Attended a Climate Fresk workshop today, which provided a structured and collaborative way to explore the complexities of climate change. It was a useful opportunity to reflect on the interconnected impacts of human activities and environmental systems. The session also got me thinking about how similar approaches might be adapted to help students better understand and engage with these issues in the classroom. 😎
Programme
Phase | Focus | Rationale |
Phase 1: Understanding (100 min) | Mapping Defining cause-effect relationships between the 39 cards to create a collage. |
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Phase 2: Creativity and Summary (10 min) | Creativity Taking ownership of the collage by personalising it through drawings and giving it a title. |
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Phase 3: Emotions (10 min) | Reflection A time to reflect, acknowledge, and share your emotions. |
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Phase 4: Discussion (50 min) | Solutions Discussing solutions at individual and organisational levels. |
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The Game
Set 1:
Takeaways:
Common misconception that melting sea ice leads to rising sea levels
Explanation:
Imagine you have a glass of water with an ice cube floating in it. The ice cube takes up space in the water, and when it melts, it turns into the same amount of water that was already pushed out by the ice cube. This is why the water level doesn’t go up when the ice melts—it’s like the ice is already part of the water, just in solid form.
Now, think of sea ice like the ice cube in the glass. It’s floating in the ocean, and when it melts, it doesn’t add more water because it was already displacing the same amount. So, melting sea ice doesn’t make the sea level rise.
But melting ice on land, like glaciers, is a different story—it adds water to the ocean because it wasn’t floating before!
Set 2:
Takeaways:
'Carbon Sinks’ card: "Look closely at the card, isn't there something odd about it?”
Some of the text is upside down → rotate it.
This card is the mirror image of another card; together they make one card → stick it to ‘CO₂ Emissions’.
The two combined cards mirror one another; nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed → CO₂ emitted is bound to go somewhere.
Places the CO₂ is ending up: into plants, into the air, or into the oceans.
Methane & nitrous oxide related to cattle and fertilisers are even more potent for warming than CO₂. A molecule of methane is around 28x more heating over 100 years than a molecule of CO₂.
Set 3:
(start drawing arrows at the end of this set)
Takeaways:
Aerosols are tiny solid or liquid particles that remain suspended in the air due to their negligible falling speeds. While often confused with aerosol cans, aerosols in this context refer to pollution caused by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, producing substances like black carbon and sulfur compounds.
Aerosols affect climate in two main ways:
Direct Effect: They block sunlight, leading to cooling (e.g., hazy skies on polluted days).
Indirect Effect: They act as cloud condensation nuclei, increasing cloud cover. Clouds cool by reflecting sunlight (albedo effect) and warm by trapping heat (greenhouse effect).
Natural aerosols, such as sea salt and dust, existed before industrialisation, but human emissions have intensified their presence, adding complexity to climate models. Unlike CO₂, which accumulates over time, aerosols last only weeks, making their cooling effect temporary and dependent on ongoing emissions.
Using aerosols in geoengineering (e.g., injecting them into the stratosphere) is controversial due to risks like potential dependency on continued emissions, and the inability to address the root causes of climate change.
Radiative forcing quantifies the influence of a factor on the Earth's energy balance.
It is defined as the change in the net radiative flux at the top of the atmosphere or at the tropopause due to a perturbation relative to a baseline state, often pre-industrial conditions.
Positive radiative forcing = what makes Earth gain energy (e.g. enhanced greenhouse effect)
Negative radiative forcing = what makes Earth gain energy (e.g. aerosols)
Looking at the graph, the positive elements (>0) are stronger, so Earth has extra energy, causing it to warm up.
Where does the extra energy go due to radiative forcing? → Energy budget (it heats water, heats air and melts ice)
Set 4:
Takeaways:
Difference between marine submersion and river flooding?
Salt water (seas and oceans) vs. fresh water (rivers)
Submersion can be caused by hurricanes/cyclones, and rising sea levels; river flooding mostly caused by increase in rainfall
Set 5:
Takeaways:
Positive feedback mechanism; climate runaway effect
Permafrost heats up due to rising air temperature → it melts → methane is released → Earth heats up even more → permafrost melts even more, etc.
Declining agricultural yields as a result of several causes.
Guided inquiry for the last 4 cards (i.e. 'Famine', 'Climate Refugees', 'Armed Conflict' and 'Human Health'):
"If I don't have food and water, what happens?" → “People will starve” → place the 'Famine' card
"What happens when people are in a famine or there are resource shortages?”"
