New
New
Year 11

What is the role of the UN in climate action and sustainability?

I can explain how the UN is working to end the climate crisis.

New
New
Year 11

What is the role of the UN in climate action and sustainability?

I can explain how the UN is working to end the climate crisis.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Climate change poses serious challenges to humanity, including health issues, people displacement and resource scarcity.
  2. The UN uses both hard and soft power to drive global change, despite facing political and practical challenges.
  3. The SDGs are 17 global goals set by the UN to promote sustainable development and reduce inequality by 2030.
  4. The UN’s work on the SDGs and peacekeeping shows its long-term influence, though action can be slow and complex.

Keywords

  • Climate action - efforts taken to combat climate change and its impacts

  • United Nations (UN) - an international organisation comprising of most countries in the world which aims to promote peace, security and international cooperation

  • Sustainable Development Goals - the UN’s ‘global goals’ to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity

Common misconception

Climate change is a slow moving threat with limited impact on humanity so far.

Climate change is costing countries billions of dollars a year. There is already a cost to human life due to extreme weather events. Equally, governments are facing huge challenges to become more resillient to climate change.


To help you plan your year 11 citizenship lesson on: What is the role of the UN in climate action and sustainability?, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Encourage pupils to explore global and local perspectives on climate change. Use real-world examples, like rising sea levels or extreme weather, to show its impact. Highlight how low income countries are often most affected despite contributing least.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following actions is an example of acting sustainably?
burning fossil fuels like coal
buying an expensive car that runs on diesel
Correct answer: investing in solar panels for your house
not recycling the plastic bottle when you have finished with it
Q2.
What is one function of the UN?
Correct answer: bring together countries to discuss and tackle issues
deploy huge armies to deal with countries who do not agree to join the UN
create laws that force countries like America to do things
create targets that are impossible to meet so that countries can be punished
Q3.
What do we call the sustained change in temperature and weather patterns?
climate action
climate watch
climate justice
Correct answer: climate change
Q4.
Which of the following are fossil fuels?
Correct answer: gas
Correct answer: coal
wind
solar
Correct answer: oil
Q5.
If a person must leave their home due to climate change, they are considered to be what, a climate ?
Correct Answer: refugee
Q6.
What health condition may occur when the temperature is very high?
Correct Answer: heat stroke

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the terms to the correct definitions.
Correct Answer:climate action,efforts taken to combat climate change and its impacts

efforts taken to combat climate change and its impacts

Correct Answer:sustainability,using resources and making choices that don't harm the environment

using resources and making choices that don't harm the environment

Correct Answer:United Nations (UN),an international organisation made up of most countries in the world

an international organisation made up of most countries in the world

Correct Answer:SDG,the UN’s ‘global goals’

the UN’s ‘global goals’

Q2.
What is an advantage of using fossil fuels?
they release CO2
they trap heat on the earth leading to changing climate
Correct answer: they are cheap to buy and use
they are dwindling in supply, leading to resource scarcity
Q3.
Which of the following disasters may be a consequence of climate change?
Correct answer: extreme heat waves
volcanoes
Correct answer: flooding
Correct answer: drought
Q4.
Which of the following best describes the UN's approach to driving global change?
The UN only uses hard power like military force to achieve change.
Correct answer: The UN uses both hard power and soft power to influence change.
The UN focuses only on hard powers like economic sanctions.
The UN relies solely on soft powers like diplomatic talks without taking action.
Q5.
How many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do the UN have?
13
14
15
16
Correct answer: 17
Q6.
By what year do the UN hope to achieve their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Correct Answer: 2030