization Name Does organization indicate there is a connection between CC and HH? Supporting Quote(s) Example of Climate Change Factor and the Illness/Disease to which it is linked WHO (World Health Organization) EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) NIEHS (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)

10 Organization Name Does organization indicate there is a connection between CC and HH? Supporting Quote(s) Example of Climate Change Factor and the Illness/Disease to which it is linked UN (United Nations) Your State Health Agency Other (write in) Other (write in) Other (write in)

11