Have climate conferences made a positive impact?
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can evaluate whether climate conferences have made a positive impact on the UN’s work on tackling climate change.
Key learning points
- COP meetings allow countries to negotiate climate action and set goals such as global emission reduction targets.
- COP meetings help ensure that all nations have a voice in shaping climate solutions.
- The Kyoto Protocol was the first international treaty to set legally binding emissions targets.
- The Paris Agreement focused on limiting temperature rise and promoted flexible, self-set targets for all nations.
- Active citizenship, through protests and citizen assemblies, helps influence climate action at global conferences.
Keywords
COP - stands for Conference of the Parties, an annual meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Paris Agreement - an international treaty on climate change that came into force in 2016; the treaty addresses climate change mitigation, adaptation and climate finance
Active citizenship - the process of learning how to take part in democracy and use Citizenship knowledge, skills and understanding to work together and try to make a positive difference in the world
Common misconception
Climate conferences are just an opportunity to talk, nothing gets done.
They are a chance to bring together world leaders to agree positive actions and work out problems. COP have secured important international agreements that have really helped to tackle climate change; the Paris Agreement is an example of this.
Teacher tip
Encourage pupils to explore both sides of arguments around climate conferences. Use real-world examples like protests and citizen assemblies to help pupils understand how active citizenship influences climate action.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What international organisation brings together all nations of the world to discuss issues?
Q2.What term do we use for tackling climate change through deliberate acts?
Q3.Match the word to its definition.
actions or goals people plan or are currently working to achieve
the process of developing & expanding industries in a country
basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to
Q4.Which human activity releases the most greenhouse gas emissions?
Q5.Which of the following energy sources would help to tackle climate change?
Q6.How might a person help tackle climate change?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Complete the sentence: COP is an annual meeting of the Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Q2.Which of the following best explains how COP meetings help ensure that all nations have a voice in shaping climate solutions?
Q3.How does active citizenship influence climate action at COP?
Q4.Match the COP to an outcome / action.
Paris Agreement
100,000 people marched through Glasgow
Kyoto Protocol
Q5.What was the primary goal of the Kyoto Protocol?
Q6.Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: Have climate conferences made a positive impact?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 citizenship lesson on: Have climate conferences made a positive impact?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 citizenship lessons from the How effective is the UN and SDGs on promoting sustainability? unit, dive into the full secondary citizenship curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.