Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and The Islands

Katharine Hayhoe, Global Weirding, Public Broadcasting Service

This video addresses how climate change is affecting the biomes and ecosystems in the US Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii and the Caribbean Islands. It also highlights the impacts on infrastructure and defines key climate science terms.

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Notes from our reviewers

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This video could be watched as a whole group or in a flipped or hybrid classroom setting. Could be utilized as either an introductory anticipatory set or as a reinforcement tool. A basic understanding of ecological terms relating to biomes, the environment, environmental feedback systems and infrastructure is assumed, the teacher may want to provide a handout with definitions of these terms to students or review them to measure mastery of these concepts within the student population. This Youtube video provides great information about regional climate change from a credible and well-known scientist. The video is engaging for students especially the content about the regional impacts on (native) communities and ecosystems. No teacher or student instructional support provided.
Credible climate scientist talks about climate change in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and the islands around the U.S. through this video. Data is referenced from the National Climate Assessment Report; viewers are encouraged to look at data at [link nca2018.globalchange.gov] A considerable amount of scientific terms and concepts are used throughout this video; relatively dense content, likely to need some unpacking by the instructor. There is no written background information given other than directing viewer to the National Climate Assessment Report. Discusses rising temperatures, wildfires, ocean acidification, positive feedbacks (ex. more rain than snow leading to more melting, methane in permafrost). Also provides a basic knowledge of the definitions of what a biome, ecosystem and infrastructure is, as well as feedback loops, different Earth cycles, and axial tilt/seasonal changes among others. Directly discusses the impacts of climate change on communities, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
Video provides explanations of scientific terms, concepts and statistical data as it relates to changes in the overall environments of the US Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean Islands, specifically the impacts on humans/wildlife in a visually appealing manner. Students may need some additional background material before this video to understand some of the vocabulary. Since it appears to assume some basic knowledge of scientific terminology, using it as an introductory anticipatory set would not be recommended for younger grade-levels; otherwise this is a great introductory tool that can be used to drill down into the specific issues named in this video. It can also serve as a re-teaching or as a reinforcement tool. This video will appeal most to visual and auditory learners. Video does have closed-captioning but some html code is displayed and could be confusing to non-English speakers. The impacts of climate change on the Native American, Inuit, Native Caribbean populations and lands are stressed throughout this video. The animated characters in this video represent an accurate portrayal of the diversity in populations. Students will learn about the impacts of climate change on communities and ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and the islands around the U.S. This lesson includes a video but does not include teacher or student instructional support.