Recap of Workshop One: Climate Change

The first Climate Change Workshop was held today at Emma Lazarus High School. It was lead by Jessica with assistance by Jasmine. There was a full audience with 37 participants! The students' English levels ranged from ESL 1 to 7. The students were engaged in the conversation and eager to learn more. Despite Trump calling climate change a hoax, all participants believed that climate change is real. With alarming evidence of the exponential increase in global climate and greenhouse gas emissions, the students understood that numbers don't lie.

We defined the difference between climate and weather. Next, we dove into the meaning of the greenhouse gas effect and the main GHG gases. One surprising fact that they learned was that cow poop contributed to GHG emissions because it gives off methane gas! The students were able to identify the anthropogenic effects as the leading culprit of global warming.

They loved exploring the interactive maps to see how their own country contributed to the global carbon emissions and the NASA Time Machine which illustrated the ice melts, potential land that will disappear due to sea level rise and temperature rise.

During the workshop, the students were able to experience the effects of climate change through virtual reality videos. Virtual reality is a way for the viewers to interact and engage with the videos they are watching. They used VR cardboard headsets to watch how ice melts in the Arctic effecting the polar bears. In addition, the students also watched a video about flooding in the Philippines due to extreme weather events, an effect from climate change.

They're able to build a deeper connection with the global effects of climate change through virtual reality. Before and after the workshop, the students are required to take a quiz about climate change. After the workshop, 83% of students improved their overall scores and gained awareness of climate change causes, issues, and potential solutions.