Curricular references

Climate change in Alberta’s K–12 curriculum

The following passages are the most direct references to climate change contained in Alberta’s K-12 curriculum.

Grade 3 (pilot stage)

Guiding question: How are resources used in Alberta?

Learning outcome: Students examine resource use in Alberta 

Knowledge

• Nonrenewable resources that have been foundational to the growth of Alberta are
  • coal,
    • oil and
    • natural gas.
• Alberta’s natural resources played a critical role in Alberta’s success.
• Alberta has protected areas, provincial parks and national parks to promote the preservation of land and resources.

Understanding

• Resources contribute to economic development in Alberta.

Skills and procedures

• Discover the relationship between physical geography, natural resources and economic activities.
• Argue how protected areas and parks help to preserve land and resources.
• Hypothesize how natural resources are essential for everyday life.
• Illustrate how Alberta’s natural resources support the province’s prosperity.

Science 10

Unit D: Energy Flow in Global Systems

1. Describe how the relationships among input solar energy, output terrestrial energy and energy flow within the biosphere affect the lives of humans and other species 

• Explain how climate affects the lives of people and other species, and explain the need to investigate climate change.
  (e.g., Describe the responses of humans and other species to extreme climatic conditions; describe housing designs, animal habitats, clothing and fur in conditions of extreme heat, cold, dryness or humidity, wind.)
• Identify the Sun as the source of all energy on Earth.
• Analyze, in general terms, the net radiation budget, using per cent; i.e., solar energy input, terrestrial energy output, net radiant energy.
• Describe the major characteristics of the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere, and explain their relationship to Earth’s biosphere.
• Describe and explain the greenhouse effect and the role of various gases—including methane, carbon dioxide and water vapour—in determining the scope of the greenhouse effect.

2. Analyze the relationships among net solar energy, global energy transfer processes—primarily radiation, convection and hydrologic cycle—and climate.

3. Relate climate to the characteristics of the world’s major biomes, and compare biomes in different regions of the world.

4. Investigate and interpret the role of environmental factors on global energy transfer and climate change.

Chemistry 30     

Unit C: Chemical Changes of Organic Compounds

• Explain how science and technology have both intended and unintended consequences for humans and the environment.
• Assess the positive and negative effects of various reactions involving organic compounds, relating these processes to quality of life and potential health and environmental issues, for example,
  • burning fossil fuels and climate change;
  • by-products (CO2, dioxins) of common reactions;
  • recycling of plastics; and
  • impact of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFCs) on the ozone layer.
• Investigate the issue of greenhouse gases; identify some greenhouse gases, including methane, carbon dioxide, water and dinitrogen oxide (nitrous oxide); and analyze their contribution to climate change.

Knowledge & Employability 20-4 

Unit B; Outcome 4

• Assess the impact of fossil fuel-based technologies on the environment.