Climate Change and Infectious Diseases

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to identify the wide range of ways in which climate change is affecting our health
Students will be able to articulate how these effects can be addressed

Length

one 45-minute period

Grade Level

High School

(5 minutes) Review homework: Make sure that students:
- Have identified the full range of harms
- Are considering both adaptation and mitigation as responses
(25 minutes) Break students into four groups and assign each group one of the diseases discussed in Perilous Pathogens. Share a copy of the attached slideshow template with students—it contains a section for each group, already labeled with their disease. If you teach multiple sections, create a separate copy of the template for each section. Ask students to complete the following tasks and fill in the corresponding slides in their section of the template:
- Explain what the disease is
- Explain the impact of climate change on the disease
- Explain what can be done about the disease
(15 minutes) Have each group briefly present their findings
- As students listen to the presentations, they should consider: what more could/should countries be doing to address the threat of climate change on diseases more effectively? If time allows, lead a short discussion on this question.

infectious disease: also called communicable, a disease that spreads via people, animals, insects, or contaminated food and water—such as the flu, chickenpox, or Ebola.
World Health Organization: UN agency meant to lead global public health research and response.
emissions: refers to the amount of greenhouse gases an entity, such as a country or company, produces.
fossil fuels: hydrocarbon energy sources such as oil, coal, or natural gas.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. federal agency that researches and responds to outbreaks of infectious diseases and researches some noninfectious diseases.
deforestation: the clearing or thinning of forests by people for materials, land-use, medicinal ingredients, farming, paper production, or other non-forest purposes.
adaptation: term for the actions and strategies that aim to reduce the exposure of people and places to climate change’s effects.