Climate change: news and resources round up

The earth is likely to warm by 4C by 2100, according to new scientific research.

This is twice the level that world governments deem dangerous and is much higher than previous estimates.

"4C would likely be catastrophic rather than simply dangerous… It would make life difficult, if not impossible, in much of the tropics, and would guarantee the eventual melting of the Greenland ice sheet and some of the Antarctic ice sheet, with sea levels rising by many metres as a result," says Professor Steven Sherwood, who led the work at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

Climate change can be explored across the curriculum – from citizenship lessons to geography and science. If you would like to use this new research to spark debate, investigation and action in your classroom, here's a round up of handly blogs, articles, interactives and lesson ideas to engage your students.

From the Guardian

Planet likely to warm by 4C by 2100, scientists warn
New research from the University of New South Wales in Australia has found that the planet is likely to warm by 4C by 2100. The key to this discovery was an exploration of how clouds affect climate change, which makes this news perfect for sustainability debates and the geography classroom.

Five basic Antarctic facts for climate change sceptics
The plight of MV Akademik Shokalskiy hit the headlines recently as it got stranded in ice and its passengers had to be airlifted to safety. Some commenters used this episode to argue that climate change is a load of tosh. This article uses five facts to refute that, making it perfect for igniting debate and exploring some technical concepts, such as the difference between sea and continental ice.

Deep sea creatures 'will not escape climate change'
It's not just fluffy polar bears and cute penguins that are affected by climate change. An international research team has found that even animals which live in the depths of oceans are likely to be hit over the next century. In fact, they say the weight of the marine creatures that will be lost is greater than the combined weight of every person on earth. This is perfect for exploring different ecosystems and discussing the extent of climate change.

Everything you need to know about climate change – interactive
Here's our one-stop guide to the facts of global warming. Great for students of all ages – and for promoting independent learning – this interactive brings a little whizz-bang to climate change and incorporates all the facets of the debate from the science and politics to economics and technology.

National carbon calculator: Can you cut UK emissions?
An oldie but a goodie. This interactive may be a little long in the tooth, but it allows students to explore the difficulties around cutting carbon emmissions. Students pretend to be the UK prime minister and must set the policy on energy, transport and other sectors and measure the carbon emissions generated and balance the books.

2013 in review: extreme weather – in pictures
This picture allows you to really bring climate change out of the abstract for students. 2013 was the seventh warmest year on record and saw one of the strongest cyclones, some of the longest heatwaves and the most topsy-turvy weather experienced in decades – and it's all been captured here.

Resources on The Guardian Teacher Network

The Amazon and us – poster
The Amazon rainforest is home to one in 10 of the world's species. It's unique, irreplaceable and in danger. This poster looks at the importance of the rainforest exploring everything from medicinal plants to beauty products using brazil nut oil and avocado oil.

Opinions about climate change
This activity from Sunny Schools gets students to match the climate change opinion to the person, exploring the views of oil executives, pilots, politicians and kenyan farmers.

What is climate change?
Explore the key causes of climate change by looking at and questioning a range of perspectives and explanations with this resource from Make the Link. You can also encourage students to go online for ideas on how to take action.

Girls and climate change
Climate change is a global issue that affects everyone, but it doesn't affect everyone the same way. Use these activity plans from Plan-UK to help you explore how climate change can have different impacts on boys and girls.

WWF report on the impact of climate change on the Russian Arctic
This is the full report on the impact of climate change on the Russian Arctic and paths to solving the problem by WWF. It explores various factors in great depth, including oil and gas extraction, commercial fishing, reindeer and polar bears and walruses.

The best of the web

Rainforest Alliance
Here are two or three 50-minute lesson plans to help teachers tackle climate change. Students will explore the relationship between CO2 and the climate by graphing changes over a 50-year period. They will also conduct interviews to discover if there have been any climate change observations in the local area.

Discovering the Arctic
Discovering the Arctic is an education resource for schools, developed by the Royal Geographical Society with IBG, in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. There's a wealth of fantastic teaching resources, including this "Why could global warming be good for Greenland?" discussion resource and this snakes and ladders-esque game.

UK Environmental Change Network
It is important to understand that there is a difference between weather and climate. This resource has case studies in Britain and a downloadable world map, which students can colour in to show the main climatic zones.

Wildlife Watch
Wildlife Watch is the junior branch of The Wildlife Trust and the UK's leading environmental action club for kids. It's a membership organisation, which encourages children to explore nature, the environment and local wildlife, but you can sign up for free and print off these seasonal spotting sheets – perfect to engage young students.

Oxfam
Help pupils explore climate change and be inspired to take action by learning about adaptation in Bangladesh. This includes: a presentation to introduce how climate change affects smallholder farmers; a lesson plan helping pupils understand the impacts of climate change on the world's poorest and a guide for young people to take their own action.

And if you need any further lesson ideas or inspiration, check out our green schools hub here.

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