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Guide for teachers wishing to involve their pupils in the debate about the Belgian transition towards a “low-carbon society” by 2050

‘My 2050’Manual for Teachers

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Colophon

This handbook, to be used with the website www.my2050.be is intended as educational support only, and is primarily addressed to teachers of the third year in secondary education. It is available as PDF only, in 3 languages (Dutch, French and English), on this website.

This handbook can be used freely for teaching purposes in class. All other use is subject to prior authorization.

It was developed by WWF Belgium on behalf of and in collaboration with the Climate Change Section of the federal public service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.

Though the layout uses spot colors for aesthetic reasons, this is done sparingly to minimize the environmental impact of any print. A black and white print is perfectly readable.

April 2016

Responsible editor: C. Decoster, FPS Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Place Victor Horta 40, 1060 Brussels, Belgium.

Table of Contents

1. Purpose of this project ....................................................................................................................................... 3

The climate is changing .......................................................................................................................................3

Transition to a low-carbon society within one generation ......................................................3

Objective of the ‘My 2050’ webtool .........................................................................................................4

An ideal working instrument for third year secondary education ..................................5

2. Structure of the Webtool ................................................................................................................................. 6

3. Webtool use in class............................................................................................................................................. 7

Intro: What is the problem? (5’) ...................................................................................................................7

Getting acquainted: How does this webtool work? (5’) ..........................................................8

Exploration of the contents of the levers (30 to 45’) .................................................................8

Creating a scenario of their own (25-30’) ........................................................................................10

Saving, comparing and discussing the scenario (20-25’)....................................................11

4. Additional (lesson) activities in and outside class .................................................................. 12

4.1 The transition seen from different points of view .............................................................13

4.2 In in-depth look at the different energy sources ...............................................................15

4.3 Watt’s up .............................................................................................................................................................16

4.4 A look at the world ......................................................................................................................................19

4.5 Participate in the Climate Challenge .........................................................................................21

4.6 Additional activities inside and outside the class .............................................................22

Appendix 1. Four scenario examples ......................................................................................................... 23

Appendix 2. Worksheet: My 2050 Simulation ................................................................................... 25

Appendix 3. List of some Terms & Concepts ...................................................................................... 26

Appendix 4. Interesting websites ................................................................................................................. 27

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1. Purpose of this project

The climate is changing

The climate is warming up. The global temperature has already risen by 0.9°C since the start of the Industrial Revolution (1750), and this trend goes on.

The latest report on climate change from the scientific Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that climate change is a fact of science and can no longer be denied. The current warming of the planet is due to human activities that lead to an increase of greenhouse gases (mainly CO2) in the atmosphere.

The Industrial Revolution and the invention of the combustion engine ushered in an era in which people began to burn large amounts of fossil fuels such as oil, gas, coal, etc. Consequently, lots of additional CO2 were released into the at-mosphere, amplifying the natural greenhouse effect that lead to global warming.

The effects of climate change are already being felt, both here and elsewhere, and are highly expansive. For instance, the sea level is gradually rising (the aver-age sea level already rose by 19 cm between 1901 and 2010). The polar ice caps and glaciers are melting, and incidents involving extreme weather phenomena are more and more frequent. Hurricanes, cyclones, storms, heat waves and droughts, as well as heavy rainfall and floods.

All of these phenomena have an impact on, among others, the availability of wa-ter, the agriculture and our health. The effects of climate change and the degree of severity experienced depends on the region in the world. The affected areas are often in the South where poverty is highest and inhabitants are particularly vulnerable.

Transition to a low-carbon society within one generation

The Climate Summit of Paris, late 2015, was a historical breakthrough: no less than 195 countries agreed on an ambitious, binding and globally equitable climate agreement. In order to restrain the negative impact of the climate change, the agreement stipulates among other things that the global average warming has to stay far under 2°C in comparison to the pre-industrial level, and that efforts should be made to limit the global warming to 1,5°C.

The agreement also stipulates that, in order to achieve these objectives, the countries have to aspire to having a peak in worldwide emissions as soon as pos-sible, after which emissions will have to reduce very quickly to achieve a balance in the second half of the century between emissions of human origin and capture by the ecosystem. This implies that the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions will have to decrease by half by 2050 compared to 1990, in order to evolve towards a zero emission in the second half of this century. An enormous but still practicable challenge, requiring a transition in all fields, and particularly in the field of energy.

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The European Union has developed a comprehensive climate policy in order to meet these challenges. The European Union claims that the developed countries as a group shall reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 80% to 95% by 2050 in comparison to the 1990 level. In addition, the EU established a number of objec-tives to enhance energy efficiency and sources of renewable energy: in Belgium, for instance, 13 % of the end consumption of energy has to originate from renew-able energy by 2020.

The Belgian federal government has endorsed in its long-term policy vision on sus-tainable development that greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by at least 80% to 95% compared to the 1990 level. A federal government study has shown that with current technologies, such a transition to a low-carbon society is perfectly feasible. However, this will require large investments and significant behavioral changes throughout society. This study was the basis for the ‘My2050’ webtool.

Objective of the ‘My 2050’ webtool

Through this project, the federal authority wishes to give the wide public, and in particular pupils in the third degree of secondary education, a tool to stimulate the social debate on how to achieve the transition towards a low-carbon society by 2050.

