Five Short Similes forTeaching Children about Climate

Change

Steven McNulty, Ph.D. USDA Forest Service

Raleigh, North Carolinasteve_mcnulty@ncsu.edu

Background

Similes are basically just short stories that relate one thing(e.g., object, event, place, person) to another thing. In thislecture, we will relate something complex (i.e. climate changeand climate change impacts) to something simple to make it easier to understand and remember

“Everything should be made as simple as possible,

but not simpler “” Albert Einstein

One way to simplify a complex processes, event or condition is to use a simile

Lecture Objective

To use a five short similes to help explaina few of the key components of climate change, and climate change impacts on ecosystems

Five Similes for this Lecture• The (REALLY) Big Blanket

• Steve’s Hill Slope Stairs Project

• A Clint Eastwood Movie

• My Brothers Car

• Last Great Act of Defiance*

* Not classroom suitable

Simile 1:

The (REALLY) Big Blanket Factory

Think of the burning fossil fuels like making billions of blankets to go up into the sky

Source: Climate Change Impacts on the US, NAST, 2000

Once the blankets are made, the are transported up into the sky (think atmospheric FEDEX)

Source: Climate Change Impacts on the US, NAST, 2000

The more blankets, the more the heat trapped underneath (just like on your bed)

Source: Climate Change Impacts on the US, NAST, 2000

How warm would you be if you doubled the number of blankets on your bed and crawled

underneath them?

But that’s only half the story….

Simile 2:

Steve’s Hill Slope Stairs Project

Cha

nge

Variability

Variability v. Changeas Illustrated by Steve’s hill slope stairs project

Bottom of Hill (current climate)

Top of Hill (Future climate)

Climate change will be highly variable over space and time!

Source: Climate Change Impacts on the US, NAST, 2001

IPCC world CC map

Simile 3:A Clint Eastwood Movie

Scene 1: The Good (at least in the short-term)

Change in Forest Productivity from 1982 to 1999

Nemani et al., Science June 6th 2003

The increase in growing season length over the last 50 years averaged for eight stations in Alaska having the longest and most consistent temperature records.

Spring bud-burst dates for Aspen in Edmonton

Sweetgum

Iverson et. al GTR NE265

Loblolly pine

Iverson et. al GTR NE265

Scene 2:

The Bad

Sugar maple

Iverson et. al GTR NE265

Scene 3:

The Ugly

Percent of the continental USA with a much above normal proportion of total annual precipitation from 1-day extreme events

(more than 2 inches or 50.8mm)

Karl et al. 1996

BW 7

Areas of Soil Erosion By 2030 On UNF

Large scale (> 400 ac) Wildfires and Air Temperature

From Westerling et al. 2005

BLEACHING OF CORAL REEFS BY OCEAN TEMPS > 85deg F (29 deg C)

Locations of Coral Reef Bleaching

Simile 4:

My Brothers Car

A car should have its oil changed every 3000 miles. If youwait until 5000 miles its probably still OK. If you wait until 30,000 there will probably be some damage done to the cars engine, but it can probably be fixed even though it will be expensive. If you wait until 100,000 miles, the car will probably be broken and very, very expensive to fix, orit may not be fixable at all.

Global warming is the same way, the longer we wait, theMore expensive it will be to fix (if at all).

Simile 5:

The Last Great Act of Defiance

(Actions that can reduce global warming)

Censored!

130 years of CO2 emissions

Our children

RECYCLE!!!

Tell your parents what you learned!!

-There is still some wrong information that is being passed around about climate change and its impacts. You can help to educate your parents with the truthabout climate change.

Compact Fluorescents 100W of light for 23W

Refrigerators 1979 Model – 1440 KWh/yr2002 Model - 480 KWh/yr

Low E Argon windows

94% Efficient furnacesand water heaters

This is what Europeans are encouraged to drive, the new Mercedes built “Smart-car”

This is what Americans drive

Thank you for your indulgence!