Causes of climate change
I understand the physical and human causes of climate change.
Causes of climate change
I understand the physical and human causes of climate change.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- There are both human and physical causes of climate change.
- Volcanoes, sunspots and Earth's changing orbit around the sun can change the climate.
- Human activity since the industrial revolution has been blamed for climate change.
- Greenhouse gases absorb energy from long-wave radiation and re-emit it back into our atmosphere.
Keywords
Climate change - a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures
Cause - the reason why something happens
Greenhouse gas - gases in Earth's atmosphere that trap heat
Greenhouse effect - the retention of heat in the atmosphere caused by the build up of greenhouse gases
Common misconception
Climate change is entirely caused by humans.
Students will recognise that our climate changes naturally and there are physical causes of this. Humans have intensified the process in recent years.
To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Causes of climate change, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 7 geography lesson on: Causes of climate change, 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.
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Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Weather and climate: how do they vary? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.