The fact is that one single ‘ideal’ solution or future scenario is unimaginable - sev-eral different technological options and various behavioral changes are possible.

What is certain is that citizen awareness and involvement are necessary for the transition to a low-carbon society. Especially young people should join in the de-bate as well, since the choices made now and in the near future will greatly deter-mine how today’s children and youth will study, live, work and reside in the future.

This is why this handbook for third grade teachers in secondary education is part of the webtool. The webtool and this teachers' handbook are intended to be used as one in the classroom, to address the challenges of the transition to a low-car-bon society.

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An ideal working instrument for third level secondary education

The online tool and teaching materials in this handbook have been developed to enable you to get down to work with your pupils in the third year of secondary education, particularly in the geography, natural sciences, human/social sciences and general project subjects. Many cross-curricular targets are also discussed, so the project is quite suitable to project-based and cross-curricular work.

The webtool is available in three languages (English, French and Dutch) so it is also very suitable to be used in language classes.

Chapter 3 clearly describes how you can use this webtool in class. But this hand-book also provides ideas (in Chapter 4) for short lecturing activities that can be used as a complement.

The concept of this webtool was inspired on the webtool http://my2050.decc.gov.uk, developed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) of the British authorities.

However the concept, the contents and the formats were adapted to the Belgian situation, and resulted in a simplified version of a very compre-hensive calculation model for Belgium (for experts), with around 50 levers that can be considered. This model can be consulted at http://www.climat-echange.be/2050.

On this site you will also find a ‘mapping’ of initiatives by different authori-ties aiming at the transition towards a low-carbon society.

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2. Structure of the Webtool

On the webtool’s homepage you will find (besides this teachers’ handbook):

> an introductory animation that shortly explains the climate change issue as well as the importance and the challenges of the transition to a low-carbon society.

> a second animation explains how you can use the webtool to get down to work, mapping out your own transition path.

> the button ‘Go ahead !’, opening the following screen.

This second screen shows the actual ‘My2050’-webtool (to develop your scenar-io) including:

> an interactive landscape visualizing the lever changes you operate.

> 12 levers (with 4 ambition levels) from 5 different sectors (transport, buildings, industry, energy and agriculture).

> the greenhouse gas emission reduction in 2050 (top right).

> an indicator showing whether your scenario involves electricity import or export (right below).

More information in:

> 5 animations about the challenges and opportunities to reduce emissions in every sector.

> pop-ups showing the impact of each ambition level for every lever.

> Informations sheets including all important information about the different le-vers (click on the icon).

The button ‘Your results’ opens the next screen.

The results of the scenario you worked out are displayed on the third and last screen:

> the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 (aggregate results or per sector).

> the total demand for energy and the consumption of electricity, fossil fuels and biomass.

> the cost of your scenario’s energy system (particularly the investment, man-agement and energy costs).

> more details on your scenario: this is a clear overview of the selected ambition levels for each lever.

On this result screen, you can:

> compare your scenario to those of other participants.

> save your scenario and give feedback.

> share your scenario on social media.

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3. Webtool use in class

Objectives

1. The pupils understand the need for the transition to a low-carbon society in order to address climate change.

2. The pupils gain an insight into the various sectors that contribute to the emission of greenhouse gas in Belgium and the available options for those sectors in terms of a transition to a low-carbon society.

3. The pupils discuss the different scenarios for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and what impact this transition will have on our society and on their own lives.

4. The pupils know that Europe, and consequently also Belgium, are facing consid-erable challenges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 to 95 % by 2050, and this creates opportunities.

We consider that you need at least 2 lesson periods:

> The first period mainly aims at getting acquainted with the webtool and at un-derstanding the societal choices that can be made by using the levers.

> The second period aims at elaborating scenarios and discussing them in class. The pupils may also develop their own scenarios as a homework, and discuss these thoroughly in class.

Intro: What is the problem? (5’)

Surf to the website www.my2050.be, choose the right language and view the in-troductive animation on the homepage together. If you wish you can check ‘Show all animations with subtitles’ (left below) in order to view the animations with subtitles.

It is important that after viewing these animations, the pupils understand that:

1. Our society is facing enormous challenges in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 % in 2050 – in a lap of time of just one generation ! The question is not ‘What can I do?’ but rather ‘What changes does our society have to implement?” to achieve this goal.

2. This implies considerable efforts in about every sector, aiming at a dramatic re-duction of greenhouse gas emissions, among other things by renouncing fossil fuels. Some efforts are about behavioral or technological changes in order to decrease energy demands, other efforts are about energy supplies.

3. Numerous scenarios are possible, and there is not something like the ‘only’, the ‘best’ or the ‘ideal’ scenario. There are different scenarios allowing to achieve the final goal, each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

You can ask some goal-oriented questions allowing to check whether the pupils have gained these insights. This step corresponds to the two first-mentioned learning objectives.

TIP: For pupils having few foreknowledge on climate change and energy, it can be useful to go through some topics that are dealt with in the webtool. These can be found in Annex 3.

Duration - Getting acquainted with the

theme, the webtool and the societal choices: 50 minutes

- Developing and discussing scenarios: 50 minutes

MaterialMultimedia room for

individual and group work; smartboard or a computer

with a beamer and speakers so you can to go through the

exercise in class or display the animation on the large

screen.

