CFR Education: Climate Change Adaptations
Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations|Published on: September 15, 2023|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: CFR Education
Location: Earth
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive text includes a global tour of climate adaptation strategies utilized in different regions and a description of climate mitigation and climate adaptation practices.
- This is the thirteenth section of the Climate Change module and it includes a lesson plan for the policy-related sections and a discussion guide for higher education classes to help contextualize climate adaptation within the broader topic of climate change.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- The structure of the map next to the description of the adaptation strategy is helpful for students to keep track of the locations as they read.
- Pictures and videos related to each country's adaptation strategies are included on the map.
- The map represents a diverse array of countries and mentions Indigenous adaptations to climate change.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with terms such as climate migration, drought, saltwater intrusion, and sea level rise.
- Some of the links in the lesson plan are broken, but many of the broken links link to a single slide that can be found in the comprehensive Google Slides file at the top of the lesson plan titled "Climate Change: Policy Presentation."
Differentiation
- Before reviewing the interactive map, ask students to define adaptation and discuss how it can relate to climate change.
- Consider creating a graphic organizer with titles such as cause, effect, solution, and results for each region.
- After reviewing the map, have students choose different climate adaptation strategies to research further and discover an additional region implementing each practice.
- Consider having students create a list of climate change impacts in their community and brainstorm possible adaptation strategies.
- For an extension, have students write an essay to answer the question, "Why are climate adaptation solutions and practices dependent on geographic region?"
This resource from the Council on Foreign Relations uses an interactive world map to clearly show how eleven countries around the world are adapting to climate change. The resource clearly defines adaptation, differentiating from mitigation, and provides a great list of case studies. Two of the case studies even include a short video highlighting the issues caused by climate change and the steps taken to adapt. A climate change policy lesson plan is also included that features two 45-minute class plans and one homework assignment with a handout. All of the text is clear and this resource clearly shows how different locations face varying climate effects that need tailored adaptation solutions. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
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