Technology Uses

 

Introduction

Global warming is becoming a serious concern for all inhabitants of the planet Earth. Gradually over the years, our climate has been warming up. For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, our first reaction might be "That's okay with me. Our summers are too short anyway". However, even a minor change in the Earth's temperature of only a few degrees will result in dramatic changes to our climate.

During the last Ice Age when most of the Northern Hemisphere was covered in glaciers, the average temperature of our planet was only 2 to 3 degrees Celius colder than what it is today. Doesn't sound like much, but the result was that much of Canada was covered in ice up to a few kilometers in depth.

So imagine what could happen if our average temperature was to rise by a couple of degrees Celius!

The Task

As part of a top secret research project on global warming, you and two other scientists have agreed to be transported 100 years into the future. You will be living in the year 2101 for two weeks. Your mission is to study the effects that global warming has had on the Earth in the future. At the end of two weeks, you will be transported back to present day Earth where you will report back to Central Command on what we can do today to make sure that future inhabitants of our planet are safe from the disastrous consequences of global warming.

 

The Process

You and your team will be responsible for creating a "Report from the Future". You will describe what the Northern Hemisphere will be like after 100 years of global warming. You will explain what Global Warming is and what are its causes, what the consequences of global warming are, and what can be done about it now so that we can "change the future" to insure that it won't become a problem.

  1. Get together with the other members of your group and decide who is going to assume the following tasks. Do some "brainstorming" on global warming in order to come up with ideas for the focus of your report. Develop a plan of action to determine the organization, contents, and "look" of your report. Know your main objectives and devise an outline of all the information your report will contain. While you are responsible for completing your section of the report, you will also be responsible for making sure that finished report is well written and flows smoothly.

What is Global Warming and what are its causes?
What are the consequences of Global Warming if nothing is done about it now?
What can we do to make sure that Global Warming doesn't become a disaster for the future?

  1. Using the Internet resources listed on the Resources page, begin to research the your task. As you research, let your partners know if you find something that will help them.
  2. Meet with your partners regularily and share what you have discovered.
  3. You are required to use at least three different sources of information in the development of the report. In other words, if you are using online resources only, then you will be expected to use at least three different web sites for researching Global Warming. Your sources of information on Global warning do not have to be limited to online resources. In addition to online resources, you may use books, encyclopedias, cd rom disks, newspapers etc. Make sure that you write down the name of the source or internet page from which you get your information.
  4. Using a word processor, begin to write the report. Keep in mind that the first part of your report will introduce the reader to the problem of global warming and its causes. The second part of the report will describe the effects of global warming, and the third part will describe what we can do to solve this problem.
  5. After having researched and written your report on global warming, you should have a much clearer idea of the problems caused by this phenomenon. However, being aware of the problem is not enough. Perhaps you may feel that we should be doing more in solving this environmental issue. A good starting point would be to write a letter expressing your concerns to your Member of Parliament in Ottawa or your Member of the National Assembly in Quebec City.
  6. Take a look at Learning Advice to find out how to take notes from your sources so as to avoid plagiarism. The Learning Advice section will also show you how to list your sources of information in your bibliography.