Lesson 6 Resources 1-3 Blue

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth 101

Note - This lesson could be split into two for students to have more time to prepare and discuss: activities 1 and 2 in the first lesson, and activities 3 and 4 in the second lesson.

Lesson aims/key questions

1 » what is climate change?2 » how can the Commonwealth lead the way in reducing carbon emissions?3 » what is it like to take part in a Commonwealth heads of government meeting?

Learning outcomes and key processes

Students will be able to:a » outline some of the causes and consequences of global climate change.b » Describe and justify the position a named country is likely to take on reducing

their carbon emissions.c » evaluate the challenges of reaching consensus amongst Commonwealth heads of

governmenton a controversial global issue.d » identify some actions members of the Commonwealth might take to reduce the

impact of climate change.Key processes: Critical thinking; empathising with others; discussion and debate; arguing a viewpoint other than your own; communicating ideas; listening to others; working with others to solve problems.

Key words/ concepts / terms

Climate change | Chogm (Commonwealth heads of government meeting) | consensus | carbon emissions | industrialised | cyclone | flooding | economic growth | atmosphere | infrared radiation.

Summary of activities and links to learning outcomes

activity 1 (starter): Climate Change CHOGM Technical Expert (Reordering information)

a »

activity 2: My Country’s Climate Change Challenge (Speech‐writing in groups) b »

activity 3: The Climate Change CHOGM (Formal Debate) b » c »

activity 4 (plenary): The Role of the Commonwealth in Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change

d »

Assessment opportunities

» activity 1 (starter) can include teacher or peer assessment by swapping worksheets (6r1) or taking them in to mark them, using the answer sheet (6r2).

» activities 2 and 3 can form a group assessment in which students are assessed by the teacher or other students on their teamwork and presentation skills.

» activity 4 (plenary) can include teacher assessment of students’ individual answers to the four questions, if you ask students to write down their answers rather than holding a class discussion.

Differentiation » activity 1 (starter) can include additional support to some students by giving them the first few steps and additional prompts as necessary. Students wishing to be challenged further could be asked to annotate the worksheet (6r1) with additional facts about the processes of climate change from their own prior knowledge or from additional research.

» activity 2 includes a variety of country briefing sheets (6r3) with differing levels of accessibility: for example, those for the uK and Kenya are more accessible and those for Bangladesh and india are more challenging.

» activity 3 could include a few extra roles for students who are unable to participate directly in the debate: for example, they could be Commonwealth artists, Photographers or Journalists and report back in visual or written forms on what the meeting was like. they could also be trained to give constructive peer feedback in order to help students who are involved in the debate to make their points more effectively.

Commonwealth SCHOOL RESOURCES » Lesson 6

» The Climate Change CHOGM

6leSSon 6Page 1 oF 4

Student Feedback Sheets » Resource 5r3

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth102

» Activity 1 (starter): Climate Change CHOGM technical expert

explain to students that they will shortly be attending a Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm), where heads of government (for example, presidents, prime ministers and their representatives) will meet to discuss the issue of climate change. they have been selected as one of a number of technical experts for the Chogm, and may be asked to deliver a five minute speech at the start of the meeting about the causes and consequences of climate change.

give each student the worksheet Climate Change technical expert Briefing Sheet (6r1).

explain that their colleague has sent them some briefing cards to help with their speech, but they have got mixed up along the way. they need to put them in order so they are ready to deliver their speech.

give students five minutes to work individually or in pairs to put the statements on the worksheet in order. avoid feedback to the class at this stage (the speech will form part of the mock-Chogm), but move around the class ensuring students are getting the correct order

» Answers are on the Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing Answer Sheet (6r2) 6r1

0-10m

» Suggested time allowance for activities


Homework or extension tasks

you could ask students to:» write a letter or newspaper article describing what the Chogm was like and what

was debated and decided.» make a plan in groups to help combat climate change locally, and go ahead and

implement the plan.» Research the next real life Chogm, finding out where and when it will be held and

the key issues that will be discussed (the Commonwealth Secretariat website should hold this information: www.thecommonwealth.org/subhomepage/33247)