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Getting acquainted: How does this webtool work? (5’)

View the animation “How?” with your class. This explains how to use the webtool.

Open the second screen (by clicking the button ‘Go ahead !’) and run through the different parts of this screen. Check whether the pupils have understood the func-tions of the levers, the ambition levels, pop-up windows, information sheets, the reduction percentage, the indicator for the net import or export of electricity…

Exploration of the contents of the levers (30 to 45’)

Now you can have your pupils getting started with the webtool. This can be done individually, in small groups or as a whole class. The number of PC’s or tablets available may determine the approach. However the most important is that the pupils are incited to reflection and discussion.

Whatever your approach may be, it is preferable to previously:

1. View the 5 animations together (1 per sector, average duration per animation: 1,5 minute): this may avoid disturbances in the class afterwards. If you prefer the pupils to view the animations by themselves, they can use a headset or check ‘Show all animations with subtitles’ on the homepage below left in order to view the animations without sound.

2. Having the pupils test the impact of some levers one by one, in order to under-stand how the webtool works: it has to be clear that both the elements in the landscape and the greenhouse gas emissions (the CO2-indicator) change as soon as the pupils change the ambition level of a lever.

It is also important to draw the pupils’ attention to:

3. The pop-up that explains the impact of the ambition levels of a lever. The pupils will use this information to choose an ambition level, but do encourage them to take a look at the information sheet of each lever as well.

4. The ‘initial score’ when starting up: with all levers on ambition level 1 (and ‘in-dustry production’ on B), the ‘counter’ already indicates -15%. Ambition level 1 represents ‘business as usual’ and leads to this reduction in 2050 without additional measures.

5. Unlike other levers, ‘Industry-production’ is not a lever featuring ambition lev-els, but a series of 3 buttons allowing to test the effects of three assumptions for the future production level. At the start, level B is selected, which repre-sents a stabilization of the expected production level in almost all sectors. Level A represents an increase in the level of production in almost all sectors and level C a decrease in almost all sectors).

6. The fact that the webtool considers technically feasible solutions: the ambition lev-els for the different levers have been developed considering technically fea-sible solutions and are based on the input from representatives and experts from all societal sectors. This means that every scenario developed is truly a possible solution.

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Small-group approach:

Divide your class in working groups so that all sectors and all levers – except “industry production” – are being treated by a working group of 2 to 3 pupils. Depending on the number of pupils in your class, you might consider the following distribution:

Number of groups

Each group focuses on:

12 1 lever – except “industry – production”

9 1 or 2 levers:

1. transport: behavior2. transport: technology3. buildings: behavior4. buildings: technology5. industry: carbon intensity + carbon capture6. energy: wind/solar 7. energy: geothermal/hydro + biomass8. energy: import 9. agriculture: behavior + technology

6 2 levers:

1. transport: behavior + technology2. buildings: behavior + technology3. industry: carbon intensity + carbon capture4. energy: wind/solar + geothermal/hydro + biomass5. energy: import + related indicator ‘net electricity import and export’

(cf. also the result screen ‘energy consumption’)6. agriculture: behavior + technology

Ask each group to do the following:

> Thoroughly check the information sheets of the selected lever(s): this should allow to understand which societal changes have to be aimed at, (text part), what specific opportunities and challenges exist in this field, and what is the impact of the different ambition levels (using the diagrams).

> Prepare a short presentation to the whole class. The different groups briefly present the results of their research, in their own words:

– Why is this lever important for the transition? – Which elements are being operated by the levers? What are the conse-

quences of the 4 ambition levels?– What are the opportunities and challenges of these societal choices?

These presentations can be discussed in class. This preparation may be deepened by additional research, either or not at home.

Individual or class approach:

The pupils should preferably run through all the levers (either or not with the sup-port of the teacher) and click the icon on every lever to read through the contents of the information sheet, to see what happens in the landscape and what is the impact of the different ambition levels.

By the end of the exercise, the pupils should be able to give an answer to the following questions for each lever:

> Why is this lever important for the transition?

> Which elements are being operated by the levers? What are the consequences of the 4 ambition levels?

> What are the opportunities and challenges of these societal choices?

Each lever can be discussed separately in class.

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Creating a scenario of their own (25-30’)

After the preceding steps (normally finished in one class period) the pupils should have a good understanding of how the different levers work, and they should be able to create a scenario of their own, individually or as a group.

Before getting started – and for a good understanding of the exercise – it is cer-tainly worthwhile to linger a moment over some important keynotes regarding this webtool:

> There is no such thing as ‘the one’, ‘the best’ or ‘the ideal’ scenario. Various sce-narios allow achieving the final objective, each having its own advantages and disadvantages.

> The objective is to have a ‘personal and well-considered’ scenario. It makes little sense to only consider the emission reduction achieved, and to quickly push all levers to their maximum ambition levels. All societal options have advantages and disadvantages, may ask for important investments, or may be more or less easy to accept.

> A separate indicator shows whether your scenario leads to electricity import or ex-port (on yearly basis). Depending on the result, the class may consider to adjust the levers having an impact on electricity production. There are three options:

The indicator indicates a net import:In this case you generate too little renewable electricity to meet the energy demand and the tool compensates this defi-cit automatically by importing carbon free electricity (from re-newable energy sources) up to the maximum level that was chosen by adjusting your lever ‘net import’. If this import is still insufficient, additional electricity is generated by gas fue-led plants, leading to extra CO2-emissions.

