Natural and human causes of climate change
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the natural and human causes of climate change.
Key learning points
- There are natural and human causes of climate change.
- Natural causes of climate change include orbital changes, asteroid collisions, volcanic activity and solar output.
- Human causes of climate change include the use of fossil fuels, agriculture and deforestation.
- Human causes of climate change produce greenhouse gases, enhancing the greenhouse effect and leading to global warming.
Keywords
Milankovitch cycles - natural changes in Earth's orbit and tilt over thousands of years that influence solar energy and Earth’s climate
Greenhouse gas - a gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, contributing to Earth's warming, e.g. CO₂ and methane
Enhanced greenhouse effect - the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities, leading to global warming
Common misconception
Climate change is only caused by human activity.
Human activity has been significant in recent climate change, but natural factors have caused changes to the climate over millions of years.
Teacher tip
It is important to ensure a good understanding of both the natural greenhouse effect and the enhanced greenhouse effect, the use of videos and diagrams to support this is key.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the correct definition to each key term.
Period of geological time from 2.6 million years ago to the present
Period when temperatures decrease significantly and ice advances
Warmer period of time between ice ages and glaciers retreat
Q2.Which of these statements correctly describe the Quaternary period?
Q3.Since 1880 there has been a more increase in global temperatures, accelerated by human activities.
Q4.Which of these are examples of historical evidence of climate change (going back more than 200 years)?
Q5.Which of these are examples of recent evidence of climate change (within the last 100 years)?
Q6.Scientists take from the deep ice sheet in Antarctica and these have provided climate data for the last 400 000 years.
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.Match the Milankovitch cycles to its correct description.
Shape of Earth’s orbit
Tilt of Earth’s axis
Wobble of Earth’s axis
Q2.The number of sunspots rises and falls over an year cycle.
Q3.Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and are all greenhouse gases emitted by human activity.
Q4.Human activity has caused the greenhouse effect.
To help you plan your 10 geography lesson on: Natural and human causes of climate change, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 geography lesson on: Natural and human 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.
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 geography lessons from the Climate change and weather hazards unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.