Climate Change: Activism and Policy

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Climate Change: Activism and Policy

Learn how activists and politicians have reacted to climate change in this video from the American Masters film, A Fierce Green Fire. Given how complex of a problem it is, climate change was, and still is, a difficult topic to address. And unlike other environmental issues, groups have mobilized to refute claims that climate change is actually a problem. This video explores some of the difficulties that have been encountered in reaching agreements on climate change, like the Kyoto Protocol international treaty which was rejected by the United States.

For additional resources and to purchase the film, visit the film's official web site.

Support Materials

Discussion Questions

According to the video, why is climate change such a difficult problem to solve?
How did The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed in 1992, propose to solve climate change?
Which organizations opposed climate change legislation? Why?
Explain the positions different countries (or groups of countries) took during the negotiations for the Kyoto Treaty in 1997.
Explain what happened to the Kyoto Treaty after it was signed by many nations, including the United States.

Teaching Tips

1. Watch the section of the video showing the map of Earth in different colors. Ask Students: What is being shown? How do you know?

Have students take a closer look at climate change data: http://climate.nasa.gov/interactives/climate_time_machine (Search “NASA” and “climate change data”)

Questions to consider:

What information is being presented? How can you tell?
Where did the data come from? Is it reliable?
What trends do you observe?

More information about the color-coded map of Earth’s surface temperature can be found at the following address: http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/28/

2. Have your students take a close look at the two segments from groups opposed to climate change legislation.

Oil Industry Funded TV Commercial

Explain the slogan: “Carbon Dioxide: They call it pollution, we call it life.”
Explain the significance of the image that accompanies the slogan (a girl in pigtails blowing a dandelion).
What is the overall message that is being conveyed?

Western Fuels Association video

Explain the statement “A doubling of the CO2 content of the atmosphere will produce a tremendous greening of planet Earth.”
What is the overall message that is being conveyed?