The indicator indicates a net export:If you generate too much electricity considering the demand, our country will export this surplus. In this case you may consider to decrease the elec-tricity production.

The indicator indicates there is no net import or export:Import and export are equal and thus compensate each other over the year. Belgium produces as much electricity as it consumes.

>Ask the pupils to first examine the effect of each lever separately by adjusting each lever from level 1 to level 4 (the most ambitious level), while the other levels remain unchanged on level 1.

>Subsequently, ask them to work out a personal and well-considered scenario. In doing so the pupils can check the impact of their scenario (using the button ‘Go to your results’) and return to the second screen to adjust their choices if necessary.

Attention: the scenario that is generated has to lead to a minimum reduction of 80%, otherwise it cannot be compared or saved!

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Saving, comparing and discussing the scenario (20-25’)

Once the scenario is developed and a reduction target of minimum 80% has been reached, the pupils can go on to the third and last screen in order to:

>Analyze their scenario: pupils can verify the impact of their scenario on

– The aggregate greenhouse gas emissions, or the emission in different sec-tors

– Consumption of energy, electricity, fossil fuels and biomass– The costs related to these (o.a. the necessary investments and the fuel

costs)

>Compare their scenario: here they can check whether they rather chose for tech-nological changes or behavioral changes – compared to the scenarios of other people or institutions.

Here, the pupils can also compare their scenario to one of the four scenario’s from the study ‘Scenarios for a low carbon Belgium by 2050’ (the Core, Behav-ior, Technology and -95% scenarios).

>Save their scenario: encourage the pupils to save their scenario, with two advan-tages:

– They receive an automatically generated mail with an URL allowing them to reconstruct their scenario: e.g. www.my2050.be/index.html?le-vers=4343233443333/en. The figures indicate the ambition level for the different levers: in this scenario the first lever was on 4, the second on 3, etc. They just have to copy this URL to the browser in order to restore the levers in the right position and to view all initial results.

– This offers the federal authority an insight into the use that is made of this webtool and in the kinds of scenarios that are given preference to.

>Give feedback: encourage the pupils to give their feedback on the webtool while saving their scenario. This helps us to adapt and improve it where necessary. Also from you, the teacher, the authority would like to receive a feedback.

>Share on social media (Facebook and Twitter) with family and friends, thus encouraging the use of this tool outside the classroom.

In order to stimulate reflection and discussion, it can be useful to have the pupils complete the worksheet ‘My 2050-simulation’ first (see Annex 2).

The different scenarios scan be compared in class. It is exciting to see why different pupils/groups have developed different kinds of scenarios.

Subjects for discussion are:

> The preference for behavioral or technological solutions> The comparison of their own scenario to the 4 example scenarios (see Annex 1)> The difference in impact between levers > The degree of difficulty to reach certain ambition levels > The actors that will play a key role in the transition aspired to (authorities,

citizens, pressure groups, institutions…).

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4. Additional (lesson) activities in and outside class

Activities linked to the My2050 webtool:

Activity Duration Description Subjects

4.1 The transition seen from different points of view

50 min. Insight in the different actors and enter-ing into the allocated role.

Cross Curricular /Project working

Natural sciences

Geography

General subjects project

Language classes

4.2 The different energy sources in detail

50 min. Look for information and discuss the ad-vantages and disadvantages of different energy sources.

Natural sciences

Geography

General subjects project

Language courses

4.3 Watt’s up 20 min Calculate how much energy electric appliances consume and introduce the concepts kWh, MW and GW.

Natural sciences

General subjects project

Geography

Additional activities:

Activity Duration Description Subjects

4.4 A look at the world 20 min. Deduce from graphs which countries are the major source of (GHG) emissions and understand that climate change requires a solution at international level.

Geography

General subjects project

English

4.5 Participate in the Climate Challenge

— Gaining insight in the climate issue, the challenges on an international level, the points of view and interests of the countries in climate negotiations.

Geography

General subjects project

Language classes

4.6 Additional activities inside and outside the class

— Putting up solution oriented actions at school.

Cross curricular/project working

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4.1 The transition seen from different points of view

Objectives– The pupils get more information on the different levers and get acquaint-

ed with their different advantages and disadvantages.

– The pupils develop a point of view of their own, based on the information they looked up.

Divide the class in small groups.

Each group will be allocated a role and create a scenario from that role, thus mak-ing certain choices. Different groups in society indeed have different interest and points of view. This way the pupils gain insight into the different interests that are present in the societal debate.

Give each group a specific role.

You can have the pupils choose a role from the list below, or look for additional roles themselves:

>Energy-intensive industrial sectors in general, or a specific energy-intensive industry (e.g. steel, cement, refining industry…)

>An industry investing into the development of a specific energy technology (e.g. wind energy, solar energy, smart counters…)

>An electricity producer (e.g. big power producer, energy cooperation…)>Building sector>Automobile construction sector >Agricultural organization>Environmental organizations>Consumers’ organizations>Trade unions: the federation or a separate section for a specific sector (e.g.

steel, cement…)>Authorities: Minister for the Environment, for Energy or for Mobility, alderman

for the Environment or Urban planning in a small or bigger town or municipality>…

Each of the groups can now enter into its role and work out scenarios or partial scenar-ios from this point of view by establishing the ambition levels that are desirable/acceptable for the levers of:

>One particular sector of the webtool: in this case, the challenges of one single sector are thoroughly deepened, comparing the points of view of the repre-sentatives from this sector with those of other sectors and organizations or authorities who focus on this sector from their own point of view.