Resources needed » activity 1 (starter): Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing Sheet (6r1) (one per student or pair); Climate Change Technical Expert Answer Sheet (6r2) (one for teacher)

» activity 2: Climate Change Challenge Country Briefing Sheet (one for each of the six groups)

» activity 3: national flags of the six countries if possible (uK, Kenya, tuvalu, australia, Bangladesh, india)

leSSon 6Page 2 oF 4 6

View p28-29CommonGround guide

1r2



» Activity 2: My country’s Climate Change Challenge

Divide the class into six groups, and distribute one of the Climate Change Challenge Country Briefing Sheets (6r3) to each group. explain that this next activity is also preparation for the Chogm, and this time each group represents a different country.

at the Chogm the heads of government will discuss whether Commonwealth countries should lead the way globally in reducing carbon emissions.

each group will have 2 minutes to present the perspective of their country, and they have 10 minutes to prepare their speech using their briefing sheets. The speech should:

» introduce their country

» explain their perspective on whether Commonwealth countries should lead the way in reducing carbon emissions

» explain why they have this viewpoint

Encourage students to consider:

» the most appropriate form of speech for a meeting of international politicians (for example, they should use formal language and avoid using personal pronouns such as ‘i’ and ‘you’, instead using the name of the country they are representing)

» how they can ensure they are clear and informative

» how they will split the presentation within the group

» Activity 3: The Climate Change CHOGM

you may want to rearrange the furniture to represent a Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) with a space for presentations at the front of the room and the audience facing this area.

More information about CHOGM procedure is below.

» open the meeting in the role of the current Commonwealth Secretary general (you can find who this currently is at the Commonwealth Secretariat website: www.thecommonwealth.org/subhomepage/191183). you could also make a confident student the Commonwealth Secretary general, whose role is to steer the debate and make sure that everyone gets their say.

» welcome the heads of government to the meeting, and explain that it is a very important forum for discussion about the global challenge of climate change.

» Select a student to take the role of technical expert, and present their climate change briefing (now in the correct order!) from their completed Climate Change technical expert Briefing Sheet (6r1).

» next, ask the group representing tuvalu to start with their presentation. their briefing sheet instructs them to end their presentation with a request to the other heads of government that the Commonwealth countries lead the way on reducing climate change. then invite each of the remaining groups to give their presentations in response.

if you have students who are unable to participate directly in the debate, they could be Commonwealth artists, Photographers or Journalists and report back in visual or written forms on what the meeting was like. they could also be trained to give constructive peer feedback in order to help students who are involved in the debate to make their points more effectively.

10-25m

25-50


6r3

6r1

leSSon 6Page 3 oF 4 6

104

» Activity 4 (Plenary): The Role of the Commonwealth in Reducing the Impacts of Climate Change

in your role as Commonwealth Secretary general, thank heads of government for their contributions (or ask the person taking on the role to do so). if any of the students wish to feed back to the group (or present their work as Commonwealth artist, Journalist etc.), they could do so now if there is time.

to finish, close the meeting and ask the group the following questions:

» Do you think the Commonwealth should be leading the way in reducing carbon emissions?

» is it possible for us as Commonwealth heads of government to reach consensus on this issue?

» if so, what would that consensus be? what would it mean in practical terms for different countries?

» how important is it that Commonwealth countries take action to reduce the impacts of climate change?

you could either ask students to write down their answers to these questions, or hold a brief class discussion on their initial ideas for each one.

50-60m



6 leSSon 6Page 4 oF 4

» Notes on CHOGM Procedures:

• traditionally, what differentiates Chogms from other inter-governmental meetings is their friendly, informal character. heads of government (or their appointed representatives – such as Foreign ministers – if heads are not able to attend) spend a day at a ‘retreat’ away from their aides, the media and so on, which is seen as quite a unique opportunity for frank dialogue between leaders.

