An inspiring Climate Change programme for post-primary schools.

LESSON 1: Carbon 🌚

To start off the programme we take it right to the beginning: what is causing climate change?

In short: rising levels of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases). But where does carbon dioxide come from? And what happens when there’s too much of it in the atmosphere?

The answers to all these questions can be found in the Carbon Cycle. In this lesson we’ll show how the Carbon Cycle relates to the two big drivers of climate change: the Greenhouse Effect (and consequently Global Warming) and Ocean Acidification.

LESSON 2: Climate Change ⚡️

So now we know what causes climate change, it’s time to look at what climate change actually is. For this we start from the basics: What is climate? How is it different to weather? And why is it a problem for humans and the Earth’s biodiversity when it changes?

LESSON 3: Taking Action 💪🏽

Okay, we now know climate change is a problem and what causes it. Let’s do something about it! In this lesson we look at the movers and shakers of the world. We’ve all heard of Greta Thunberg but who else is making a difference? And how can you join in? This lesson takes you through the different levels of change — from international cooperation down to local and personal action.

LESSON 4: Energy 1 💥

Energy is such a big topic we had to split it over two lessons. In these lessons we circle back to the Carbon Cycle and start to answer the question: why have carbon dioxide levels sharply risen since the 1800s? The short answer is: energy. Specifically energy from fossil fuels.

Energy 1 sets up the problem, taking students through what energy is, the different forms it takes and why fossil fuels are so important in modern society.

LESSON 5: Energy 2 💡

Following on from this, Energy 2 is all about the solutions. We go on a deep-dive into the different renewable energies and the innovative technologies in development.

This unit ends on a high note with a spotlight on inspirational entrepreneurs who are making waves in the sustainable energy sector.

LESSON 6: Transport 🚗

Following on from this, we look closer at one of the big guzzlers of energy: transport. Very few of us make it through a week or even a day without using a vehicle that is powered by fossil fuels. In this unit we look at how transport has transformed in the last 200 years and, crucially, what it could become in the future.

LESSON 7: Waste 🛢

Most of us know to reduce, reuse, recycle but do we know why we do it? And do we really understand the relationship between waste and climate change? In this lesson we answer all of your waste and recycling questions and show what an alternative future for waste could look like.

LESSON 8: Farming 🚜

Other than energy, a big driver of greenhouse gas emissions is agriculure. Part of this is the famous methane from cows, but a lot of it is actually gases emitted from the soil when it is turned over repeatedly. As the human population has exploded, farming practices have developed without much care or thought into how they damage the environment. It's time for a reckoning.

LESSON 9: Forestry 🌳

Linked to the problem of farming is the problem of forestry. How? Well before we came along with our tractors the world was covered in forests. And now. . . not so much. This is important because forests absorb Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere (yay) but deforestation releases Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere (boo). This lesson is all about how we protect our forests and the biodiversity that depends on them.

LESSON 10: Food 🥘

You might be thinking, we've covered waste and farming already, what more could we possible say about food and climate change? Well, waste and farming will come into this lesson too, but only from the perspective of the carbon footprint of the entire food system, one of the big emitters of greenhouse gases (about 25% of emissions are linked to it). Plus, it involves everyone's favourite thing: excessive packaging — plastic-wrapped bananas anyone?

LESSON 11: Sustainable Fashion 👖

This might seem an unusual topic but the production and shipping of clothing is very energy-intensive (especially when it’s made half-way across the world using cheap, exploited labour) and it is one of the main ways we impact climate change on a personal level. In this lesson we look at why it’s a problem and what we can do about it.

LESSON 1: The Carbon Cycle 🌚

To start off the programme we take it right to the beginning: what is causing climate change?

In short: rising levels of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases). But where does carbon dioxide come from? And what happens when there’s too much of it in the atmosphere?

The answers to all these questions can be found in the Carbon Cycle. In this lesson we’ll show how the Carbon Cycle relates to the two big drivers of climate change: the Greenhouse Effect (and consequently Global Warming) and Ocean Acidification.

LESSON 2: Climate Change ⚡️

So now we know what causes climate change, it’s time to look at what climate change actually is. For this we start from the basics: What is climate? How is it different from weather? And why is it a problem for humans and the Earth’s biodiversity when it changes?

LESSON 3: Taking Action 💪🏽

Okay, so climate change is a problem and we know what causes it. Let’s do something about it! In this lesson we look at the movers and shakers of the world. We’ve all heard of Greta Thunberg but who else is making a difference? This lesson takes you through the different levels of change — from international cooperation down to local and personal action.

LESSON 4: Energy 1 💥

Energy is such a big topic we had to split it over two lessons. In these lessons we circle back to the Carbon Cycle and start to answer the question: why have Carbon Dioxide levels sharply risen since the 1800s? The short answer is: energy. Specifically energy from fossil fuels.

Energy 1 sets up the problem, taking students through what energy is, the different forms it takes and why fossil fuels are so important in modern society.

LESSON 5: Energy 2 💡

Following on from this, Energy 2 is all about the solutions. We go on a deep-dive into the different renewable energies and the innovative technologies in development.

This unit ends on a high note with a spotlight on inspirational entrepreneurs who are making waves in the sustainable energy sector.

LESSON 6: Fashion 👖

In this lesson we take what we have learnt from the previous lessons and apply it to a key touchpoint in students' lives: fashion. We rarely consider it when thinking about climate change, but fashion is a huge global industry that is responsible for 10% of ALL global carbon emissions. Plus it intersects with a lot of key problems: agriculture (for cotton and other fibres), water use, pollution, international transport and excessive waste.