>The 5 sectors of the webtool: they work out a complete scenario representing the point of view of one sector, organization or authority

Duration 30 to 50 minutes (if the

research work has been done by groups beforehand)

MaterialPossibly a smartboard or a

computer with a beamer to allow the groups to present

their research

SubjectsNatural sciences

Project general subjects

Geography

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Ask the groups to develop a clear argumentation for their choices, based on:

>The information on the information sheets for each lever: especially the section ‘opportunities and challenges’ can constitute a good source of inspiration for further research.

>Websites of specific sectors/ organisations/ authorities

>Newspaper and magazine articles

>TV magazine reports

>…

Discuss the different group results in class:

>Have the groups discuss the various points of view, put forward and counter arguments, per sector or for all of the sectors (complete scenarios).

>Visualize the scenarios of the different groups on the result page ‘Comparing your scenario’. The different scenarios can easily be compared by copy-pasting the URLs of the scenarios in the browser field, or by searching them manually (see chapter 4, section ‘Saving, comparing and discussing your own scenario’).

>The group can also decide to accept one common scenario as a compromise, and to save it.

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4.2 In in-depth look at the different energy sources

Objectives– The pupils receive further information on the various energy sources and

learn about the various advantages and disadvantages.

– The pupils form their own point of view based on the information they compiled.

In the transition to a low carbon society it is crucial to replace fossil fuels by renewable energy sources. It is worthwhile to have a closer look at the different levers of the energy supplying sector.

> Divide the class in 4 groups, each of them will have to focus on one lever.

> Have the pupils look up more information about their source of energy, espe-cially about their advantages and disadvantages. Also refer to the ‘opportunities and challenges’ of the information sheets belonging to each of the levers.

> You can have your pupils do this research work as a homework or as a group work and ask them to present their findings to the class (with a poster, a Pow-erpoint presentation…).

> Discuss the challenges for each energy source in class.

> Refer to the scenarios developed (and saved?) earlier, and check whether this scenario needs to be adjusted, taking new insights into account.

Some supporting questions may help the debate move ahead:

> Adversaries of wind energy and solar energy often refer to the intermittent character of electricity production, to the possible visual or sound disturbance by windmills or the potential problems concerning recycling solar panels. What arguments can you use to counter this? What are the advantages of wind and solar energy production? What potential do they have in our country (e.g. com-pared to neighbour countries)?

> Geothermic and hydro-energy are renewable and continuously present energy sources but have a rather limited potential in our country. What installations or pilot projects do already exist? What is the potential part of these sources in energy production by 2050?

> What are the advantages and disadvantages, or the risks (in or outside Bel-gium) for a (sustainable) use of biomass?

> When is there a need of import or export of electricity? Is there a necessity to restrain them? What are the conditions that imported electricity should comply with?

Duration 30 to 50 minutes (If the

groups have done the research in advance)

MaterialPossibly a smartboard or a computer with beamer to

allow the groups to present their research.

SubjectsNatural sciences

General subject project

Geography

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4.3 Watt’s up

Objectives– The pupils know that electricity is measured in kWh and can convert the

capacity of an appliance into electricity consumed.

– The pupils know the meaning of the units for load (W, kW, MW, GW and TW) and energy consumption (Wh, kWh, MWh, GWh and TWh), and have an idea about the order of magnitude

Working method> Give the pupils a copy of the worksheet ‘Watt’s up’. This lesson is particularly

suitable for group work.

> Let the pupils list electric appliances and note their capacity. This assignment can also be given as homework. Internet searches can also provide informa-tion on the capacity of a number of typical household appliances. Of particular interest are appliances such as a washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, coffee maker, electric heating device, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, computer, etc.

> Let the pupils solve and write the calculations on the worksheet.

Worksheet solutions > Dishwasher consumption: 1.2 kW x 1 hour x 365 days = 438 kWh

> TV consumption: 0.25 kW x 3 hours x 365 = 274 kWh

> Wind turbine production: 2 000 kW x 2 200 hours = 4 400 000 kWh = 4.4 MWh

> Number of families: 4 400 000 kWh/3 500 kWh = 1 257 families.

Duration 20 to 30 minutes

MaterialCopies of the worksheet

for the pupils

SubjectsNatural sciences

General subjects project

Geography

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Worksheet: Watt’s up

A few definitionsWatt (W) is a measurement unit specifying the capacity of a device, that is to say the amount of energy it consumes or produces per unit of time.

Our consumption of electricity is indicated on the electricity meter in kilo-watt hours (kWh). 1 kWh corresponds to the consumption of a device with a capacity of 1 kilowatt (1000 W) during 1 hour.

Watt kW (kilowatt)

MW (Megawatt)

GW (Gigawatt)

TW (Terawatt)

1 watt 103 watt 106 watt 109 watt 1012 watt

Unmask the energy guzzlersCheck out the capacity of as many devices as possible both at home and at school. You can find the capacity of electrical appliances expressed in W (or sometimes the consumption in Wh). These specifications are usually shown on a sticker underneath or on the back of the device.

