Abstract
In this chapter we introduce our module Regulating Carbon Emissions to Mitigate Climate Change, in which students learn about the geoscientific analysis that has produced our understanding of the grand challenge of global climate change and then explore how that scientific analysis informs economic analysis and political decision-making in the United States. The module includes 4+ weeks of activity-based instruction within seven units that may be implemented in part or in whole. As with all InTeGrate-developed materials, this curriculum was piloted at three separate institutions and underwent revision both before and after the pilot. Highlights of the module are summarized and include a mix of pedagogical techniques including a climate-economics modeling, a role-playing game, and a unique format of summative writing assignment. Student attitudinal data was encouraging: almost all of the students surveyed stated that they became more engaged and aware of environmental issues after instruction.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Budescu DV, Broomell S, Por HH (2009) Improving communication of uncertainty in the reports of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Psychol Sci 20(3):299–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02284.x
Collins L, Nerlich B (2015) How certain is ‘certain’? Exploring how the English-language media reported the use of calibrated language in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report. Public Underst Sci 25(6):656–673
Corrigan JR (2011) The pollution game: a classroom game demonstrating the relative effectiveness of emissions taxes and tradable permits. J Econ Educ 42(1):70–78
Federal Register (2015) U.S. Government Printing Office. 80(205): 64661–65120, RIN 2060–AR33
Hotinski R (2018) Carbon mitigation initiative: stabilization wedges activity, http://cmi.princeton.edu/wedges/. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
IPCC (2013) Climate change 2013: the physical science basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. In: Stocker TF, Qin D, Plattner GK, Tignor M, Allen SK, Boschung J, Nauels A, Xia Y, Bex V, Midgley PM (eds). Cambridge University Press, 1535 pp
Iverson ER, Steer D, Gilbert LA, Kastens KA, O’Connell K, Manduca CA (this volume) Measuring literacy, attitudes, and capacities to solve societal problems. In: Gosselin DC, Egger AE, Taber JJ (eds) Interdisciplinary teaching about earth and the environment for a sustainable future, AESS interdisciplinary environmental studies and sciences series. Springer, Cham
Kolodner J (2004) Facilitating the learning of design practices: lessons learned from an inquiry into science education. J Ind Teach Educ 39(3):1–31
Lyman F (1987) Think-pair-share: an expanding teaching technique. MAA-CIE Cooper News 1:1–2
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency (2007) 549 U.S. 497, https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/549/497/. Accessed 13 Aug 2018.
Moore FC, Baldos U, Hertel T, Diaz D (2017) New science of climate change impacts on agriculture implies higher social cost of carbon. Nat Commun 8(1):1607
Moyer EJ, Woolley MD, Matteson NJ, Glotter MJ, Weisbach DA (2014) Climate impacts on economic growth as drivers of uncertainty in the social cost of carbon. J Leg Stud 43(2):401–425
National Climate Assessment (2014) U.S. Global change research program. 1800 G Street, NW, Suite 9100, Washington, DC. 20006 USA
Penny SM, Smyth R, Sethi G, Leibensperger E, Gervich C, Batur P (2016) Multidisciplinary and topical in the science classroom: regulating carbon emissions to mitigate climate change. Poster presented at the American Geophysical Union annual meeting, San Francisco, 12–16 December 2016
Professional Learning Board (2018) How can SWOT analysis be used in the classroom? https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/how-can-swot-analysis-be-used-in-the-classroom/. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
Senn GJ, McMurtrie DH, Coleman BK (2013) RAFTing with raptors: connecting science, English language arts, and the common core state standards. Middle Sch J 44(3):52–55
Smyth R, Penny S, Gervich C, Sethi G, Leibensperger E, Batur P (2017) Regulating emissions to mitigate climate change. InTeGrate Course Module. https://serc.carleton.edu/dev/integrate/teaching_materials/carbon_emissions/index.html. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
Steer D, Iverson ER, Egger AE, Kastens KA, Manduca CA, McConnell D (this volume) InTeGrate materials development: a framework and process for developing curricular materials that address grand challenges facing society. In: Gosselin DC, Egger AE, Taber JJ (eds) Interdisciplinary teaching about Earth and the environment for a sustainable future, AESS interdisciplinary environmental studies and sciences series. Springer, Cham
Stern N (2008) The economics of climate change. Am Econ Rev 98(2):1–37
Trump D (2017) Statement by President Trump on the Paris Climate Accord. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-trump-paris-climate-accord/. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
United States Environmental Protection Agency (2017) Final report on review of agency actions that potentially burden the safe, efficient development of domestic energy resources under executive order 13783. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-10/documents/eo-13783-final-report-10-25-2017.pdf. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
webDICE (2010) The webDICE model, http://webdice.rdcep.org. Accessed 5 Jan 2018
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for all of the help and support we received from the InTeGrate team throughout the process of developing these materials. In addition to facilitating the development of the module, the InTeGrate process taught us about research-based teaching strategies that have improved our own teaching. We are especially thankful for John Taber’s support as our editorial lead. In addition, Monica Bruckner’s technical support was invaluable. We are also indebted to Stuart Birnbaum and Aida Awad for their post-pilot review of our materials, two anonymous reviewers for their pre-pilot review, and two anonymous reviewers for their review of this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Penny, S.M., Smyth, R., Sethi, G., Leibensperger, E., Gervich, C., Batur, P. (2019). Interdisciplinary and Topical in the Science Classroom: Regulating Carbon Emissions to Mitigate Climate Change. In: Gosselin, D., Egger, A., Taber, J. (eds) Interdisciplinary Teaching About Earth and the Environment for a Sustainable Future. AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03273-9_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03273-9_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-03272-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-03273-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)