PROBLEMS OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE SCIENCE

CLASSROOM

Kostas SkordoulisDirector Science Education & Educational

Technology Lab Department of Education, University of Athens,

Athens, Greece

Our Research

• History and Philosophy of Science in Science Teaching

• Problems of the Environment in the Science Classroom – Critical Science Education

• Project HEPHAESTUS: HEllenic Philosophy, History And Environmental Science Teaching Under Scrutiny – (FP7 / Capacities)

History of Science in Science Teaching

International Links• International Academy of History of Science

(Paris)• Interdivisional Teaching Commission of the

International Union of History and Philosophy of Science – ICSU – UNESCO

• International Group Of History & Philosophy of Science in Science Teaching (Journal “Science & Education” – Springer)

• Network for the History of Science in Southeastern Europe – “NewsLetter”

Issues facing humanity …

Social Injustices

Environmental Degradation• Soil, Water & Air Pollution:

– e.g., hazardous chemicals in water

– e.g., increased ‘Global Warming’ gases

– e.g., pesticides with negative side effects

• Habitat Damage

– e.g., deforestation

– e.g., ozone layer destruction

• Species Loss - Biodiversity

– ~3/h; ~125/d; ~25,000/a

Issues facing humanity …

How School Science addresses social & environmental

problems?

The STS-E Principle

Defining Scientific

Literacy

“The scientifically literate person is one who is

aware that science, mathematics, and technology are interdependent human enterprises with strengths and limitations;

understands the key concepts and principles of science;

is familiar with the natural world and recognizes both its diversity and unity;

and uses scientific knowledge and scientific ways of thinking for individual and social purposes.”

Project 2061

Literacy Goals for School Science

• Learning ‘Science & Technology’

• Learning ‘To Do’ Science & Technology’

• Learning ‘About’ Science & Technology

• Learning to/taking Socio-political Action

Introducing the Problem…

• Many scientists believe that human activities such as burning fossil fuels to drive cars and generate electricity are causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm. This “global warming” gradually changes the climate of the planet. Which are, according to your opinion, the best ways to respond to this situation?

WHAT THE IPCCSCIENTISTS SAY

The mean temperature of the Earth is increasing and the use of fossil fuels is at an all time high.

WHAT THE SCIENTISTS SAY:From the Climate Change Statement of the AAAS Board, released 2-18-07

• The scientific evidence is clear: global climate change caused by human activities is occurring now, and it is a growing threat to society. Accumulating data from across the globe reveal a wide array of effects: rapidly melting glaciers, destabilization of major ice sheets, increases in extreme weather, rising sea level, shifts in species ranges, and more. The pace of change and the evidence of harm have increased markedly over the last five years. The time to control greenhouse gas emissions is now.

Ice melting and and sea-level rise

International intergovernmental Bodies

• UNFCCC Executive Secretary calls for speedy and decisive international action on climate change (February 2007)

LEARNING SCIENCE AND LEARNING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYTECHNOLOGY

• SCIENCE

– what climate is and how it works;

– how global climate has been changing and why;

– how it’s likely to change in the decades ahead;

• TECHNOLOGY

– the role of humans & their technology in causing climate change;

– technological options for mitigating climate change;

– technological options for adapting to it.

Teaching Science

PHYSICS:Interaction of electromagneticradiation withmatter

www.livephysics.com

Teaching Science

Physics: energy flows in the atmosphere

Teaching Science

CHEMISTRY: carbon in fossil fuels and combustion

coal ≈ CH

oil ≈ CH2

natural gas ≈ CH4 + a bit more

so, e.g., burning oil entails…

CH2 + 3/2 O2 CO2 + H2O

Teaching Science / Biology

photosynthesis

6 CO2 + 12 H2O C6H12O6 + 6 H2O + 6 O2

(Trees are made of CO2 and water!)

respiration

C6H12O6 + 6 O2 6 CO2 + 6 H2O

anaerobic decomposition

C6H12O6 3 CO2 + 3 CH4

Teaching Science: Earth & Environmental Science

Mato Grosso State, Brazil, 2004

Teaching Science

Geography: land-use & deforestation

Teaching Science

Earth science: winds & jet streams

Earth science: how hurricanes work

Teaching Science

Teaching Science

Earth science: ocean currents

Earth science: climate & life over geologic time

Climate change as a teaching opportunity

Geography: climate-related health impacts

World Health Organization estimates of climate-change-related increases in mortality for the year 2000

Technology

Use of fossil fuelsOperation of internal combustion engines

Teaching Climate Change - TECHNOLOGY

Technology for CO2 capture

Geology: formations that can store CO2

Climate change teaching

LEARNING TO “DO SCIENCE”-The Laboratory Course The Laboratory Course

on Climate Change -on Climate Change -

Microcomputer Based LaboratoryData Loggers

Carbon Dioxide Gas Sensor

Weather Sensor

MULTIPORTPROGRAMMABLE DATA LOGER

Monitoring the Experiment with Sensors and data processing by programmable data

loggers STUDENTS LEARN TO INTERPRET GRAPHS

Research • Almost 1000 studies

dealing with different aspects of climate change have been conducted and published

• So… how do we make sense of all this?

