Geography and climate change?

Yes, yes, yes. Geography and *everything*, baby! Yes, I just called you 'baby'! :)  Oh, lighten up!

Heh heh...

Seriously. We need to start looking at how our school classroom subjects connect with real-life issues ... such as ... oh, I don't know ... CLIMATE CHANGE? You saw that coming, didn't you?

See, whenever I have conducted workshops for students, I hear them complain about the subject they learn in the classroom... "SIR! Geography is SO boring!"  Any subject I mention gets that comment! It gets worse. Many say, "SIR! Our geography teacher is so BORING!"

This question arises because teachers, and the students themselves, don't look for the connections between their school subjects and their lives. Geography is a subject that naturally integrates all subjects into its own view of the world.

So, here are some points you may consider exploring to understand at least some of the connections between geography and climate change:

• What is the difference between 'weather' and 'climate'? What are climate 'controls' and climate 'elements'? 
• How are latitude, altitude, land-and-water relationships, and vegetation cover related to climate? 
• How do human beings decide what kind of activity to perform and where to do so ... where do we locate industries, parks, gardens, power stations, and so on? How do we, human beings, influence climate? 

Once we reach those last two questions, we have arrived at the most informative and interesting point of the process of learning. Once we understand how we influence climate ... and climate change ... we can work backwards to figuring out what we need to do to reduce our negative impacts and increase our positive impacts. 

If you don't make such connections, it is of course boring to study geography. Or any other subject. Here is your assignment: 

1. Take one example and work it through: You drink bottled water. Make the connection between that and climate change. 
2. Above, I have shared with you some ways in which you could connect geography and climate change. Just using those very points, can you suggest how OTHER subjects come into the picture? For example: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, civics, history, and so on.  Make those connections and write to me. 

It does not matter whether you are a student or a teacher or whoever. However, if you are a student or teacher, and you submit your connections, you may actually get some nice prize from Climate Challenge India. 

Of course, you will do this not just for the cool prize we may give you, right? RIGHT?? :-)  

Send me your Climate Change Connections. 

"Shabhaash, India!"

 

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) (Greater Bangalore Metropolitan Administration) BBMP has launched "Sahayoga" ... a project to get students in Bangalore to become Green Ambassadors.

Students are vital to combating climate change.

I pin my hopes on them. So do many people I know. I wish the BBMP EVERY success in their endeavors!

And, of course, we will actively work with them to do all we can to help!