Our atmosphere and climate 2020

The Our Atmosphere and Climate 2020 (https://www.mfe.govt.nz/overview-our-atmosphere-climate-2020) report was released to all New Zealanders on 15 October 2020.

In collaboration with the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ we have developed a suite of teaching and learning resources around this important report.

Key science concepts

• weather and climate (similarities and differences)
• greenhouse gases and energy
• the role of evidence in producing scientific knowledge
• knowledge systems are not limited to science - mātauranga Māori provides centuries of observational data on the state of Aotearoa's weather and climate.

Nature of science

The Communicating in science strand of the Nature of science plays a key role in Our atmosphere and climate 2020 resources.

The report - and the Hub resources - seek to communicate climate change information to the general public. To do this, we use tools like infographics to present the information in bite-sized, understandable statements.

The articles include short, sharp videos of Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ experts and science communication expert Professor James Renwick clearly explaining the issues and science of climate change in New Zealand.

The science capabilities

Climate change offers an authentic context to engage with each of the 5 capabilities.

The articles and activities have a strong emphasis on 'Use evidence' and "Interpret representations'.

The articles denote the importance of obtaining meaningful and robust data along with its careful interpretation.

Students can use long-term temperature and precipitation data sets from their region to explore evidence of climate change. There are multiple opportunities to interpret (and create) infographics and graphs.

The following set of resources provide background information about climate change in Aotearoa.

Climate change affects everyone, but it has significant impacts that threaten to affect mātauranga and tikanga Māori. The following resources look more closely at these impacts.

The following resources look more closely at how climate change information is communicated.

Use the key terms to boost scientific vocabulary and concepts, many of which make reference to New Zealand’s greenhouse gas profile.

The student activities provide opportunities to practise the science capabilities.

‘Interpret representations’ encourages students to think about how data is presented, what the representation tells us and how it gets the message across.

Visual representations contain literacy and numeracy components that students may need support to understand. The following activities support students (and educators) in unpacking these components.

Climate change is an incredibly complex wicked problem that links environmental issues with human wellbeing, the economy, and local and global politics.

The following resource uses concept cartoons to:

• challenge (address) alternative conceptions people may hold regarding climate change
• challenge communities to recognise the concerns people may be feeling about the impacts of climate change
• challenge people to take action.

This activity uses an interactive Venn diagram as a starting point to investigate the factors that influence weather and climate.

These are just a few of the Hub's climate change resources. The following resource provides pedagogical information and an interactive planner that curates resources into key science and teaching concepts.