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• Why was it created?– Created in 1988 by

the United Nations Environmental Program

– Established to provide policy-makers with an objective source of information about climate change

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• Who is in it?– Governments

• Members of the UN• Participate by naming

experts and reviewing the reports before they’re published

– Scientists• Close to 1000 scientists• Climatologists, ecologists,

atmospheric physicists, and others

Dr. Susan Solomon, a NOAA atmospheric chemist, an IPCC member and one author of IPCC summary

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

• What do they do?– Review current scientific and technical

literature relevant to global climate change

– Provide reports on their findings at regular intervals

– Reports are designed to be politically neutral and of high scientific and technical standards

How do they create their reports?

It’s a multi-step process…

http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/ipcc-principles/ipcc-principles-appendix-a.pdf

The assessments carried out by the IPCC have influenced global action on an unprecedented scale

1. First Assessment Report (1990) had a major impact in defining the content of the UNFCCC

2. The Second Assessment Report (1996) was largely influential in defining the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol

3. The Third Assessment Report (2001) focused attention on the impacts of climate change and the need for adaptation

4. The Fourth Assessment Report (2007) is creating a strong basis for a post Kyoto Protocol agreement

SOCIOPOLITICAL ACTIONIn order to MAKE RESPONSIBLE

DECISIONS and UNDERTAKE ACTION , students should be educated in CRITICAL THINKING and in the:

• ECONOMICS, POLITICS & POLICY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

– population growth & economic growth as climate-change drivers

– policy options and their impact

– actors and interests in the climate debate…

– finding a global climate-policy framework that is adequate, equitable, and attainable…

What is Critical Thinking ?What is Critical Thinking ?

Environmental Problem SolvingEnvironmental Problem Solving

A Brief History of the Events Leading to the Kyoto

Protocol• COP 1, in March of

1995, saw the passage of the Berlin Mandate, which called for new negotiations on more detailed commitments for industrialized countries under the UNFCCC.

• On December 11, 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was officially adopted at COP 3 in Kyoto Japan.

• In 1998 a new round of negotiations on Kyoto were launched at COP 4 in Buenos Aires.

History (cont.)

• Negotiations on the rules of implementing the Kyoto Protocol resumed during COP 6 in Bonn, Germany, July 2001.

• Building on the Bonn Agreements negotiators at COP 7 (Marrakech, Morocco, October 2001) adopted a comprehensive package of decisions known as the Marrakech Accords.

What is the Kyoto Protocol?

• In general, a protocol is an international agreement that stands on its own but is linked to an existing treaty.

• More specifically, the Kyoto Protocol can be seen as an agreement, which supplements and strengthens the Framework Convention. Indeed, the Kyoto Protocol reaffirms the concerns and principles set out in the Convention and then builds on these by adding tougher, more specific commitments.

What is the Kyoto Protocol: 4 Main Elements

• The Kyoto Protocol consists of four main elements:

• 1. CommitmentsA. Specific emissions commitmentsB. General commitments

• 2. ImplementationA. Domestic policies and measuresB. Land use, land-use change and forestry sectorC. Joint implementationD. Clean development mechanismE. Emissions trading

What is the Kyoto Protocol: 4 Main Elements

• 3. ComplianceA. Facilitative BranchB. Enforcement Branch

• 4. Minimizing impacts on developing countriesA. Adaptation Fund

The European Union is a pioneer in the battle against

climate changeEU countries have set targets for 2020 to:

– Cut emissions by 20% (or 30% if agreed globally)

– Increase energy efficiency by 20%

– Generate 20% of energy from renewable sources

The EU is pushing for an ambitious new global pact to reduce emissions

EU: What can you do?

Simple everyday actions play a major role in the fight against climate changeSo…

– Recycle – Save hot water by taking a shower instead

of a bath (four times less energy)– Plant a tree, at school, in your garden or

neighbourhood

EU: What can you do?

• Use public transport, cycle, walk

• Don’t leave appliances on stand-by – use the on/off function of the machine

• Don’t leave you mobile charger plugged in when you are not charging your phone

www.climatechange.eu.com

THANK YOU !!!THANK YOU !!!

Students Responses