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Climate change is a change in the “average weather” that a region experiences, things like temperature, wind patterns and precipitation. People often confuse climate and weather. The difference is that weather refers to hourly or daily conditions, while climate refers to comparisons of atmospheric phenomena like temperature, precipitation and wind, for a given area over several years using terms like averages and extremes.
A natural system known as the “greenhouse effect” regulates the temperature on earth. This natural balance of complex gases surrounding our planet helps to keep the temperature in a range that supports life on earth. There are small quantities of a few gases in the atmosphere, known as greenhouse gases, that trap the sun’s heat and warm the earth as well as the lowest layers of the atmosphere. Without these gases, the sun’s warmth would escape into space and earth would be too cold to support life.
Three greenhouse gases are of particular importance because they are closely associated with human activities: carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The problem today is that people are producing more and more of these gases and this is causing more and more heat to be trapped close to the planet. Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, that produce these heat-trapping greenhouse gases have the potential to upset the natural balance of the atmosphere’s greenhouse gases.
Today, the earth is getting warmer and even small temperature changes can set in motion other changes in different aspects of our weather; what we call climate change. Some examples are changes in wind patterns; changes in the amount and type of precipitation; and differences in the types and frequency of severe weather events such as ice storms, floods and droughts.
People in Canada produce an average of over 5 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. So if we’re part of the problem, we can be part of the solution and what better place to start than at school, learning to be conscious of how the little things we do every day affect the whole. Students can discover some of the ways that personal energy consumption translates into greenhouse gas emissions and find ways for them to take action on climate change at school and at home. Even small actions like recycling paper and not idling cars in the parking lot can add up to a big difference!
 | Where is climate change affected at school? |
Art Classroom: paper supplies
Science Classroom: paper, waste from experiments
Cafeteria: food waste, vending machine lighting, paper products, beverage containers (cans, bottles, drink boxes), hot water, dishwasher, stove/oven, refrigerator, heat lamps
Washrooms: paper towels, water use
Storage Areas: lighting
Parking Lot: idling of cars and buses, snow removal
School Grounds: litter, watering plants and grass, lawn mowing, snow removal
Office Area: paper, lighting, computers and printers, printer cartridges, packaging
Gymnasium: lighting
Taking Action at School |  |
We can take action on climate change by being aware of the things that we do that use energy from fossil fuels and making the effort to use that energy efficiently and make wise choices as consumers.
Some ideas for taking action on climate change:
- Reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills by using recycled paper, using both sides and recycling all paper products.
- Establish a recycling program at the school to reduce the amount of garbage sent to the landfill.
- Introduce composting for vegetable matter to help reduce the enormous amounts of methane gas that are produced in landfills as organic material decomposes.
- Turn off lights and machines during non-use hours and take advantage of natural light (daylight) wherever possible.
- Establish a Walking school bus at school. Walking school buses are supervised walks to school to eliminate driving and traffic volume in school zones.
- Establish a “no idling” program to explain the benefits of not idling cars and encourage motorists to turn off their engines in the school parking lot.
Helpful Climate Change Web Sites:
The following web sites have valuable climate change information, resources and activities geared to educators and students:
The Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development provides high quality education resources for use in Canadian schools. Greenlearning.ca is one innovative project developed to bring accurate and engaging educational materials to students, teachers and parents. Try the One Less Tonne Challenge to find out about simple actions that can help to save the planet and reduce energy costs in the bargain. Click on to environmental education.
re-energy.ca
Check this Web site out for comprehensive, easy-to-understand information about renewable energy and sustainable transportation.
The World Wildlife Fund’s action-oriented Web site focuses on causes, impacts and solutions for climate change.
www.exploratorium.edu/climate/
Find out how human activity affects the earth’s climate. Explore scientific data relating to the atmosphere, the oceans, the areas covered by ice and snow and the living organisms in all these domains. Get a sense of how scientists study natural phenomena; how researchers gather evidence, test theories, and come to conclusions.
 | Ideas for Great Acts |
Check out these ideas for Great Acts to promote action on climate change at school:
School Compost Project: visit the Composting Council of Canada’s Web site at www.compost.org to find out more about reducing organic waste such as fruits, vegetables, tea bags, coffee grounds, as well as leaf and yard waste and producing excellent soil for gardens.
Join Nature Watch’s Dandelion Watch: Trends in the spring blooming of dandelions provide excellent indicators of climate change. Looking at the same plant or patch of dandelions every year, then recording the date they flower will help scientists measure how the climate is changing. www.naturewatch.ca/english/plantwatch/dandelion
 | Students Leading the Way– Tell us what you’re doing to take action on Climate Change! |  |
