Let's create continuous conversations about climate change education: Spreading the Sediment of Science!

Climate Policy: Opportunities and Obstacles

Provided by: Council on Foreign Relations

Articles/Websites Grades 9-12, ap-college

Synopsis

In this collection of articles, students will read about the economic and environmental implications of government policies to mitigate climate change.
Students will learn about examples of international policy collaborations, different options for climate policy, and the considerations for equity and fairness in public policies.
Students will learn about the Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, and Paris Agreement and market-based strategies such as subsidies, carbon tax, and cap-and-trade systems.

Related Teaching Resources

Subjects: Economics, Civics, History

Authors: CFR Education

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This resource addresses the importance of equity and fairness, which is important for students to consider.
The resource does a great job of explaining the different policies and the implications for each of them.

Prerequisites

Students should understand the causes and impacts of climate change.
It may benefit students to have some economic and policy terms defined, such as subsidy, loan, grant, and others.

Differentiation & Implementation

After reading the articles, students can create a timeline of worldwide collaboration events and environmental policies, adding future dates with climate policies they hope for.
To demonstrate their understanding of mitigation policies, students can write about the positives and negatives of carbon tax, subsidies, cap-and-trade systems, and carbon border adjustment mechanisms for reducing emissions.
These articles primarily covered mitigation costs and policies. After reading the articles, students can research adaptation costs and implementations. The resource CFR Education: Climate Change Adaptations can help students explore some examples of adaptations.

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About the Partner Provider

CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations

CFR Education provides accurate, accessible, authoritative resources that build the knowledge, skills, and perspective high school and higher education students need to understand and engage with today’s most pressing global issues.