Make a Top 10 list of these devices. Which device is the biggest energy guzzler and which device requires little energy?

Caution: in order to avoid electric shocks and/or electrocution switch off these appliances if you need to move them to look, take great care with electric wires and sockets.

The energy guzzlers Top 10

1. .......................................................................................

2. .......................................................................................

3. .......................................................................................

4. .......................................................................................

5. .......................................................................................

6. .......................................................................................

7. .......................................................................................

8. .......................................................................................

9. .......................................................................................

10. .......................................................................................

A few calculation examples What is the annual electricity consumption (expressed in kWh) of a dishwasher with an electric capacity of 1200 W when it is operated for 1 hour?

1200 W = ……………… kW

……………… kW x ……………… hours x ………………days = ……………… electricity per year

Use this method to calculate the same for a TV, with an electric capacity of 250 W, when it is operated for 3 hours per day.

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Calculate the yield from a wind turbineThe capacity of a wind turbine indicates what maximum capacity the turbine is capable of producing (i.e. under optimal conditions). A 2000 kW (2 MW) onshore turbine operated in optimal circumstances for a period of 1 hour, produces 2000 kWh of electricity.

How much electricity (expressed in kWh) does that turbine produce per year if we base our calculations on the turbine operating for 2200 hours under optimal circumstances? (for the sake of comparison: one year counts 24 x 365 = 8.760 hours)

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How many households will that electricity be able to supply if you know that an average Belgian family has an annual consumption of 3.500 kWh?

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The table shows you the production capacity of various production units.

Production capacity Yearly load (*)

Wind turbines (onshore) 1 - 2 MW approx. 25%

Wind turbines (offshore) up to 7 MW approx. 40%

Nuclear power plant 1.000 MW > 90%

Gas-fired power plant (e.g. Herdersbrugge) 480 MW n/a

(*) The yearly load of an installation is being defined as the ratio (in %) between the number of hours of production at full power and the number of hours in one year (8760 hours).

E.g.: If a wind mill of 2 MW has produced 2,5 GWh (= 2500 MWh) electricity in one year, it is as if it turned 2500 / 2 = 1250 hours at full power. The load is then 1250 / 8760 = 14%.

Some figures about green power production in Belgium (**):

Installations Year production

number/ surface. installed capacity

Solar- photovoltaic (electricity) 23 km² 3.200 MW 3,2 TWh

Solar – thermic (heat) 0,58 km² 2,2 TWh

Wind total 880 2.229 MW 5,7 TWh

onshore 698 1.517 MW 3,2 TWh

offshore 182 712 MW 2,5 TWh

Hydro 135 105 MWh

(**) Figures for end 2015 (end 2013 for thermic panels). Source: Apère asbl.

The yearly net electricity production in Belgium amounted to 68 TWh in 2014, while net import amounted to 18 TWh, over 20% of the total consumption. (Source: Febeg)

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4.4 A look at the world

Objectives– The pupils understand that climate change is a problem requiring a solu-

tion at the international level.

– The pupils know which countries are major emitters of CO2.

Working method> Show the 2 diagrams below to your pupils, indicating the 4 countries/groups of

countries responsible for the most important greenhouse gas emissions. Ask them which conclusions can be drawn from this.

The ‘top 4’ CO2 emitters between 1960 and 2014 (in Gigatons per year)

In 2014, the ‘Top 4’ emitters (diagram above) were responsible for 59% of the worldwide greenhouse gas emissions: China (27%), the US (15%), the EU (10%) and India (7%).

The following diagram shows the emission per person for the same Top 4 - (based on the number of inhabitants).

China 9.7 ▲ 1.2%Gt CO2 in 2014

USA 5.6 ▲ 0.8%

India 2.6 ▲ 8.6%EU28 3.4 ▼ 5.8%

Duration 20 to 30 minutes

MaterialSmartboard or computer

with beamer and speakers to view the animation ‘Inter-

national climate policy in a nutshell’ in class

SubjectsGeography

General subjects project

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CO2 emission per person for these ‘Top 4’ between 1960 and 2014 (in tons per person per year)

(Source: Global Carbon Budget 2015, Global Carbon Project -- http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/carbonbudget/15/files/GCP_budget_2015_v1.02.pdf)

> After additional searches, discuss the part of the ‘big polluters’ (the occiden-tal industrialized countries) , the ‘emerging economies’, or the less developed (and most vulnerable) countries and the small island states, being the most vulnerable ones. Ask the pupils to reflect on whether countries (like the US, China, India…) or regional groups (industrialized countries, emerging econo-mies…):

– are equally ‘guilty’ for the climate change – have to make equal efforts to reduce emissions – are equally confronted with the negative consequences of the climate

change

> You may possibly divide the class into country clusters or regional groups (in-dustrialized countries, emerging economies, developing countries, least devel-oped countries, small island states…). Let the groups enter into their role and find arguments from their points of view, and develop a vision for the future.

> You may possibly let the pupils give a presentation on the role of the different players, based on their own searches.

China 7.1

USA 17.4 t/pin 2014

India 2.0

EU28 6.8World 4.9

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4.5 Participate in the Climate Challenge

You will find a lot of information on climate change, its causes, consequences and solutions on the websites Klimaat.be and Climate Challenge. You will also find suggestions for classroom activities and much footage to use in class.

www.climat.be / www.klimaat.be www.climatechallenge.be

It is also possible to organize a so-called Climate Challenge@school. If you decide to do so, a climate conference is organized at school. The pupils represent a coun-try involved in the climate negotiations and debate on various legislative proposals.