• Chogms are chaired by the Chairperson-in-office (i.e. the Prime minister of the host country), who passes across to the Secretary-general at various points.

• the host government and the Commonwealth Secretariat play a central role in drawing up the agenda for the Chogm based on key global issues.

• it may be useful to keep the classroom Chogm fairly formal as this may help students get into the role of a Commonwealth head of government. For some examples of some formal rules and procedures you could use if you wish, see model united nations procedural guidelines, of which there are many online (for example, una-uSa’s rules of procedure can be found at: www.unausa.org/munpreparation/rulesofprocedure).

if you have a large group, some students could place the role of civil society representatives (from, for example, women’s unions, charities or faith groups).

at Chogms, the Peoples Forum allows civil society to have their voices heard on important issues like the environment.

Find out more at www.commonwealthfoundation.com/HowwedeliverCommonwealthPeoplesForum

View p28-29CommonGround guide

© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth

…up the planet. Computers have been used to make predictions and, even in the ‘best case’, the average global temperature is likely to rise by 1.8°C to 4°C by the year…

…common. Changes in weather patterns will mean damage to crops, less water and food and more diseases. The poorest countries, which are already struggling with these things, will be the hardest hit.

…2100. The rise in temperature affects wind, cloud and rain patterns as

well as the length of spring, summer, winter and autumn. It also melts the

earth’s ice caps and causes the sea levels to rise, which could mean the

disappearance of some islands and low-lying coastlines. Extreme weather

including floods, cyclones and tornadoes will also become more…

You have been asked to brief the

Commonwealth Heads of Government

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cars), carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere which makes the blanket

of greenhouse gases too thick. Carbon dioxide levels are increasing by over

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1


Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing Sheet » Resource 6r1

» Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing

ReSouRCe 6r1Page 1 oF 1 6r1

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© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth106

Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing Sheet » Resource 6r2

» Climate Change Technical Expert Briefing - ANSWERS

ReSouRCe 6r2Page 1 oF1 6r2

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Climate Change CHALLENGE COUNTRY Briefing Sheet » Resource 6r3


You need to prepare a speech for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, outlining your country’s position on whether Commonwealth countries should lead the way in reducing carbon emissions.

your speech will:

• introduce your country.

• give your perspective on whether Commonwealth countries should lead the way in reducing carbon emissions.

• explain why you have this viewpoint.

Use the statements below to help you write your speech:

• The Kenyan government calls for an increase in international aid in order for developing countries to protect their people against the negative impacts of climate change, particularly natural disasters.

• Kenya currently lacks the resources to combat the effects of climate change.

• After several years of poor rains, Kenya and its neighbours suffered devastating droughts in 2009. Crops suffered and food prices doubled across Kenya. Wild animals such as lions and elephants died in large numbers in national parks, and electricity had to be rationed, affecting petrol and food supplies. Violence increased around the country as people went hungry.

• Climate change is making it more difficult for Kenya to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

• The Kenyan government calls for the lowering of emission rates globally, but believes that this must fall particularly to the more industrialised nations such as the UK. The carbon emissions of richer nations continue to rise and the Kenyan government believes that they should be held accountable for their over-consumption.

Your group represents: Kenya


your speech will:





• The UK government promotes a multi-country process (lots of countries working together) with ambitious climate change targets.

• The European Union (of which the UK is part) has set a target to not allow the global temperature to increase more than 2ºC above pre-industrial levels.

• The European Council (part of the European Union) has called for countries to consider a target of a 15% to 30% reduction in emissions by 2020, relative to the 1990 levels (baselines).

• The UK government has highlighted the importance of working with young people, Members of Parliament and others to make sure people are working together to set and implement government policies related to climate change.

