Understanding Climate Change

As a class, we have looked at the impact of human behavior on climate and ecosystems all year. When we studied the Ancient Maya, we were awestruck by their resourcefulness as we learned of how they engineered water systems, whether to harvest rain during the dry season or to manage flooding where rain was abundant year round. We also learned, that they were involved in clear cutting both to develop crop land and their impressive cities. Some historians believe the Ancient Maya may have abandoned their cities because, as a society they overtaxed their natural resources. This in turn may have led to civil unrest.

For this second part of the school year, we investigated the current climate crisis. We looked at what happens at the molecular level when fossil fuels are burned and how those chemical changes produce the greenhouse gases that continue to transform earth's climate. So that we are not only looking at all that ails us, we also focused our attention on human inventiveness. We looked at actions people can take to turn the tides.

Please enjoy the stop motion films students have made to educate you!

And, take a look at our inventors of the future! They have come up with terrific ideas to address specific problems that arise under the umbrella of climate change.