Through this working method, pupils gain insight into the climate issue, the chal-lenges faced at the international level in relation to reaching a climate agreement and the different positions and interests of the countries involved in the climate negotiations.

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4.6 Additional activities inside and outside the class

Organize a Repair CaféRepair Cafes are free repair sessions where neighbors volunteer to meet and help each other to restore all kinds of objects. This can be anything from clothes to electrical appliances, furniture, bicycles, computers and other electronic equip-ment. Participants bring things from home and then repair these with the (volun-tary) help of experts, such as electricians, seamstresses, carpenters, etc. Tools and equipment to carry out repairs are available at the Repair Café. Throw it away? No way! Repair & reuse it is the message!

Use the expertise that the pupils have at school, or if the necessary knowledge is not yet present you can invite neighboring schools to come and share their knowl-edge with you. You can find some inspiration at: www.repaircafe.be.

Call on an expertInvite a speaker from another school, or organize a trip with the pupils to visit some concrete examples. This may range between a visit to a company commit-ted to sustainable production and the local organic or self-harvest farm.

In addition, numerous cities, municipalities and provinces are working towards a carbon neutral future (see the mapping on www.climat.be/2050). Perhaps the Envi-ronmental or Sustainability Officer is prepared to visit your school and explain the plans and various initiatives.

Introduce an awareness-raising campaign at schoolIf you want to favor discussion at school on the idea of a transition to a low-car-bon society, you can let the pupils work out an awareness-raising campaign. Which message do they want to get across? Which target audiences do they wish to reach (teachers, peers, parents, etc.)? Which channels are they going to use (article in the school newspaper, a newsletter, a poster campaign, a debate, etc.)?

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Appendix 1. Four scenario examples

In this chapter, 4 scenario examples are presented that can show teachers how to guide pupils in class. These scenario examples are derived from a study entitled “Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Belgium by 2050” and the associated professional webtool which was also developed by the federal government (see www.climat-echange.be/2050).

It concerns 3 scenario examples that must lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of approximately 80%, namely the CENTRAL, BEHAVIOR and TECH-NOLOGY scenarios. In addition, a fourth scenario results in a further emission reduction, the 95% scenario.

The CENTRAL scenario

3 3 3 3 B 3 2 2 2 1 3 3 3

In this scenario, the levers are not set to the extreme ambition level (most levers are set to level 3). This means that both behavioral and technological solutions are implemented.

The BEHAVIORAL scenario

4 2 4 2 B 3 2 2 2 1 4 4 1

This scenario focuses on the reduction of emissions through ambitious behavioral and lifestyle changes such as reduced demand for transport, a reduction of meat consumption, a reduction in energy consumption for heating and cooling build-ings. The scenario assumes that all necessary cultural, structural, organizational and institutional changes (such as increased investment in public transport, more teleworking opportunities…) will be implemented in order to enable the intended behavioral change.

The levers linked to behavioral changes are set to the highest ambition level and, consequently, the technological changes can be set to a lower ambition level in comparison with the CENTRAL scenario

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The TECHNOLOGY scenario

2 4 2 4 B 4 3 2 2 1 1 1 4

The TECHNOLOGY scenario focuses on technological solutions, such as improv-ing the energy efficiency in buildings, increasing electrification in the transport and building sectors and enhanced process changes in the industry.

The technological levers are set to the highest ambition level, while the behavioral changes are set to a lower ambition level than in the CENTRAL scenario.

This section shows to which extent strict implementation of technological solu-tions can contribute to the achievement of the transition objectives.

The -95% scenario

4 4 4 4 B 4 4 2 2 1 2 4 4

This is a very ambitious scenario created to test the technical feasibility of any intended substantial reduction in emissions by 2050. In this scenario, the differ-ent levers in the building, transport, industrial and agricultural sectors are set to level 4 in order to examine the maximum potential and the robust character of all options. In this scenario, the energy demand decreases dramatically, as a result of this the levers related to energy don’t need to be set to the maximum level.

Even though this scenario creates an immense challenge for society, a radical paradigm change is not necessary (for instance, the evolution of industrial pro-duction remains unchanged compared to the other scenarios). It does however require huge efforts from all sections of society because lifestyle changes must be combined with large-scale technical solutions (including carbon capture and storage in the industry).

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Appendix 2. Worksheet: My 2050 Simulation

Indicate (below the drawings) which ambition level you have chosen for the dif-ferent levers.

What % of emission reduction do you achieve with your scenario?

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Are your energy supply and demand in balance? Or do you import or export elec-tricity?

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Which energy forms did you choose in particular?

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Did you mainly choose technological or rather behavior-related solutions? What is the reason for your choice?

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Do your choices seem realistic? And would you like to live in the year 2050?

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Appendix 3. List of some Terms & Concepts

Emissions (of greenhouse gases)

Greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.

Greenhouse effect Our planet is wrapped in a thin layer of gases, this layer is called the atmosphere or earth's atmosphere. The natural greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have an insulating effect and retain heat. This ensures that the average temperature on earth is 15°C. In the absence of these gases it would be too cold to survive on our planet.

