This video explains how scientists have been able to determine that greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels are the fundamental cause of climate change.
Students will learn how scientists use ice core samples to prove that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere today is higher than it was in the past.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The video is short, clear, and detailed.
The engaging animations will keep students interested.
The video description provides links to several sources for further reading.
Additional Prerequisites
The video assumes that students know the fundamental cause of global warming and climate change.
Teachers may want to also show students this ClimateScience video, which explains why climate change is happening.
Differentiation
Consider using this video in a career counseling workshop or seminar to encourage young people to choose a scientific or research-based career.
Students can view recent data on atmospheric carbon dioxide with this resource from NOAA.
Other resources on this topic include this PBS video that shows how scientists analyze the gases trapped in ice to learn about past climates and this article and worksheet on learning using ice cores to learn about historical temperatures.
Scientist Notes
The resource attributes climate change to human activities and provides evidence about global warming from ice core samples and gas bubbles. Climate change is a reality, and scientists have documented enough evidence to validate the causes. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
HS-ESS3-5 Analyze geoscience data and the results from global climate models to make an evidence-based forecast of the current rate of global or regional climate change and associated future impacts to Earth’s systems.
HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
