Climate Change 1958: The Bell Telephone Science Hour
http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/frank-capra-warns-of-global-warming-1958
http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/frank-capra-warns-of-global-warming-1958
Frank Capra, Bell Telephone Science Hour
Video length: 1:55 min.
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Topics
Grade Level
Climate Literacy
About Teaching Climate Literacy
6b 
6bEmissions from the widespread burning of fossil fuels since the start of the Industrial Revolution have increased the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Because these gases can remain in the atmosphere for hundreds of years before being removed by natural processes, their warming influence is projected to persist into the next century.
Other materials addressing 6b
Human activities have affected the land, oceans, and atmosphere, and these changes have altered global climate patterns. Burning fossil fuels, releasing chemicals into the atmosphere, reducing the amount of forest cover, and rapid expansion of farming, development, and industrial activities are releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and changing the balance of the climate system.
Other materials addressing 6c
man activities are impacting the climate system
Other materials addressing Hum
Melting of ice sheets and glaciers, combined with the thermal expansion of seawater as the oceans warm, is causing sea level to rise. Seawater is beginning to move onto low-lying land and to contaminate coastal fresh water sources and beginning to submerge coastal facilities and barrier islands. Sea-level rise increases the risk of damage to homes and buildings from storm surges such as those that accompany hurricanes.
Other materials addressing 7a
Energy Literacy
Different sources of energy and the different ways energy can be transformed, transported and stored each have different benefits and drawbacks.
4.7 Different sources of energy have different benefits and drawbacks.
Greenhouse gases affect energy flow through the Earth system.
2.6 Greenhouse gases affect energy flow.
Physical processes on Earth are the result of energy flow through the Earth system.
Physical processes on Earth are the result of energy flow .
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
Learn more about the Benchmarks
The earth's climates have changed in the past, are currently changing, and are expected to change in the future, primarily due to changes in the amount of light reaching places on the earth and the composition of the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels in the last century has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which has contributed to Earth's warming.
Human activities, such as reducing the amount of forest cover, increasing the amount and variety of chemicals released into the atmosphere, and intensive farming, have changed the earth's land, oceans, and atmosphere. Some of these changes have decreased the capacity of the environment to support some life forms.
By burning fuels, people are releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and transforming chemical energy into thermal energy which spreads throughout the environment.
Notes From Our Reviewers
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
Technical Details
Teaching Tips
- Teachers should embed this video in a presentation to create conversation about the history of atmospheric science and climate change.
- Today we have data regarding the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, changes in air temperature, sea level rise, and ice cap melting that confirms the comments made by the scientist in the 1958 video.
About the Science
- This video, produced during the International Geophysical Year in 1958, focuses on how increasing atmospheric CO2 through industrial processes will absorb more heat, raise atmospheric temperatures, and likely cause melting of the polar ice caps, resulting in sea level rise.
- Passed initial science review - expert science review pending.
About the Pedagogy
- The video demonstrates that the scientific community has understood for decades that increases in gases that trap heat can impact global temperatures and lead to "catastrophic changes in our environment." This video explains that CO2 from automobiles and factories could cause global temperatures to rise, melting ice caps and causing a rise in sea level.
Related URLs These related sites were noted by our reviewers but have not been reviewed by CLEAN
See other International Geophysical Year (IGY) Films such as The Inconstant Air: http://lasp.colorado.edu/igy_nas/Have you used these materials with your students? Do you have insights to share with other educators about their use? Please share with the community by adding a comment below.
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