Greenhouse gases Carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapor (H2O), laughing gas or nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) are examples. They occur naturally in the atmosphere, but additional greenhouse gases are released (mainly CO2) into the atmosphere through human activity and this leads to an increased warming of the planet.

Renewable energy Energy originating from sources that can renew themselves naturally, such as the sun, wind, water, etc. Therefore, the current use of these does not limit future consumption.

Fossil fuels Examples include coal, petroleum and natural gas. These result from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago. Current consumption gradually drains these stocks and a great deal of C02 is released during combustion. So the carbon, removed from the carbon cycle long ago, re-enters the atmosphere.

Carbon This is the most important component of all life on earth and is found in all living matter (indicated by the letter C), but also in rocks, in the oceans and in the air.

Carbon cycle The continuous exchange of carbon between the oceans, the soil, the living beings and the atmosphere, through various natural processes.

IPCC The scientific panel of the United Nations concerned with Climate Change; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Transition A structural change; e.g. the gradual transition (on the basis of stepping stones) from an energy system based on the use of fossil fuels to a system based on renewable energy.

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Appendix 4. Interesting websites

Climate www.ipcc.ch: The website of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change − the United Nations panel, which consists of hundreds of experts from around the world − contains a series of scientific reports that serve as reference pieces for policy makers.

www.klimaat.be / www.climat.be: Website for information on climate change, cli-mate policy and the daily actions of the Climate Change Office of the Federal Public Service 'Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment'.

www.climatechallenge.be: A multidisciplinary educational website on climate change for second and third year secondary education, chockfull of movies, les-sons and information; created by WWF-Belgium in conjunction with Studio Globo and the Federal Climate Change Service. Considerable attention is given to the impact of climate change on people in the South, the consequences for biodiver-sity and the importance of science.

www.educapoles.org: EducaPoles is the educational website of the International Polar Foundation (IPF). The organization aims to sensitize young people and the educational world to the importance of polar regions and climate change.

www.lne.be: Website of the Environment, Nature and Energy Department of the Flemish authority, including information on the climate and energy policies of the Flemish Region.

www.environnement.brussels: Website of the Brussels Capital Region including a wide range of information on climate and energy, ecological construction…

www.awac.be: Website of the Agence Wallonne de l’Air et du Climat (Walloon Re-gion), with information on climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and the climate policy conducted by the Wallonia. You can also calculate the carbon foot-print of an activity.

Energy www.energievreters.be / www.energivores.be: You can use this federal gov-ernment calculation module to calculate the energy consumption and the CO2 emissions from various in-house energy guzzlers (electric household appliances, televisions, car, lighting) or estimate the heat losses through insulation materi-als (windows, roof insulation, wall insulation). When buying a new appliance or insulation material the module helps you to select the most efficient models and materials available on the Belgian market.

www.energiesparen.be: The Flemish Energy Agency (VEA) has a website with information on all aspects of the energy issue: the Flemish energy policy, rational energy use, statistics, subsidy possibilities, environment-friendly energy produc-tion, etc. Brochures about REG (insulation, ventilation, heating, energy-efficient construction, practical tips, etc.) and sustainable energy (biomass, WKK, solar energy, heat pumps, etc.) can be downloaded.

www.topten.be: This website makes it fast and easy to find the most energy-ef-ficient appliances for the home and office. The website is an initiative led by the Federation for a Better Environment (Flanders) in cooperation with the Brus-sels-Capital Region, the non-profit organization 'Ecoconso vzw' and the European Commission.

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www.ode.be: ODE or the Organization for Renewable Energy is the central infor-mation provider for renewable energy in Flanders, for both families and compa-nies.

www.apere.org: Website of the Association pour la Promotion des Energies REnouvela-bles, the ABC of renewable energy; it also shows the daily yield of wind and solar energy for some 30 Belgian cities.

Towards a sustainable society

www.klimaat.be/2050 and www.climat.be/2050: This site presents the initiatives taken by the Federal Government to contribute to the development of a Belgian strategy for a low-carbon society by 2050.

www.transitie.be: Transitie Vlaanderen vzw (transition Flanders) is a non-profit organization that supports the start-up and operation of local transition groups.

www.sustainablecity.be: The website offers all information on sustainable develop-ment in Brussels. The site has seven theme sections: sustainable buildings, sus-tainable neighborhoods, green city, sustainable consumption, sustainable econo-my, mobility and reducing environmental damage/nuisances.

www.bewustverbruiken.be: Community website belonging to the organization 'Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken' (conscious consumption network) on sustainable lifestyles, reducing and changing consumption patterns.

www.ecoconso.be: Website of the association of the same name, including con-crete information and background columns favoring consumption and environ-ment-friendly choices.

www.frdo-cfdd.be: In the report “Sur les routes d’une Belgique sans carbone”, the Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FRDO/CFDD) humorously draws the attention to local climate initiatives in various domains, involving both local authorities and citizens, organizations and companies.

Other 2050 webtools

www.2050.org.uk: outlines all expert webtools and educative tools developed on a national level, including Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Mexico, Taiwan, the U.K., Vietnam, South-Africa, South-Korea, Switzerland… as well as on a global level (e.g. ‘The Global Calculator’).

Educational materials

www.wwf.be/ecole : Here teachers can order (free of charge) educational ma-terials concerning themes such as climate, energy, biodiversity and sustainable consumption.