Though Florida A&M University (FAMU) is an HBCU (Historically Black College/University), its student population is diverse with respect to the representation of people of color. In addition to African Americans, there are black students from the Caribbean, Africa, and South America, in addition to students from different Asian countries. Accordingly, students are assisted in gaining a more global worldview through cultural interactions with their peers. Objectives:

• Describe how climate has changed in your home country over the past 100 years.
• Compare various nations' commitments to regulate greenhouse gas emissions according to international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol.
• Examine and describe the societal factors which influence awareness, attitudes, and actions with respect to global climate change.
• Apply the concept of environmental justice to global climate change.

Module details:

Readings:

• Arnold J. Bloom, Global Climate Change: Convergence of Disciplines, Chapter 11, "Global Climate Change and the Law"
• Arnold J. Bloom, Global Climate Change: Convergence of Disciplines, Chapter 12,"Global Climate Change: The Human Response"
• Rosenbaum Chapter 10: The United States and Climate Diplomacy: The Emerging Politics of Global Environmentalism
• Environmental Justice Executive Order
• Garrett Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons

Lecture: Discussion questions:

How has the climate changed in your home country since your grandparents' birth? (Use NASA data to examine their home country's climate: present, their birth, their parents' birth, their grandparents' birth).

Is clean air a right or a privilege?

Are there environmental justice implications involved in studying the issue of global climate change?

What are the contributors to climate literacy? Does studying environmental science ensure that one is climate literate?

Student activities:

Pre - & Post-Test on Climate Change

Environmental Autobiography

Funded by NASA Global Climate Change Education Grant NNXO9AL64G.

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