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The Key to Fighting Climate Change: Talk About It

Provided by: TED |Published on: April 27, 2021

Videos Grades 9-12, ap-college

Synopsis

In this TED talk, Katharine Hayhoe discusses that talking about climate change is the most powerful thing any individual can do to address climate change.
She discusses how leading with the heart ("What do you love most on Earth?") is far more powerful than leading with science or statistics.

Subjects: Social Studies

Authors: Katharine Hayhoe

Region: Global

Languages: English

Positives

This gives students of all ages a concrete plan of action: talk about the climate crisis.
Katherine Hayhoe is an excellent public speaker and will inspire students.

Prerequisites

Katharine Hayhoe's references to data from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication are now obsolete. (She delivered this talk in November 2018.) For the most up-to-date information on public opinion of climate change in the United States, check out our resources from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Katharine Hayhoe is the most followed climate scientist on Twitter.

Differentiation & Implementation

This video might work best at the end of a unit on climate change. Students may feel scared, worried, sad, or angry after learning about the catastrophic and irreversible effects of climate change. Empowering them to talk about the climate crisis with their friends and family is a great way to help them channel these feelings into action.
Teachers can have English students study Katharine Hayhoe's delivery. Then, as an assignment, students could be tasked with talking about the climate crisis with one person. Students can pair up with other students to practice these climate chats. A really easy way to start these conversations is, "I'm really worried about climate change, and I want to talk about it."
This other resource about how to have a climate conversation may be useful, and this resource about enacting the solutions to climate change can provide hope and additional information.

Scientist Notes

Teaching Tips

Standards

Resource Type and Format