Feeling Guilty About Climate Change
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Civics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Hot Mess
What it is
- This video from Hot Mess focuses on how feelings of guilt can influence the way people think about climate change and what they do about it.
- Students will learn that having complicated views on things like fossil fuels, which have made life better while simultaneously hurting the planet, is more beneficial than ignoring reality.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video challenges students to cultivate a nuanced view about their ability (or lack thereof) to personally address climate change and the feelings that go along with it.
- The discussion of the relationship between values and behavior (4:45-5:03) is especially well-illustrated.
Prerequisites
- The video begins with an advertisement.
- Students will need to have a basic understanding of the role that fossil fuel emissions play in creating climate change.
Differentiation & Implementation
- In science or writing classes, students can work in pairs to complete a writing activity to explore the positive and negative effects of fossil fuels on the world. Each student can take one side and then combine their paragraphs and include renewable energy solutions that maintain the benefits without the negatives.
- Ethics, life skills, government, or civics classes can use the video as a tool for discussing climate change or other topics that inspire complicated feelings. Teachers can pose the following questions:
- What makes this topic complicated?
- How do you feel when someone you care about has different feelings on the topic?
- What do you think is the most effective way to share your feelings on the topic?
- Social studies or ethics classes can use the video to talk about why some people are in a position to make "good" choices when it comes to climate action, while others are not.
- Other resources on this topic include this Project Drawdown video on individual and large-scale climate solutions and this EcoAmerica article that offers tips on having effective climate change conversations.
From the scientist review
This resource provides a sober reflection on taking climate action, not just individually but collectively as a whole system. It demonstrates the need to be active and not to feel ashamed about doing what is right for the planet. This is recommended for teaching.
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