Your group represents: UK

108



© Royal Commonwealth SoCiety | www.theRCS.oRg/youth

you need to prepare a speech for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting, outlining your country’s position on whether Commonwealth countries should lead the way in reducing carbon emissions.

your speech will:





• The Australian government insists that negotiations on climate change issues should include all countries, including major carbon emitters, so as to ensure economic fairness.

• Australia is one of the founding members of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate (along with the United States, China, India, South Korea and Japan), indicating a willingness to join agreements between a range of countries.

• The Australian government believes that while not all countries are equally responsible for the problem of climate change, we do share a common responsibility for the solution.

• Australia has suffered from a range of environmental challenges, including increased drought, and the hole in the ozone layer (which may have been aggravated (made worse) by climate change but is a separate issue)

• The Australian government has committed to reduce emissions to 60 per cent below 2000 levels by 2050.

Your group represents: Australia


your speech will:





• Tuvalu has no industry, burns little petroleum, and creates less carbon pollution than a small town in the USA.

• As part of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), the government of Tuvalu is calling for further action to address climate change. Tuvalu has so far been the most outspoken of the Pacific Island countries, often as a lead voice for AOSIS.

• Tuvalu and other Pacific Island countries are low-lying and are already witnessing significant sea level rise and the impact of increased intensity of tropical weather.

• The islands are not going to disappear immediately - unless a large storm hits at a high tide.

• Tuvalu’s 11,000 people live on nine coral islands totalling 10 square miles. Tuvalu’s highest point is 4.6 metres above sea level but most of the country is no more than a metre above the sea.

• As the sea level rises the islanders will have less land to grow food, and damage to coral reefs will lead to decreasing fish catches. The population will become increasingly reliant on food imports, which are expensive.

• Tuvaluans face the possibility of being among the first climate refugees (although they do not usually use that term).

• As the average sea level rises, several times each year the regular cycle of tides brings the Pacific Ocean sloshing over onto roads and into neighbourhoods. Puddles bubble up that can cover part of the airport on the main island and even flood homes that are not along the coast.

You will speak first at the meeting, and should finish your speech by asking other Commonwealth countries to take the lead globally in reducing carbon emissions.

Your group represents: Tuvalu




your speech will:





• The Indian government has been vocal in stating that countries that are currently industrialising and developing quickly should not have to restrict economic growth by restricting emissions.

• India needs to maintain current rates of economic growth (8%) to support poverty alleviation programmes (programmes helping to reduce poverty), and the government argues that this must come before goals to reduce carbon emissions.

• The Indian government argues that India should be allowed to produce the same quantity of carbon emissions per person as wealthy countries. India’s population is predicted to reach 1.5 billion people by 2050. The carbon emissions per person in most wealthy countries are currently very high. Therefore, to meet the target of keeping global warming within the ‘safe limit’ of two degrees Celsius (set out by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), it is the wealthy countries that should drastically reduce their emissions per person (much more than their current targets), to come into line with the lower carbon emissions per person of developing countries.

Your group represents: India


your speech will:





• The Global Climate Risk Index 2010 placed Bangladesh in top position, suggesting that it was the country most affected by climate change over two decades from 1990 to 2010.

• Bangladesh is in the low-lying Ganges-Brahmaputra river delta, which makes it vulnerable to flooding caused by cyclones and during the monsoons.

• In 2007, Cyclone Sidr brought flooding to Bangladesh which caused between 5 and 10 thousand deaths.

• Storm surges are created by winds and changes in the atmosphere caused by cyclones. In Bangladesh, storm surge heights in excess of 10m are not uncommon.

• Flooding and its consequences are making it more difficult for Bangladesh to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Your group represents: Bangladesh


Lesson 6 Resources 1-3 Blue

Documents

processes of climate

impact of climate change

impacts of climate

commonwealth artists

differentiation activity

groups b activity

royal commonwealth society

peer assessment