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Session 7: Go Net Zero: The Climate System

Start thinking: What keeps Earth warm enough for life and what might happen if that system changes?

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What regulates Earth’s climate?

The greenhouse effect is a natural process: gases like carbon dioxide trap some of the Sun’s heat, keeping Earth warm enough for life.

Burning fossil fuels adds extra gases to our atmosphere, trapping excess heat and causing global warming.

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Greenhouse Gases

With the person next to you, discuss these questions:

Look at the images. What role does each of these play in Earth’s climate system?
How are they connected to each other?
What could happen if one part of the system becomes unbalanced?

Fossil Fuels

Sunlight

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What has burning fossil fuels for more than 200 years done to our planet?

Today’s Big Question:

Big question: What has burning fossil fuels for more than 200 years done to our planet? Explain: “Today we’ll test your hypotheses and uncover how fossil fuels formed, why they store so much energy, how burning them disrupts the climate system, and what that means for ecosystems and species today.”

Session Objectives:

Explain how the greenhouse effect works and describe how the climate system keeps the planet warm enough to support life.
Describe how fossil fuels formed over millions of years and explain why coal, oil and gas store so much energy and release carbon dioxide when burned.
Identify the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Describe how climate change affects ecosystems and species, using examples such as melting sea ice and disrupted breeding cycles.
Explain why phasing out fossil fuels is difficult, given how deeply they are woven into jobs, infrastructure and daily life.
Evaluate the argument that phasing out fossil fuels isn't worth the effort, using evidence gathered across the session.

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PATHWAY 1

Our Fossil Fuel Fixation

Fossil fuels are energy dense
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide
Greenhouse gases cause global warming

10 mins

PATHWAY 2

The Consequences of Climate Change

A disrupted carbon cycle causes problems
Climate change destroys habitats
Species life cycles are disrupted

10 mins

What has burning fossil fuels for more than 200 years done to our planet?

z

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From Me to the World

Climate change is global, but where does it show up in your world?

Copy the four headings in your notebooks. For each one, write down four ways that climate change will affect it.

Me How might climate change affect your day-to-day life? e.g. How might changing seasons affect your daily life?

School How could climate change things like our energy use? e.g. Storms or heat waves affecting school buildings or events

National How might climate change affect our whole country? e.g. Impacts on farming, food prices or water supply

Global What does climate change mean for our global systems? e.g. Melting sea ice affecting polar ecosystems

This task can work for individuals, pairs or small groups. Give learners 5 minutes to complete this.

Ask learners to copy the four headings then write four specific climate impacts in each. Encourage them to use examples from earlier in the online session (melting sea ice, disrupted breeding cycles, shifting seasons, fossil fuel dependence, etc.).

Prompts for each of the categories:

Me

Personal - How might changing seasons affect your daily life?
Could extreme weather affect your home, travel or hobbies?
Are there species or habitats near you that are changing?

School

Flooding, storms or heatwaves affecting school buildings or events
Local wildlife changes (birds arriving earlier, insects appearing longer)
Energy use in the school - heating, lighting, transport

National

Impacts on farming, food prices or water supply
Coastal erosion and flooding
Changes to national species (e.g., puffins, salmon, pollinators)

Global

Melting sea ice affecting polar ecosystems
Coral bleaching, droughts, wildfires
Climate migration and global food systems

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From Me to the World

From each category, choose one impact that you think is most important.

For each of those, write a sentence explaining why it matters and what its knock-on effects will be.

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WE HAVE COVERED:

How the greenhouse effect works and how the climate system keeps the planet warm enough to support life
How fossil fuels formed over millions of years and why coal, oil and gas store so much energy
The main sources of greenhouse gas emissions
How climate change affects ecosystems and species
Why phasing out fossil fuels is difficult

Learner Journal

Part 1: Three Things I Learnt Today

Open your Learner Journal. Write down three things you learnt. These can be facts, ideas, or things that surprised you.

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Which part of the transition

do you think is hardest to achieve

in the real world, and why?

Learner Journal

Part 2: Reflective Question

Write your response in your Learner Journal, then ﬁnish sections 3-5.

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“Think of the atmosphere as a giant bathtub. Even if you turn down the tap to a trickle, the tub will still fill up and eventually overflow onto the floor. To keep the tub from overflowing, you don’t just turn down the [tap] - you have to turn it off completely.” Bill Gates, businessman and philanthropist (2021)

Burning fossil fuels has overloaded Earth's natural thermostat. Reaching net zero isn't about fixing every past impact overnight, it is about turning off the tap on carbon emissions so our climate system can find its balance again.

Lock-In Quote