This short work of science fiction, read by the author Kim Stanley Robinson, imagines a future where humanity has made international systemic changes to halt climate change.
This future society of 2071 has reprioritized the economy, allowing people, companies, and governments to earn money by capturing carbon from the atmosphere or by keeping carbon from getting released.
Robinson stresses the importance of interdisciplinary and global teamwork.
Teaching Tips
Positives
A transcript of the video is available in 15 languages.
The sources Robinson used are posted below the video.
While Robinson does not veer away from the complexity and danger of the current climate situation, he ultimately has a hopeful message about climate change.
Kim Stanley Robinson has authored many books, including the dystopian climate novel Ministry for the Future.
Differentiation
Robinson lists many solutions for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, which students could research and present to the class.
Civics, government, and social studies classes could debate the feasibility of the international solution that Robinson presents.
English classes could use this piece to inspire their own science fiction short stories about climate change.
Scientist Notes
This 10-minute TED talk envisions a possible future in which humans have substantially addressed climate change from the viewpoint of a look back from the year 2071. This is a version of the story from the recent science fiction novel The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. This resource is an excellent example of envisioning the future through thought experiments and is a great way to start discussions of Earth's future. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
HS-ESS3-2 Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
ETS1: Engineering Design
HS-ETS1-3 Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
English Language Arts
Reading (K-12)
R.9-12.4 Read various texts closely to determine what each text explicitly says and to make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions drawn from the texts.
R.9-12.6 Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
R.9-12.8 Analyze the structure of various texts, including how the features and components relate to each other and the whole.
Social Studies
Personal Finance & Economics
Economics (F1): Students understand the principles and processes of personal economics, the role of markets, the economic system of the United States, other economic systems in the world, and how economics serves to inform decisions in the present and future by analyzing the role of financial institutions, the financial markets, and government including fiscal, monetary, and trade policies.
Global Connections (F2): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by analyzing how resource distribution effects wealth, poverty, and other economic factors.
