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Natural Resources Canada > Earth Sciences Sector > Priorities > Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation > Curriculum Tools
Climate Change in Canada - Curriculum Tools
Grade 5 - Teacher's Resource Weathering the Changes: Climate Change in Ontario
Please note: These exercises are not designed to be filled out nor printed from your Web browser. Please download and print the PDF files located at the bottom of the page.
The Causes of Climate Change
Did You Know?
- How much carbon dioxide is produced by every litre of gasoline used in your car?
2.5 kg
- "Jackrabbit" starts use 50% more of what product than if you accelerate gradually?
Fuel
- What does one third of the carbon dioxide emissions created by human activities come from?
Transportation
The Climate System – A Balancing Act
- Which greenhouse gas is made by landfills and wetlands?
CH4 – ethane
| Connections |
Reflections |
Questions |
| What connections can you make among what you've learned, your lifestyle, your family, school, community, or other regions? |
Reflect on your learning, understandings, and discoveries."Write about one thing you did not know before starting this activity" |
What questions do you still have, or what new questions have been raised? |
The Consequences of Climate Change
Did You Know?
- Why may the cold-water fish species such as lake trout disappear from southern Ontario?
Habitat change
Future Climate
- What is predicted to happen along with climate change warming in Ontario?
Increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events
- By looking at the global map, what regions would you conclude may have the most significant changes?
Poles
Where We Live
- How are storms such as thunderstorms expected to change?
Become more severe
- How would shorter winters affect people?
Lower maintenance and snow removal, shorter winter and longer summer recreation season, more freezing rain affects energy, road and airline safety
- What changes do experts predict with climate change?
Fewer extremely cold days, and more extremely hot days, more severe thunderstorms, more frequent freezing rain events
- How many households in total lost power in the January 1988 ice storm?
~1 million (100 000 in Ontario, 900 000 in Quebec)
Our Health
- What climate factors can affect our health?
Temperature, humidity, pressure
- Compared to today, how many hot days over 35° Celsius may southern Ontario experience by the middle of the next century?
46
- How will warmer daytime temperatures affect smog?
Increase it
- What causes the “urban heat island effect”?
Natural vegetation is replaced by surfaces that absorb heat, it makes cities several degrees warmer than nearby rural areas
Our Water
- What concerns are there when water supplies are warmer?
Water quality – microbes and algal blooms
- How will lower water levels affect shipping?
Increase costs
- How will the Great Lakes be affected by climate change?
Lower water levels (more than 1 metre), smaller and earlier spring run off
Our Farms
- What are the positive and negative consequences of climate warming for farmers in Ontario?
| Positive |
Negative |
-longer growing season
-increased yield of certain crops
-the potential for growing specialty fruits and vegetables |
-more irrigation required
-winter crop damage |
Our Forests
- What may be some of the effects on forests and forestry with the changes in climate?
More forest fire damage, increased drought stresses forest, new pest infestations, reduced soil moisture, lower seedling survival
| Connections |
Reflections |
Questions |
| What connections can you make among what you've learned, your lifestyle, your family, school, community, or other regions? |
Reflect on your learning, understandings, and discoveries."Write about one thing you did not know before starting this activity" |
What questions do you still have, or what new questions have been raised? |
Action on Climate Change
Did You Know?
- How can you change the frequently used regular light bulbs in your home to save 100 kg of CO2 per year?
Use energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs instead
- What should you do with your laundry to save up to 225 kg of CO2 per year?
Use cold water to wash and rinse your clothes
- What are the benefits of no-till farming?
Reduce fuel and labour requirements, soil erosion, increase productivity
Where Do We Go From Here?
- What protocol did 160 nations originally negotiate to reduce global greenhouse gases?
Kyoto Protocol
- What does this protocol do?
Sets targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- What is a "walking school bus"?
A program for parents walking kids to school
- What can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heating and cooling by shading buildings?
Green roof and vertical garden technologies
| What I am already doing... |
What I can begin to do... |
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