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Bob Hollister Interview on Climate Change

Videos

Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology

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Provided by mi EcoBUZZ
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What it is

  • This video from mi EcoBUZZ features Bob Hollister, Grand Valley State University Professor of Biology, as he discusses forecasted climate impacts on arctic plant life and climate impacts felt around Michigan and the rest of the United States.
  • Students will understand the history of climate change, the role of humans in climate change, and what they can do to help minimize climate impacts.

Teaching tips

Positives
  • Given the speaker's broad list of climate change impacts, students are likely to find something that they have experience with or can relate to, making climate change education more relevant to them.
  • The speaker ends on a hopeful note that will comfort students.
Prerequisites
  • Students should have a basic understanding of climate change and global warming.
Differentiation & Implementation
  • The interviewee speaks quite quickly. Some students may benefit from slowing the video playback speed.
  • Around 1:54, the speaker begins listing climate change impacts that affect Michigan. Students can select one of these impacts to research and potentially propose an adaptation strategy.
  • Around 2:40, the speaker says, "Very few people are concerned about an average day. It's the not-average days." Highlighting this quote, teachers can segue into a conversation related to the difference between the temperature anomaly data and the data for average annual temperature. This media literacy activity can contribute to this discussion.
  • After students watch this video, they can note how the climate change impacts listed in the video are related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students should make connections to Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy, Goal 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and more.

From the scientist review

In this video, Bob Hollister talks about climate change, focusing on anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change and its impacts. He discusses impacts across the US, but focuses on the Arctic, as that is where he does his research. Finally, he touches on some potential solutions and why we can stay hopeful about climate change and future impacts. While shorter, the video is a great overview of climate change and its impacts. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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