Lesson video

Hello, my name is Miss Gilyeat, and I'm going to be your geography teacher for today.

In today's lesson, we are going to be learning about climate change and Russia.

So our lesson outcome for today is that you can describe the impact of climate change on Russia's environment, economy, and population.

We've got three keywords, so the first one is mitigation, which is taking action to reduce the negative effects of something, permafrost is ground that stays frozen for two or more years in a row, and infrastructure is all the basic systems in a country, such as transports and power supply.

We've got three learning cycles.

So first of all, we're gonna look at how fast is Russia warming up, then we're gonna think about how climate change is affecting Russia, and then finally, how Russia is trying to mitigate the impacts of climate change, okay? So let's start off with looking at how fast Russia is warming up.

Now, Russia is warming at more than twice the global average, with temperatures rising by around 0.

47 degrees C per decade since 1976, compared to the global average of about 0.

18 degrees Celsius per decade.

So we can see from the slide here, we've got a world map, which shows how temperatures are changing relative to the global average.

So the colours or the areas that are coloured in the darker reds are heating up faster than the rest of the world, and we can see there that the majority of that is concentrated in the northern hemisphere, okay? Especially near the North Pole, and Russia, as we can see there, has been mostly shaded in a red or even a darker red colour, okay? So it's heating up very fast.

Yeah, so it says here, "In the Russian arctic, warming has been even faster, with some areas experiencing increases of up to 0.

8 degrees Celsius per decade." Now, since the late 19th century, Russia's average annual temperature has increased by approximately 2.

5 degrees C, while the Arctic region has warmed by more than three degrees Celsius in many locations.

This rapid warming is leading to accelerated permafrost thaw, which releases methane and carbon dioxide.

This further accelerates climate change, okay? So as a quick reminder, permafrost is frozen soil, okay? And in permafrost, there are greenhouse gases.

such as methane and carbon dioxide.

But when the permafrost thaws, it can release those into the atmosphere, okay? Now, the thawing permafrost creates a feedback loop that leads to even more warming and permafrost melting, okay? So I'll go through this using a diagram.

So if we have global temperature rise due to high levels of greenhouse gases and enhanced greenhouse gas effect, this is leading to that permafrost thawing, okay? The thawing exposes previous frozen organic matter to decay, and as the organic matter decays, CO2 and methane are released into the atmosphere, which means that you've got more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which creates a positive feedback loop, okay? Right, let's check what we've just learned.

So true or false: Russia is warming at the same rate as the global average rate? That is false, and can you tell me why? Russia is warming at more than twice the global average, with temperatures rising by around 0.

47 degrees C per decade since 1976, compared to the global average of about 0.

18 degrees C per decade.

Okay, so we're onto our first task for this lesson.

What I would like you to do, from using the map that I've got on the slide here, you can have a go at answering these two questions.

So describe which parts of the world are warming faster than the global average, and then I'd like you to name three countries that have regions where temperatures are rising at least one degree C faster than the global average, okay? And you can use an atlas to help you out with that if you'd like.

So let's have a look at some answers then.

So for question one, the Arctic is warming the fastest, about twice as fast as the rest of the planet, and northern parts of North America, Europe, and Asia are also warming quicker than average.

So for question two, three countries that have regions where temperatures are rising at least one degrees faster would be Russia, Canada, and Greenland, okay? So well done if you spotted those.

Okay, so we're moving on to our second learning cycle, which is looking at how is climate change actually affecting Russia? Okay, so first of all, we're gonna think about some of the general effects that we are seeing in Russia.

So there's a large impact on ecosystems. Animals and plants have to adapt or move affecting ecosystems. There are more wildfires, so hotter and drier summers are leading to more forest fires.

Melting permafrost, so the frozen ground in Siberia, is thawing, causing damage to infrastructure, and there's changing weather patterns, so some regions are getting more floods and others are suffering from more droughts.

All of these environmental effects are leading to social and economic effects, so affecting people and the economy.

Now, melting permafrost in Russia is causing serious damage to infrastructure as the ground becomes unstable and sinks, okay? So if we think, if you build on frozen soil, the ground is stable, but as that soil starts to thaw, okay, it becomes wobbly, and it basically means the stuff that is built on top of it is becoming damaged.

So we can see here an example of a railway that has been damaged, but also, roads are being damaged as well, so it's affecting transport systems, and buildings have become unsafe.

So this is an image of a building which almost looks like it's at an angle there, and that is because the the ground underneath was once frozen, but it is now melting.

This is affecting cities and industrial facilities across Siberia and in the Arctic.

Now, Yakutsk, which is located in Eastern Siberia, is one of the coldest cities in the world and is built on permafrost.

As temperatures rise and permafrost thaws, buildings and infrastructure in Yakutsk are becoming unstable.

Cracks are appearing in roads and foundations of houses are sinking or tilting, forcing expensive repairs and the relocation of residents in some areas.

Now, in parts of Siberia, the thawing permafrost is damaging homes and infrastructure so severely it is forcing people to move to more stable areas.

Now, in Cherskiy, which is a small settlement in northeastern Siberia, thawing permafrost has caused buildings and roads to crack and tilt, cutting off supplies, such as food and fuel and emergency services.

Now, many families are leaving Cherskiy and similar settlements for larger cities like Yakutsk, or even moving further south.

Extreme weather, increased wildfires, and droughts are making rural areas harder to live in, leading to migration towards cities with better services and jobs.

