What if oil was discovered in Antarctica?

This term we are learning how people’s management of oil in Antarctica might

impact on environmental and social sustainability.

• This week we are learning how the concepts of climate change, peak oil and Antarctica are all connected

• Our goal is to explain our understanding of these connections with one of– Toondoon (http://www.toondoo.com/)– A popplet (popplet.com/)– Spiceynode (http://www.spicynodes.org/)

How are climate change, peak oil and Antarctica all connected?

• Task 1: Treasure hunt warm up (slide 4)• Task 2: On a google map (or a blank map of the

world if you don’t have a netbook), use the PowerPoint on slide 5 to:– Mark the place that will be affected by global warming

(climate change) – Briefly write how each place will be affected.

• Task 3: Watch the first 35 minutes of “An Inconvenient Truth” and complete the causes and consequences chart from slide 6 in your books.

A long term consequence of climate change

Climate change Environmental sustainability Environmental exploitation

Carbon A consequence of fuel becoming scarce Social sustainability A solution to peak oil

Peak oil A solution to climate change Green house gases A cause of climate change

Climate A medium term consequence of climate change

Non-renewable resources The difference between weather and climate

Find someone who can explain what these are:

The MaldivesThese islands only lie barely two metres above sea level. Life for over 300,000 people is threatened even with a small rise in sea level.

EgyptIf sea levels rose by a metre, 15% of Egypt’s farmland would disappear.

LondonThe Thames Flood Barrier protects London from floods. But sea level rises could push more water up the river Thames, putting landmarks like Tower Bridge or the Houses of Parliament at risk.

SenegalDakar, the capital city of Senegal, lies on the coast. Today, 2 million people live here, and most of Senegal’s factories are based here too. Rising sea levels could eat away the land, threatening life in the city.

BangladeshBangladesh’s coast is very low-lying. Even a small rise in sea level could be disastrous for Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries in the world. A metre rise in sea level would destroy half the country’s rice fields, and force millions of people to move elsewhere.

ChinaIn the world’s most populated country, a rise in sea levels of one metre could ruin the lives of 70 million people, and put a third of the city, Shanghai underwater.

New YorkNew York City is home to nearly 20 million people and a large amount of global business takes place here. But the city’s shoreline will change if sea levels rise.

TuvaluThis tiny country in the South Pacific may be the first to go under if sea levels rise. Already, the 11,000 people that live there are hoping to evacuate to New Zealand.

Global warming refers to a slight but noticeable increase in temperature at

the planetary scale.

Causes of climate change and global warming

Long term consequences

Short term consequences