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Living things have basic needs, including air. Air is vital for life and is made up of gases. Natural atmospheric cycles like the carbon and oxygen cycles have shown changes in recent decades as the quantity of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere has increased. When human activities cause too many greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere natural cycles are disrupted and cause climate instability, climate change and global warming. Most greenhouse gases come from human activities that burn fossil fuels. In primary school, students need to have an understanding about the fundamentals of air and its importance to all living things. They can also be taught about the atmosphere more generally, about natural cycles such as the carbon-oxygen cycles and about what greenhouse gases are and where they come from. These understandings can lead to activities that focus on why people need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and how we can all make the AIR necessary changes. This is especially in view that by 2020 these CARBON – OXYGEN CYCLE children will be the young teenagers/adults facing the consequences of GREENHOUSE GASES: e.g. our current decisions – including our decision to reduce Canberra’s carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 60%. CLIMATE AND WEATHER: weather refers to short term temperature, wind and rainfall changes, while climate refers to the weather patterns in a place over the long term. CLIMATE CHANGE, GLOBAL WARMING 1. Living things are connected. For example, humans breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide which in turn is used by plants and algae to produce more oxygen (carbon-oxygen cycle). 2. Humans have found and used coal, gas and oil which are formed from plants that have decayed beneath layers of rock over millions of years. These are called fossil fuels. When they are burnt in power stations or burnt for fuel for vehicles, fossil fuels emit a FOSSIL FUELS: buried, decayed large amount of carbon dioxide – a greenhouse gas. The plants which have turned into greenhouse gases emitted through human activities have increased coal, gas or oil. the earth’s natural warming process – the greenhouse effect. RENEWABLE ENERGY: solar, 3. Human activities are therefore causing an increase in carbon wind, hydro-electric power. dioxide and other greenhouse gases to be emitted into the You could find out about atmosphere which causes global warming, climate changes and geothermal energy too. climate instability. Note that there is a difference between the term weather (generally short term) and the term climate (> 30years). 2 1. How long can we live without air? What is the Earth’s air made up of and what happens when we breathe? Air is the name given to the part of the atmosphere used by animals and plants (e.g. for breathing and photosynthesis). We can live for only a few minutes without air. Air contains roughly (by volume) 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide and small amounts of other gases. It also contains water vapour. Humans, like all other animals, depend on breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide. Air can be felt but not seen. Some science experiments that can help demonstrate this could include: Visualising the effects of air by observing the wind and/or blowing air from our lungs into a paper bag Change is constant, yet There are also some great diagrams/models available of the Earth and its atmosphere to help visualise the concept and show the various compositions of air : often we fight it. How can we view the challenge of climate change and changes science is telling http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle 2. What is the atmosphere? What is the carbon-oxygen cycle? How does the interaction of animals and plants support life? What are greenhouse gases? Why do they matter? The atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding planet Earth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle A basic summary of the carbon-oxygen cycle: humans and other animals breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide which in turn is used by plants and algae to produce more oxygen: us we must make, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle as an opportunity Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. For more information: rather than a www.science.org.au/nova/016/016key.htm catastrophe? The natural greenhouse effect ‘Without the greenhouse effect we would be living in a very chilly place – the world's average temperature would be -19°C, instead of the 14°C we are used to. So what is the greenhouse effect and how does it make Earth around 33°C warmer? The natural greenhouse effect is a phenomenon created by the heat energy radiated by the 3 sun and greenhouse gases normally present in the atmosphere. In simple terms, sunlight passes through the atmosphere, warming the 1. How long can we live without Earth. In turn, the Earth radiates this energy back towards space. As air? Why do astronauts need it passes through the atmosphere, greenhouse gases absorb part of suits, helmets and air tanks? the energy, while the remainder escapes into space. This means that some of the sun's energy becomes trapped – thus making the lower 2. What is in the air we breathe? part of the atmosphere, and Earth, warmer.’ (source: www.science.org.au/nova/016/016key.htm) 3. What do you know about fossil fuels? Showing diagrams of the Earth’s atmosphere to help visualise the concept http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle Exploring the oxygen-carbon cycles through use of a candle in a jar (tell children to only do this experiment with an adult). Here you can light a candle and carefully place a jar over it. This can be repeated with children timing how quickly the oxygen is used and how quickly the candle goes out. o Fire needs oxygen to keep going, so do humans and most other living things! Displaying diagrams of plants taking in CO 2 and giving off “O” (oxygen), with people and other animals taking in oxygen and breathing out CO2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cycle Displaying diagrams that show the importance of greenhouse gases and what they do: the blanket effect / the greenhouse effect 3. How is the atmosphere getting out of balance now? What sort of human activities combined with a sudden increase in the human population cause unnatural increases in greenhouse gases? Too many greenhouse gases – too many blankets! The natural greenhouse effect acts like a blanket for Earth. An analogy for the increase in greenhouse gases in our atmosphere (a consequence of human activity) is therefore too many blankets! This increase in greenhouse gases and the subsequent warming effect are causing the climate to change and become unstable, resulting in, for example, more severe floods, droughts and storms. www.csiro.au/science/Changing-Climate.html www.science.org.au/reports/climatechange2010.pdf 4 You could discuss with your class the difference between weather 1. Create diagrams showing the carbon-oxygen cycle beside the greenhouse gas effect showing how there are too many and climate; what climate change means; how scientists have found the evidence for these changes; some of the effects of climate change; and why scientists are urging people and governments to make changes. greenhouse gases About 200 years ago there was an Industrial Revolution (see 2. Create a poster showing how description below) where people found they could make things by hot it can get inside a car in using machines which burnt fossil fuels. For example, people burnt summer along with a view of coal to make steam to drive turbines which make electricity. planet Earth getting too hot Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases. We now rely on from too many greenhouse electricity for many of our activities. gases Why not get students to create a list of what activities/appliances in 3. Show how electricity is made in their home use electricity and try to identify where this electricity various ways: from burning comes from (e.g. fossil fuels or renewable energy sources such as coal, from hydro power, wind the sun or wind). www.actewagl.com.au/education/Energy turbines and by solar panels You can also demonstrate how electricity is made through simple 4. Make a working model of a car with solar panels or a house using solar panels to light globes in the house experiments. Try: www.lessonplanet.com/search?keywords=electricity+experiments& media=worksheets 4. What are fossil fuels? What good changes have they made? What are the problems now? What is renewable energy? 5. On a map of your school’s suburb, show how many houses have solar hot water and how many have solar panels for electricity Fossil fuels are fuels formed by plants which have been buried and have decayed. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years and sometimes exceeds 650 million years (Wikipedia). Fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) can be burned to produce energy. This process releases greenhouse gases. Fossil fuels are not renewable as they are not naturally replenished within human timeframes. ‘Prior to the latter half of the 18th century, windmills and watermills provided the energy needed for industry such as milling flour, sawing wood or pumping water, and burning wood or peat provided domestic heat. The wide scale use of fossil fuels, coal at first and petroleum later, to fire steam engines enabled the Industrial Revolution. At the same time, gas lights using natural gas or coal gas were coming into wide use. The invention of the internal combustion engine and its use in automobiles and trucks greatly 5 increased the demand for gasoline and diesel oil, both made from fossil fuels. Other forms of transportation, railways and aircraft, Students have an understanding about the importance of air, the atmosphere and greenhouse gases. Students have more of an understanding about how also required fossil fuels. The other major use for fossil fuels is in generating electricity and as feedstock for the petrochemical industry. Tar, a leftover of petroleum extraction, is used in construction of roads.’ (Wikipedia) Australia has lots of black and brown coal that it uses to make electricity. human activities are causing an www.actewagl.com.au/Education/energy/NonRenewableEnergy/Co increase in greenhouse gases to al/HowCoalIsUsed.aspx be emitted into the atmosphere, www.australiancoal.com.au/coal-and-its-uses_coal-uses- and that this effects global overview_electricity-generation.aspx warming, climate changes and climate instability. Students have an understanding about how humans have found and used fossil fuels. They understand that when fossil fuels are burnt, they emit carbon Renewable energy comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished). Renewable energy can also be used for electricity generation and this process does not release greenhouse gases. See the 2020 Vision energy story module for further information and classroom activities. dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Children can research how fossil fuels form and when they started to be used by humans. Students understand the basic concept of renewable energy sources. Students explore positive and As above, students could also create a list of what activities/ appliances in their home use electricity and try to identify where this electricity comes from (e.g. fossil fuels or renewable energy sources). realistic ways to act for an A Useful Resource: The Book ‘Our place in nature – past, present environmentally sustainable and future’ by Stephen Boyden – future. http://www.natsoc.org.au/html/publications/our_place.htm and www.biosensitivefutures.org 6