Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes	Part A: Are we globally connected?
20 minutes	Part B: What is a global citizen?
25 minutes	Part C: Where is help needed around the world?
05 minutes	Reflection

Part A: Are we globally connected?

Note: You can use the Presentation Slides to navigate through this part.

Step 1.

Students may have heard the saying "a butterfly beating its wings can change the weather on the other side of the world" (or variations of such).

What do students understand this to mean?

Step 2.

Discuss: Are we really so globally connected?

Prompt students' thinking by asking them to consider how the world is linked:

Socially and culturally. We communicate through shared media (eg. movies) and telecommunications. We travel and even migrate to different countries, forging new connections between our families.
Economically. We have many trading partners around the world who rely on our resources. We also rely on their produce.
Environmentally. We all share one planet, and our carbon emissions are everyone's carbon emissions.
Politically. We have established international relations and a number of systems of regulation.

One example with a negative impact might be eating chocolate. We don't really think about it when we pick it up from the supermarket, but chocolate often contains palm oil, and when palm oil is grown unsustainably, it contributes to deforestation and the loss of biodiversity.

Therefore, our small and seemingly insignificant 'butterfly wing flap' of buying a block of chocolate might be contributing to huge environmental damage on the other side of the world.

Part B: What is a global citizen?

Step 1.

Explain that a global citizen is someone who is aware of and understands the wider world and their place in it. They're aware of how their actions are not isolated from the rest of the world. A global citizen is, therefore, somebody who actively contributes to the wider world community in order to make our planet a better place.

Central to global citizenship is the idea that all human beings belong to a single human race, share a common humanity and are of equal worth. Hence they should all have the same basic rights and be treated accordingly.

You might like to share this quote:

We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.
Anne Frank

Step 2.

Explain that how we share and use the earth’s resources affects the health of the planet and of everyone with whom we share it – now and in the future.

Even the wealthiest countries rely heavily on other countries’ riches. This might be through the importation of physical commodities such as foodstuffs and raw minerals. But we also rely on the knowledge of others.

Explain that it would be impossible for Australia or anywhere else to become completely independent and isolated from the rest of the world, not to mention totally undesirable.

Step 3.

Discuss: Is it important to know about things happening around the world? Why?

Some students might be resistant to the idea that wars, poverty, famine, and environmental issues in different countries can really affect them, or that they should care. Some students might want to focus more on local issues, and leave other countries to themselves while trying to fix up things in their own homeland. Some students might even be having enough of a hard time in their own lives and feel like they're unable to care about anyone else.

It's important to reinforce the idea that everyone around the globe is connected, and that our actions here can have wide-reaching impacts. Being a global citizen means you can empathise with others and put yourself in their shoes. You want everyone to be equal.

You might like to share these quotes:

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." - Desmond Tutu
"There is enough in the world for everyone's need, but not for everyone's greed." - Mohandas Gandhi

Decisions made and actions taken in one place can definitely affect people living on the other side of the planet, which is why it is so important that we are informed about, care about, and want to help with what's happening on the other side of the planet.

Step 4.

Watch:

This Earth Day see one story of when rising sea levels threaten a community | Oxfam GB (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXM3F_5REd8)

Step 5.

Discuss the video. Reinforce to students that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a social issue. If climate change continues in some of the worst scenarios outlined by the IPCC, this community will no longer be able to make a living, as their beach will continue to erode.

While they were able to find a solution in creating a sea defence, they would not have been able to do this without being globally connected via Oxfam. Furthermore, continued carbon pollution by countries like Australia all over the world will continue to pose climate change related issues for this community, even though they may not be doing much direct polluting themselves.

Part C: Where is help needed around the world?

You can use the Student Worksheet to facilitate students' independent work in this part.

Step 1.

If you made a list of actions that were critical for saving the planet from climate change, what would they include?

Students could work independently, in small groups, or as a whole class, to create their list.

Break down the goal of 'saving the planet from climate change' into a number of manageable, focused subtasks.

For example:

Decarbonise the grid, eliminate fossil fuels, and switch to sustainable energy. If 50% of electricity worldwide comes from zero-emissions sources by 2025, and 90% by 2035 (up from 38% in 2020), we can potentially reduce carbon emissions by 16.5 gigatonnes (Source).
Stop deforestation. If we achieve net-zero deforestation by 2030, we can potentially reduce carbon emissions by 6 gigatonnes (Source).
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns of raw minerals and natural resources.
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership.

Many of these goals cover the goals you might come up with. To learn more about the goals, head to the official UN Sustainable Development Goals page, and visit some of Cool's other resources to teach about these goals in more detail.

Step 2.

What is the impact of climate change on humans, animals, and the environment around the world?

Yes, Australia is suffering from increased severity and regularity of droughts, bushfires, storms, and floods, but it is not the only place around the world.

Independently, students investigate the impacts of climate change around the world, and how these affected areas are further impacting the rest of the world.

For example, there is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain forests, which contain 90-140 billion tons of carbon, help stabilize the local and global climate. Deforestation releases significant amounts of this carbon, which is having negative consequences around the world.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

Step 3.

Finally, what are some actions that can be taken to help these people or areas?

Some will have to be very local, such as building the sea wall shield in Ghana.

Others are global, such as reducing our carbon emissions.

Some can be small and personal actions, such as changing our personal habits to avoid palm oil chocolate, or recycling plastics.

Independently, students create a list of these actions.

Reflection

Invite students to share their thoughts on whether they feel empowered, or powerless, in the fight against climate change.

Remind students that even the smallest actions can have an impact on climate change if we see ourselves as global citizens capable of helping the world, even though it seems like an impossibly big task from where you're currently sitting.

Encourage students to empathise with people around the world, rather than viewing climate change as something that doesn't seem to be impacting them directly. Only by helping everyone and working together can we combat climate change.

Where to next?

Check out our unit on finding other solutions to our emissions challenges.

Teacher reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching practice today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

IPCC - What is a global citizen?

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