Average global temperatures are rising as a result of anthropogenic climate change, but the effects of this can look more like “global weirding” than global warming: for example, abrupt swings between extreme cold and extreme heat events, or between drought and extreme rainfall. So, how is the Earth getting “weird”? And how do climate impacts vary depending on context?
This month, over 75 high school students attended the Columbia Climate School in the Green Mountains Pre-College Program to answer these and other questions related to climate change and its effects. They also learned how climate change affects everyone differently depending on where (and how) they live. In a lesson called “Climate Impacts: Climate Change in Your Community,” led by Columbia Climate School lecturer Hope Sutherland, students used a place-based model of climate change to consider how shifting climatological processes at the global level might lead to local impacts within their own communities.
In the lesson, students discussed how climate change might be “weirding” (changing or super-charging) existing local hazards, such as floods, wildfires and severe weather. They also discussed the ways in which climate impacts can vary significantly depending on factors such as where you live, the resources available to your community and the level of preparedness your community has against natural disasters.
At the end of the lesson, students were asked to summarize how concepts like hazard, risk and vulnerability link to their communities and contexts. They then created story maps to visualize these responses.
Story map: Where do you live?
Story map: Which hazard are you most concerned about?
Students were asked to identify the hazards they were most concerned about in their communities. Their responses are summarized in the graphic above. Of the hazards noted, heat waves were the most common concern at 26.4%, and floods were the second most common at 18.4%. Drought was the third most common at 10.4%.
Is your community resilient to these impacts?
Students engaged in discussions about how their community is already resilient—or vulnerable—to the impacts of disasters. Below is a sampling of student responses:
- “In my community, specific places for people to go during severe weather have been constructed with the strongest materials.”
- “My community shares information about the impact of floods and what to do in the event of one.”
- “Prescribed burning is used to prevent fires during the dry season.”
- “There is access to clean public pools during heat waves.”
- “Newer homes and businesses are built to resist earthquake damage.”
- “We participate in many earthquake drills at school.”
How can your community become more resilient?
In the second half of the lesson, students discussed the concept of resilience, considering whether resilience is better understood as a process rather than an outcome, and as adaptability rather than stability. Finally, students were asked to imagine what a more resilient version of their community would look like. Below are some student responses.
To create a more resilient future, communities should:
- “Develop more engineered drainage systems that divert water away from populated areas.”
- “Plant more trees and urban gardens where groups can maintain and care for green spaces.”
- “Create additional energy centers to support and adapt when energy sources are unavailable.”
- “Build with more fireproof infrastructure.”
- “Develop, practice and communicate their plans for disasters.”
- “Create and maintain community ties so that everyone can support each other in times of need.”
This lesson aimed to equip students with a high-level understanding of the scientific and social factors behind climate impacts, giving each student tools to understand how climate change might affect their own communities. It also aimed to give students an understanding of the actions their community can take to build future resilience.
The Columbia Climate School offers pre-college programs throughout the year. These programs help empower high school students to become future climate leaders, combining expert-driven learning with real-world action to shape solutions for a sustainable future. Click to learn more about future programs.