Youth Climate Story: Air Pollution in Los Angeles
Provided by: ACE|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Videos
Subjects: Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences, Health
Authors: ACE
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
- In this video, a high school student from Los Angeles talks about the impacts of increasing air pollution and heat waves on people in Southern California.
- She gives a personal example of a fellow student collapsing from heat stroke during a sports activity and discusses her feelings about how climate change may affect future generations.
- The "Introduction to Climate Justice" lesson plan and an air pollution mapping activity are included with this resource.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video provides a student's perspective and may be helpful for teaching empathy.
- It highlights the health effects of climate pollution on young people.
Additional Prerequisites
- The video is available to view without an account, but teachers must create a free account to access the additional materials.
Differentiation
- Students could be asked to write a reflection essay or poem about the video in an English class.
- The mapping air pollution activity could be used in a social studies or science class when discussing the effects of pollution from infrastructure and industry on communities.
- Social studies and civics classes could use this video when discussing how societies may be impacted by more extreme weather events.
- Other similar resources include this video to future generations and this lesson plan about media literacy and critical thinking.
In the video, there is a contradiction that concrete surfaces absorbed a good portion of heat, thereby causing shoes to melt. Please note that concrete surfaces are not good heat absorbers, rather they are heat reflectors and conductors. The Earth surface is a good conductor of heat, hence the reason the shoe melted. Besides this, 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.
Learn about our review process →
