Chapter 4: Teaching About Climate Change: An Action Research Approach

Climate change is a pressing global issue of considerable interest to professional scientists as well as policymakers and even average citizens. It spans multiple scientific disciplines, and much of the professional science requires sophisticated and expensive computer models. At the same time, there is a growing awareness of the need for laboratory experiences in the science classroom that teach both content and science as a method of inquiry. Further complicating matters are the cost of laboratory equipment and the inherent variability of climate change impact. However, it is generally accepted that sea levels will rise due to thermal expansion and glacier melting, so any student living in a coastal area could potentially research climate change. This chapter reviews the scientific basis of climate change and its potential impact on society at large. It then proposes a combination of field and laboratory experience for students who will assess the potential impact of climate change in their region through the lens of botany. Students or a teacher will collect a seed bank from the nearest estuary or freshwater marsh. They will then treat the seeds with varying concentrations of saltwater and record the differences in germinations observed. Based on these findings, they will then predict the impact that increased salinity will have on their local biota.