COP & climate science
Can't make the live broadcast? No problem! The lesson will be available on catch-up, and your class can still submit questions in advance for our experts to address.
2024 has already broken multiple climate records - from the hottest days ever measured to extreme weather events worldwide. These changes show us why countries need to work together more than ever to tackle climate change.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is like the World Cup of climate action, where countries meet to make important decisions about protecting our planet. This year's meeting, COP29, will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan. It's particularly important because countries will be reviewing their progress on climate goals and deciding what more needs to be done.
This live lesson will help your students understand how science and international cooperation work together to address one of the biggest challenges facing their generation. Through interactive polls, real examples, and expert insights, students will discover how scientific evidence shapes the decisions that affect their future.
Available on catch-up
- 45 mins
- Ages 12+ / KS3+
Broadcast on YouTube Live
Learning objectives
This live lesson focuses on the themes of:
Discover how scientific research influences real decisions at climate conferences
Learn how climate data is collected and what it tells us about different parts of the world
Explore which countries are most affected by climate change and why
Evaluate whether international meetings like COP are doing enough to respond to the science
Assess the urgent challenges COP29 needs to address based on the latest evidence
Preparation
This standalone lesson connects students to climate science and the COP process. While no specific preparation is needed, classes benefit from tracking current climate records and extreme weather events, following pre-COP29 scientific briefings, and considering local climate impacts in their region. Interactive resources including a climate science primer, COP timeline, and glossary are available online.
Supporting student sheets will be available to download from this page shortly.
If you have never joined a live lesson before, visit the support centre, where you can find a range of technical and educational information.
Questions generated by your class can be submitted via the interaction app that will appear on this lesson page once you have booked the lesson.
Lesson steps
1. The COP Process & Scientific Input (5 minutes)
We begin with an engaging poll asking students "What do you think drives climate decisions?" with options of money, science, politics, or public pressure. Our experts will then unpack how the COP process works, revealing the crucial interfaces between scientific evidence and policy-making. Students will discover how research findings move from the lab to the negotiating table, including which scientific concerns often get overlooked and why. We'll explore the various channels through which science influences international climate agreements.
2. Evolution of Climate Science & Modelling (10 minutes)
We will then take students on a journey from the first IPCC report in 1990 to the latest assessment, highlighting the dramatic evolution of our understanding. Through interactive demonstrations, we'll explore how early simple climate models have transformed into today's sophisticated Earth System Models that reveal tipping points and compound effects. Students will discover how scientific confidence has grown from "suggesting human influence" to "unequivocal" human impact, backed by vastly improved data collection, satellite monitoring, and computing power. We'll examine specific predictions from 1990 that have now been verified, demonstrating the improving accuracy of climate science, while highlighting critical new findings about accelerating change that urgently need policy attention.
3. Science Informing COP29 Decisions (5 minutes)
Our experts will examine how scientific evidence underpins crucial COP29 negotiations. We'll focus particularly on climate finance and the upcoming 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Students will learn how scientific modelling helps countries set and evaluate their emissions targets for the next round of NDCs, while understanding where current targets may fall short of scientific necessities.
4. Youth Engagement in Climate Science & Policy (5 minutes)
"Which of these actions do you think has the most impact?" Quick poll with options:
Joining climate protests
Writing to politicians with scientific evidence
Starting a school climate science club
Based on the poll results, we'll explore that pathway in more detail and share a concrete opportunity for students to get involved right now.
5. Q&A (15 minutes)
This is a chance for classes to ask any questions they have about a science career, for our guest speakers, and the importance of women in science.
Speakers
Maddie Millington
Senior Climate Project Manager
Dr Paul Halloran
Professor in Ocean and Climate science, University of Exeter
Brought to you by
With support form
Teach the goals
COP & climate science
Can't make the live broadcast? No problem! The lesson will be available on catch-up, and your class can still submit questions in advance for our experts to address.
2024 has already broken multiple climate records - from the hottest days ever measured to extreme weather events worldwide. These changes show us why countries need to work together more than ever to tackle climate change.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is like the World Cup of climate action, where countries meet to make important decisions about protecting our planet. This year's meeting, COP29, will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan. It's particularly important because countries will be reviewing their progress on climate goals and deciding what more needs to be done.
This live lesson will help your students understand how science and international cooperation work together to address one of the biggest challenges facing their generation. Through interactive polls, real examples, and expert insights, students will discover how scientific evidence shapes the decisions that affect their future.
Available on catch-up
- 45 mins
- Ages 12+ / KS3+
Broadcast on YouTube Live
Learning objectives
This live lesson focuses on the themes of:
Discover how scientific research influences real decisions at climate conferences
Learn how climate data is collected and what it tells us about different parts of the world
Explore which countries are most affected by climate change and why
Evaluate whether international meetings like COP are doing enough to respond to the science
Assess the urgent challenges COP29 needs to address based on the latest evidence
Preparation
This standalone lesson connects students to climate science and the COP process. While no specific preparation is needed, classes benefit from tracking current climate records and extreme weather events, following pre-COP29 scientific briefings, and considering local climate impacts in their region. Interactive resources including a climate science primer, COP timeline, and glossary are available online.
Supporting student sheets will be available to download from this page shortly.
If you have never joined a live lesson before, visit the support centre, where you can find a range of technical and educational information.
Questions generated by your class can be submitted via the interaction app that will appear on this lesson page once you have booked the lesson.
Lesson steps
1. The COP Process & Scientific Input (5 minutes)
We begin with an engaging poll asking students "What do you think drives climate decisions?" with options of money, science, politics, or public pressure. Our experts will then unpack how the COP process works, revealing the crucial interfaces between scientific evidence and policy-making. Students will discover how research findings move from the lab to the negotiating table, including which scientific concerns often get overlooked and why. We'll explore the various channels through which science influences international climate agreements.
2. Evolution of Climate Science & Modelling (10 minutes)
We will then take students on a journey from the first IPCC report in 1990 to the latest assessment, highlighting the dramatic evolution of our understanding. Through interactive demonstrations, we'll explore how early simple climate models have transformed into today's sophisticated Earth System Models that reveal tipping points and compound effects. Students will discover how scientific confidence has grown from "suggesting human influence" to "unequivocal" human impact, backed by vastly improved data collection, satellite monitoring, and computing power. We'll examine specific predictions from 1990 that have now been verified, demonstrating the improving accuracy of climate science, while highlighting critical new findings about accelerating change that urgently need policy attention.
3. Science Informing COP29 Decisions (5 minutes)
Our experts will examine how scientific evidence underpins crucial COP29 negotiations. We'll focus particularly on climate finance and the upcoming 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Students will learn how scientific modelling helps countries set and evaluate their emissions targets for the next round of NDCs, while understanding where current targets may fall short of scientific necessities.
4. Youth Engagement in Climate Science & Policy (5 minutes)
"Which of these actions do you think has the most impact?" Quick poll with options:
Joining climate protests
Writing to politicians with scientific evidence
Starting a school climate science club
Based on the poll results, we'll explore that pathway in more detail and share a concrete opportunity for students to get involved right now.
5. Q&A (15 minutes)
This is a chance for classes to ask any questions they have about a science career, for our guest speakers, and the importance of women in science.
Speakers
Maddie Millington
Senior Climate Project Manager
Dr Paul Halloran
Professor in Ocean and Climate science, University of Exeter
Brought to you by
With support form
Teach the goals