Harm to human and terrestrial life

Coastal Climate Science Activities and Experiments

Environmental Explainers:

Harm to human and terrestrial life

What is it? How is it changing? Why does it matter?

Start here:

Impact from Rising Sea Level 0 - 4:04 and Extreme Weather 4:04 - 4:53, taking data to plan actions for the future 4:53 - 10:22

Engaging video (10 min) about tIhe damage happening to US coasts as a result of climate change. In addition to footage of damage that has recently occurred, the video describes a new tool for predicting damage from coastal storms: Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pcmsc/science/coastal-storm-modeling-system-cosmos

This video is referenced on https://www.nsta.org/lesson-plan/why-sea-level-rising in a lesson plan called "Why is the Sea Level Rising".

Recommend for middle school and up.

Impact of Climate Change on Health: The Cost of InactionThe links between climate, poverty and health are clear. The climate crisis is a health-risk multiplier. The World Bank's climate and health initiative helps design country-tailored solutions and scale up investments to build climate-resilient health systems.

World Bank video. Recommend for high school and up.

Harm from extreme weather - increased heat:

Climate Change Indicators: Heat Waves | US EPAThis indicator describes trends in multi-day extreme heat events across the United States.

Does global warming affect the coldest days or the hottest days more?

www.nationalacademies.org/based-on-science/does-global-warming-cause-breathing-problems

News video (2.5 min) about extreme weather events in North Carolina in 2024, explaining how climate change is causing weather to be more extreme.

Recommend age middle school and up.

Extreme weather and climate change left trail of devastation in 2024

News video (3.5 min) about extreme weather events around the world in 2024, citing climate change as the cause and emphasizing the need for people to be prepared for future events.

Recommend middle school and up.

Harm from Sea Level Rise

Sea level rise, explained » Yale Climate ConnectionsIt’s already straining coastal communities. And it’s set to get worse.

Short article with lots of images of flooding due to rising sea level.

Sea Level Rise

Brief article with description and effects on humans.

Rising sea levels mean ‘tide of misery’ for coastal communitiesGlobal mean sea levels have risen faster in the 20th century than in any prior century over the past 3,000 years.

News article (September 2024) focusing on impact of rising sea level in India.

Learn more:

Climate Change and Human Health | US EPAClimate Change and Human Health.

Good resource and jumping-off point for information about climate change and human health.

Recommend for high school and up.

Consequences of climate changeClimate change is a very serious threat, and its consequences impact many different aspects of our lives. Read our overview of climate change’s main consequences.

Good European resource for understanding the various impacts of climate change on human and terrestrial life.

Recommend for high school and up.

Climate changeWHO fact sheet on climate change and health: provides key facts, patterns of infection, measuring health effects and WHO response.

Another good source of info, from the World Health Organization.

Recommend for high school and up.

Ted Williams Tunnel flooding a ‘pretty rare occurrence,’ but climate is changing, MassDOT says - The Boston Globe

News article about climate impact on Boston tunnels.

Recommend for high school and up.

Consequences of climate changeClimate change is a very serious threat, and its consequences impact many different aspects of our lives. Read our overview of climate change’s main consequences.

Video (8 min) about the rapidly warming waters of the Gulf of Maine (waters off the shore from Massachusetts to Nova Scotia). Describes how climate change is responsible for the the warming water and the impacts it is having in the Gulf of Maine.

Recommend for middle school and up.

Extended lesson focusing on analyzing data is at https://www.nsta.org/lesson-plan/why-something-thats-happening-out-ocean-such-danger-us-land

How much has climate change goosed hurricane wind strength in last several years?A new study shows the extra oomph from warmer oceans made the storms strengthen by an entire hurricane category.

Article about the links between climate change and stronger storms.

Recommend for high school and up.

Tropicana Field Shredded By Hurricane Milton | Defector

A story about the impact of hurricane Milton on Florida.

Recommend for high school and up.

Fifth National Climate Assessment, Chapter 9: Coastal Effects

Detailed predictions of the effects of climate change on coastal communities.

Recommend for high school and up.

Info on the impact of climate-change-induced salt-water intrusion.

Recommend for high school and up.

We’d love to hear how you used this tool in your community, how the students responded, and your suggestions to improve the experiments and other resources. Contact us at ccsae@mit.edu.