MIT Climate Primer: Risks
Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative|Published on: November 12, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This interactive resource begins with uncertainty and risk assessment and then explores several ways human civilization could be disrupted by climate change.
- Students will interact with media about the risks of sea-level rise, increased heat and humidity, destructive storms, ocean acidification, food and water insecurity, and political and social instability.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- It is engaging, interactive, and applicable to a diversity of learning styles due to the variety of media presented.
- It is user-friendly and frames the risks of climate change in an informative and digestible way.
Prerequisites
- Students should be at a high school reading level and have a baseline ability to interpret and analyze data.
- Students should have some understanding of how rising sea levels could impact modern civilization.
Differentiation & Implementation
- ELA classes can have students write opinion pieces or debate their personal risk assessment analysis based on the evidence provided.
- The figures and charts are all downloadable and there is a PDF version of the entire webpage.
- The read-along feature provides highlighted text as the audio file plays, which may be helpful for some learners.
- This is the third page of a four-part project and can be taught in tandem with MIT Climate Primer: Solutions.
- Another resource related to this topic is Sea Level Rise: Climate Change Impacts.
This resource is an interactive webpage that includes text, audio, video, and interactive components that gives an excellent overview of climate risks and the ways in which humanity can make decisions and act to address or mitigate these risks. This resource focuses primarily on risk assessment and uncertainty, and can stimulate good debate among students, based on their comfort level, when considering action and their associated risks. This is a very well-produced and well-executed webpage that effectively conveys both the basics and the nuance of climate risks without overwhelming nor insulting the intelligence of students. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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