So we can see here, there's a line graph, which shows the percentage of people in Russia living in rural and urban areas.

So we can see that there's been quite a decline in people living in rural areas, with it less than 30% now.

Okay, so looking at that, what is happening to Russia's rural and urban population? The percentage of population living in rural Russia is decreasing, whereas the urban population was increasing, but it is now relatively stable.

Okay, so let's check what we've just learned.

Why is this house unstable and what is this causing some people to do? Now, melting permafrost in Russia is causing damage to houses as the ground becomes unstable.

In parts of Siberia, the thawing permafrost is damaging homes so severely it's forcing people to leave their homes and move to more stable areas.

Well done if you got that correct.

So climate change is affecting agriculture in Russia, as changing rainfall patterns lead to more frequent droughts in some regions and flooding in others.

So some of the general effects of climate change include water shortages, heat waves, unpredictable rainfall, and flooding, and how this challenges for agriculture, you're seeing damage to crops and reduced crop yields and delays in planting and harvesting.

These challenges make it harder for farmers to plan, increasing the risk to food production, food security, and rural livelihoods across Russia.

Now, in the Volgograd region of southern Russia, climate change has led to more frequent droughts and heat waves, reducing soil moisture and water availability for crops, like wheat and sunflowers, okay? So we've got a statement here from a farmer.

So he said, "In 2010 and 2020, the drought was really bad.

Our grain crops didn't grow well, and many farmers lost a lot of money.

It was tough because not only did we suffer, but food prices went up for everyone.

It made life harder for us all." So it doesn't just affect the farmers, but it affects everybody.

Okay, let's check what we've just learned.

How are these effects of climate change affecting agriculture in Russia? So they are damaging crops and reducing crop yields crop.

These challenges make it harder for farmers to plan, increasing the risk of food production, food security, and rural livelihoods across Russia.

Okay, we're on to task B for this lesson.

First of all, what I'd like you to do is explain why the train track is damaged and what effects this may have.

Okay, then you're going to organise these effects of climate change in Russia into social, environmental, and economics.

So you could colour code these.

If you've not got a pink, green and blue, just use whatever colours you have available.

Okay, we've got an answer here for question one.

The train track is damaged because the permafrost underneath is melting as temperatures rise.

When the permafrost thaws, the ground becomes soft and unstable, causing the tracks to bend or crack.

This can lead to train delays and expensive repairs.

It also affects people and businesses that depend on the railway for transport.

Well done if you've got something similar to that.

Okay, so here's the answers for the table exercise.

It might be worth just pausing the video and double check you got the correct ones.

Okay, so onto our final learning cycle for this lesson, which is looking at how Russia is mitigating the impacts of climate change.

Now, the Russian government now accepts that climate change is real.

However, it has done little to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and plans to mitigate climate impacts are often slow or not enough.

Russia depends on selling oil and gas, making it hard to take strong climate action.

There is a conflict between protecting the environment and making money.

So Russia's oil and gas revenues reached about 11.

13 trillion rubles, which is the equivalent of 116 billion US dollars, for 2024, okay? So that makes it hard for Russia to stop selling and using that.

Now, Russia joined the Paris Agreement in 2019, committing to reduce emissions by 25 to 30% below 1990 levels by 2030.

The net zero target involved the government aims for net zero emissions by 2060, aligning with China's timeline, but later than the 2050 goal many scientists recommend.

Russia's climate policy, however, are rated as critically unsufficient, meaning that they are unlikely to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

Okay, true or false: Russia is on target to meet its net zero goal by 2060? That's false.

And can you tell me why? Russia's climate policies are rated as critically insufficient, meaning they are unlikely to meet the Paris Agreement goals.

Okay, so our final task for this lesson, we've got a bit of a paragraph here, so I'll read this to you.

"Russia joined the Paris agreement and says it will reach net zero by 2060.

However, it still relies heavily on fossil fuels, and its actions to reduce emissions are slow and limited.

Many climate policies are only plans or small projects, and Russia continues to expand oil, gas, and coal." So what I'd like you to do is write a short paragraph explaining, first, why Russia says it is hard to reduce its emissions quickly, second, how Russia's economy depends on fossil fuels, and then, why this might be a problem for the environment and people in Russia.

So pause the video and have a go at this final task.

Okay, so I've got a model answer, so that yours hopefully should be similar to this.

"Russia is not taking strong action on climate change because it earns a lot of money from selling oil and gas, which makes it hard to stop using fossil fuels quickly.

The government has promised to cut emissions by 2060, but its actions so far are slow and limited.

This is a problem because climate change is already melting permafrost, causing wildfires and making droughts worse in Russia.

If Russia does not act faster, these problems could damage homes, roads, and farmland, and make life harder for people living there.

It will also affect the environment in other countries." Okay, so it might be worth just pausing the video and seeing if you can add any extra detail to your answer.

Okay, so here we've got a summary for today's lesson.

Now, Russia is warming at more than twice the global average, especially in the Arctic.

The melting permafrost is causing infrastructure damage and releasing greenhouse gases.

Agriculture in Russia is impacted by changing rainfall patterns, affecting crop yields, and climate change is also influencing migration patterns, with some regions becoming less habitable.

The Russian government has started to acknowledge climate change, but actions to mitigate it have been limited.

Right, that's it for me, and I'll see you next time.

Bye.