Continue until all 4 cards have been placed
Takeaways: Peatlands
What is Peat?
Peat is partially decomposed organic material that accumulates in waterlogged, oxygen-poor environments over long periods. It is soft, fibrous, and high in water content.
Fun fact: Peat represents the first stage in the coalification process. If buried and subjected to sufficient geological pressure and heat over millions of years, peat can transform into lignite (a low-grade coal) and eventually into higher grades of coal.
What are Peatlands?
Peatlands are wetland ecosystems where peat accumulates. They are characterised by their waterlogged conditions, which slow the decomposition of organic material, allowing peat to build up over time.
How Much Peatland Exists in Southeast Asia?
Peatlands in Southeast Asia cover approximately 25 million hectares, representing about 60% of the world's tropical peatlands.
The largest areas are found in Indonesia (around 22.5 million hectares) and Malaysia.
Why Are Peatlands Important?
Carbon Storage: Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon, helping mitigate climate change.
Biodiversity: They are home to unique species, some of which are rare or endangered.
Water Regulation: Peatlands help control water flow, reducing flood risks and maintaining water quality.
Why Are Peatlands Under Threat?
Agricultural Expansion: Large areas are drained and cleared for plantations, especially for palm oil.
Fires: Drained peatlands are highly flammable, leading to persistent fires that release significant carbon.
Climate Change: Altered rainfall patterns and higher temperatures exacerbate peatland degradation.
Takeaways: Themes Related to Climate Change
Interconnectedness of Climate Systems
The connections between human activities (deforestation, fossil fuel use) and global warming effects (rising sea levels, biodiversity loss).
Highlighting feedback loops (e.g., permafrost melting leads to methane release, which accelerates warming).
Emphasis on systemic thinking—understanding how actions in one area (e.g., agriculture) can have ripple effects on others (e.g., deforestation, emissions).
Anthropogenic Drivers of Climate Change
Key contributors: fossil fuels, deforestation, industrial agriculture, and transportation.
Specific focus on practices like slash-and-burn agriculture and their consequences (e.g., haze, biodiversity loss).
Climate Risks and Vulnerabilities
Physical impacts: rising sea levels, extreme weather, biodiversity loss.
Human impacts: displacement, growing inequality, and food security threats due to declining agricultural yields.
The disproportionate effects on developing nations and vulnerable communities.
Role of Carbon Sinks
Importance of peatlands, oceans, and forests as carbon sinks.
Discussion of how degradation (e.g., peatland draining, deforestation) diminishes their effectiveness.
The interplay between natural processes and human interference in carbon sequestration.
Education and Action
The importance of education in creating awareness about climate science (e.g., IPCC findings).
Individual and collective actions needed, such as sustainable practices, reducing emissions, and restoring ecosystems.
Takeaways: Themes Related to Workshop Facilitation Strategies
Interactive and Collaborative Learning
Use of card-based activities to link causes, effects, and solutions.
Encouraging participants to contribute their perspectives and work together to build understanding (i.e. arranging cards into logical sequences).
Hands-on, game-based methods to deepen engagement and retention.
Systemic Thinking in Teaching
Facilitating activities that promote understanding of the "big picture" (e.g., showing the interconnectedness of climate systems and feedback loops).
Encouraging students to think critically and reflect on how different elements of a system interact.
Visual and Experiential Tools
Use of visual aids (e.g., diagrams, graphs) to explain complex concepts like radiative forcing or carbon sinks.
Incorporating storytelling and real-life examples to make abstract ideas tangible.
Tailored Content for Relevance
Adapting the workshop to focus on local contexts (e.g., haze in Southeast Asia caused by peatland fires).
Including relatable examples (e.g., impacts of rising sea levels on Singapore) to ground global concepts in local realities.
Fostering Reflection and Ownership
Prompting participants to reflect on which aspects of climate change directly affect them (e.g., rising sea levels, air quality).
Using reflective prompts to connect learning to personal or community actions.
Encouraging Hope and Solutions-Oriented Thinking
Balancing the presentation of climate risks with actionable solutions (e.g., rewetting peatlands, reducing fossil fuel dependency).
Highlighting opportunities for collective action and innovation to address climate issues.
Additional Resources
Climate Fresk Cards | |
Self-Training Guide | |
Facilitation Guide |
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