Evaluating Climate Solutions
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Provided by: OER Project|Published on: September 12, 2025
Lesson PlansScientist Reviewed
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Scientist Reviewed 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
- In this module from OER Project: Climate, students will learn about mitigation and adaptation strategies.
- Students will evaluate solutions based on their efficacy, their classification as adaptation or mitigation, and potential risks.
- This is one of many lessons in the online Climate course by OER Project.
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: OER Project: Climate
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- In this module, students are invited to construct their own opinion of geoengineering, giving them more control over their learning.
- Many questions are open-ended, allowing for more opportunities for in-depth discussion.
Prerequisites
- To access the teaching guide for this module, teachers will need to create a free account.
- Students should be familiar with the causes and impacts of climate change, and some of the solutions.
- Teachers should note that, at the beginning of the podcast episode, Hank Green talks briefly about going through cancer treatment.
Differentiation & Implementation
- To ensure students' understanding of each item, teachers may want to define the solutions on the list in the opening activity.
- After listening to the podcast on geoengineering, advanced students can check out this report to dig deeper into the proposed need to research geoengineering as a solution.
- To make connections to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, students can evaluate solutions in the activities based on the SDGs they may also address.
- To make connections to language arts, teachers can expand upon the geoengineering debate activity by arranging students in debate teams "for" or "against" geoengineering.
- Have students use the worksheet for this activity as an outline for drafting an argumentative essay, then edit and revise a final draft of the essay to turn in as an assessment.
Solutions to climate change are explored, with a focus on mitigation, adaptation, and geoengineering. Benefits and trade-offs are examined with the goal of evaluating strategies. This resource’s greatest merit is that it discusses climate change mitigation and adaptation as complementary strategies, rather than as an either/or proposition. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
OER Project
OER Project equips teachers with free, innovative curricula and teaching tools that spark curiosity and inspire critical thinking in students. Our courses place student inquiry at the center of learning, and are designed to be adaptable across age levels and state standards.
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
