In this video, climate justice and human rights lawyer Colette Pinchon Battle describes how millions of individuals are threatened by displacement as coastal cities experience extreme weather events and sea level rise due to climate change.
Colette Pinchon Battle explains that Black communities, Indigenous communities, and other historically marginalized communities are disproportionally at risk when it comes to the climate crisis.
Students will learn that preparing economically and socially for mass climate migration will promote resiliency and build community.
Teaching Tips
Positives
This video is an excellent resource to explore the social aspects of climate change such as migration, displacement, gentrification, and disaster recovery efforts.
Additional resources for further research into climate action on the Gulf Coast are listed below the video.
A transcript is available in 20 languages.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the concept of sea level rise and other coastal impacts due to climate change.
Differentiation
Before watching this video, social studies classes could explore the concept of migrants. Teachers can ask students to think of reasons why people might migrate and discuss why climate change may be one of the reasons.
This video does not detail many current ways that communities could prepare for displaced individuals from climate change, so this could be an interesting extension to have students research. Students could investigate how communities have welcomed individuals affected by war or violence to understand some strategies for aiding displaced individuals.
Social studies classes may want to use this video on American climate migration or this SubjectToClimate lesson plan on the consequences of climate change to extend the topic.
Scientist Notes
According to recent research, climate change could result in over 2 billion climate refugees by the year 2100. In the TED Talk, Colette Pichon Battle goes into depth about what that means and what we can do about it. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-4 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems.
HS-ESS3-1 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-3 Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity.
Social Studies
Geography
Geography 1 (F1): Students understand the geography of the community, Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world, and geographic influences on life in the past, present, and future by using the geographic grid and a variety of types of maps, including digital sources, to locate and access relevant geographic information that reflects multiple perspectives.
Geography 1 (F2): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by evaluating and developing a well-supported position about the impact of change on the physical and cultural environment.
Geography 1 (D2): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by using inquiry to predict and evaluate consequences of geographic influences.
Personal Finance & Economics
Personal Finance (F1): Students understand the principles and processes of personal finance by explaining how scarcity influences choices and relates to the market economy.
