Climate change in the Biology and Geography curricula

A free CPD event for teachers

As the UK hosts COP26 this year, climate change, its implications and solutions are forefront in our minds. Many of the topics (elevated CO2, Carbon and Water cycles, changes in weather patterns, changes in land use etc.) are directly or indirectly covered in the Geography and Biology school GCSE and A level curricula. In the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, we undertake research in many areas of climate change and this research informs and defines our own teaching. 

This session for teachers will be hosted in the The Exchange, a University of Birmingham facility in the centre of Birmingham. The Exchange is currently hosting an exhibition The Air We Breathe with a focus on clean energy, air pollution and the Birmingham Institute of Forestry Research (BIFoR) FACE experiment looking at the impact of elevated CO₂ on the functioning of UK forest ecosystems.  

The event will introduce our new Undergraduate programmes in these areas (Human Sciences and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability) and provide an opportunity to explore and discuss the exhibition with academics.  There will be four work stations where academics will demonstrate aspects of their research and its relevance to your teaching, with the opportunity to take away some resources for the classroom. These are: 

1. The online virtual BIFoR experiment and three exercises that can be used in GCSE and A level teaching. 
2. Global  deforestation and the impact on biodiversity, with consideration of the iconic orangutan and the role of zoos in conservation.
3. Climate change modeling demonstration and the effect on land and sea temperatures.  
4. The impact of peat wildfires on the carbon cycle; from local fires in the Peak District to unprecedented fires across the Boreal and Arctic.

We will finish with a Q&A to get your views on topics or activities that may support your teaching.

Refreshments will be served thoughout the event. 

All are welcome. Please register your place.