Unit 17.
TEACHING CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION (3 Hrs)
Unit objectives/outcomes
After completing this unit, trainees will be able to:
Describe climate change and variability,
Clarify the effects of climate change,
Explain climate mitigation and adaptation,
Describe climate change mitigation strategies,
Explain climate change adaptation strategies of Ethiopia,
Explain climate smart agriculture,
List indigenous knowledge practices used in climate change mitigation and adaptation,
Identify specific teaching methods, technology and local resources available to teach the concept
climate change,
Adapt the discussion to their own situations and then plan to use it to their own classrooms.
Session 17.1. Climate Change and its Effects (1 hr)
Session Objectives
After completing this session, trainees will be able to:
Describe climate change and climate variability,
Explaining what climate change means and its consequences to ecosystems,
Explain climate variability and its difference with climate change,
Explain about causes of climate change and discuss the mechanism by which greenhouse gases
cause climate change,
Describe climate change and its effects on ecosystems such as on forestry, sea level and oceans,
Identify specific teaching methods, technology and local resources available to teach the concept
climate change and its effects,
Adapt the discussion to their own situations and then plan to use it to their own classrooms.
Activity 1 (30 minutes)
In groups of 3-5, discuss on the following issues:
a. From your personal experiences, do you think the climate is changing?
b. If so, what are the indicators of the changes in climate
c. Do the local communities recognize the changes? If so, what kind of
adjustments are they making to deal with the changes?
•You find information from interviewing elders, experts and farmers in your
localities and internet search. Share your results with your classmates.
Key Ideas
Climate change is a long-term change in weather patterns that leads to fundamental
changes in ecosystems
The major causes for climate change are mainly human activities like fossil fuel
burning, agriculture and land use change
Climate change has a wide range of effects. For example,
o global warming reduces water availability,
o increases droughts and floods,
o reduces agricultural productivity and
o destroys global ecosystems.
Common misconceptions related to climate change and its effects:
o The earth’s climate has always changed
o Global warming is not real as it sometimes gets cold
o Climate change is a future problem
Implications to teaching
What new things did you learn from this session?
How would the instructional methods used in this session and video links help
you to teach other topics in agriculture?
How can you help your students benefit from this lesson in your school?
What changes in approach would you make after this session when teaching
the topic climate change and its effects to your students?
Takeaway Resources
•Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4H1N_yXBiA&t=100s
Session 17.2. Climate Change Mitigation Strategies (1 hr)
Session Objectives
After completing this session, trainees will be able to:
Explain the meaning of climate change mitigation,
Explain the mechanisms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from different sources
(sectors),
Explain the roles of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation,
Identify specific teaching methods, technology and local resources available to teach
the concept climate change mitigation,
Adapt the discussion to their own situations and then plan to use it to their own
classrooms.
Activity 1 (30 minutes)
Group work
In groups of 3-5, discuss the following issues.
a. In the Ethiopian context, what are the major contributors to climate change?
b. What are the opportunities available to mitigate (reduce emissions) from these sources?
c. How could indigenous knowledge contribute to reducing the emissions? From your
experiences, what are some of the indigenous knowledge practices used to mitigate climate
change?
• *Information could be obtained from the internet, interviewing local experts and elders.
Present you results to the whole class as power point presentation.
Key ideas
Climate change mitigation refers to the activities implemented to either reduce or
remove the emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
These practices reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions in two ways:
o reducing greenhouse gas emissions
o enhancing removal of greenhouse gases by carbon sinks
Reducing green house gases from sources can be achieved by:
o Shifting to renewable energy sources
o Reduction of deforestation
Key ideas…
Enhancing carbon sinks can be achieved by:
o Afforestation
o Improved soil management
Common misconceptions about climate mitigation
o Climate change has always been there and we should not worry
o Climate change is a natural process not related to human activities
o There is no consensus on the major cause of climate change
o It is too late to counter the risks associated with climate change
Implications to teaching
What new things did you learn from this session?
How would the instructional methods used in this session and video links help
you to teach other topics in agriculture?
How can you help your students benefit from this lesson in your school?
What changes in approach would you make after this session when teaching
the topic climate change mitigation to your students?
Takeaway Resources
Video link
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_0kWdNaPzY&t=68s
Session 17.3. Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (1 hr)
Session Objectives
After completing this session, trainees will be able to:
Explain climate change adaptation strategies of Ethiopia,
Explain Climate Smart Agriculture,
Describe the community’s perception of climate change,
Identify indigenous knowledge used in climate change adaptation,
Identify specific teaching methods, technology and local resources available to teach
the concept climate change adaptation,
Adapt the discussion to their own situations and then plan to use it to their own
classrooms.
Activity 1 (1 hr)
Group work
In groups of 3-5, discuss the following issues:
a. How do you describe climate adaptation?
b. What is the difference between climate adaptation and climate mitigation?
c. What are the major climate change adaptation strategies used in your localities?
d. What are some examples of indigenous climate adaptation strategies used in your
localities to deal with the harmful effects of climate change?
•*Information could be obtained from experts and elders in your localities/or searching
the internet. Share your results with the group sitting next to you.
Key ideas
There are different agricultural practices that are implemented to mitigate and adapt to
climate change
These practices include adjusting agricultural activities, changing crop varieties, crop
diversification, and income diversification
Climate Smart Agriculture is an integrated approach where crop and animal production
as well as natural resources are managed to address the problems of food security and
climate change
The approach aims to achieve triple objectives of sustainably increasing food
production, enhancing the adaptive capacity to climate change and reducing
greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
Key ideas…
Indigenous knowledge practices can be useful in mitigating climate change and
reducing its effects on agriculture
Major misconceptions related to climate adaptation strategies:
o Climate adaptation means giving up on climate mitigation
o Climate adaptation is too expensive to implement
o Adapting to climate change is impossible
Implications to teaching
What new things did you learn from this session?
How would the instructional methods used in this session and video links help
you to teach other topics in agriculture?
How can you help your students benefit from this lesson in your school?
What changes in approach would you make after this session when teaching
the topic climate change adaptation to your students?
Takeaway Resources
•Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QBNc97K6FY&t=50s
