HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 13.3

# Teacher Lesson Plan — Impacts of Climate Change

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Climate change · ~75 min
Teacher copy — includes model answers

## At a glance

### Companion resources

- Student study page
- Revision slides
- Activity handout (student, no answers)

### Big idea

Climate change impacts both natural systems and human societies, and they interconnect. Two contrasting case studies — the Great Barrier Reef and the ski industry — anchor the lesson.

## Syllabus mapping (NESA Geography 11–12, 2022)

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: climate change — the environmental and human impacts of climate change.

### Outcomes addressed

GE-11-01 characteristics & patterns GE-11-02 processes across scales GE-11-03 challenges & perspectives GE-11-05 analyses sources GE-11-09 communicates

Outcome codes: source used GE11-x; re-mapped/verified to current GE-11-x (Year 11 Preliminary).

### Key concepts

environment interconnection change sustainability scale

## Lesson sequence & timings

Time | Phase | Teacher / student activity
--- | --- | ---
0–8 | Hook | Deck title (coast under pressure). Brainstorm impacts; Activity 1 (sort env/human, draw a link).
8–22 | Ocean acidification | Slide 6 + Activity 2 (flowchart). Stress it's separate from warming.
22–34 | Disasters | Slide 8: Black Summer as a compound disaster. Signpost Chapter 14.
34–46 | People & equity | Slide 10 + Activity 5 (equity). Health, food, economy.
46–60 | GBR case | Slide 12 + Activity 3. Coral bleaching mechanism; AIMS monitoring. Optional: Chasing Coral clip.
60–70 | Ski case | Slide 14 + Activity 4 (adaptation + limits). Contrast with GBR.
70–75 | Consolidate | Activity 6 essay plan. Exit ticket: one environmental + one human impact.

## Activities — model answers

### Activity 1 · Sort

Model
Environmental: coral bleaching, ocean acidification, rising seas, worse bushfires. Human: heat-related illness, lower crop yields, damaged tourism, food insecurity. Link example: coral bleaching (env) → damaged tourism (human).

### Activity 2 · Acidification flowchart

Model
Extra CO₂ → absorbed by the ocean → forms carbonic acid (pH falls) → harder to build calcium-carbonate shells → corals, shellfish & plankton harmed. It's a problem without warming because the chemistry (lower pH) happens regardless of temperature.

### Activity 3 · GBR

Model
Warming SST stresses coral → it expels its symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) → turns white (bleaches) → starves and dies if stress persists. Monitored by AIMS. Consequences: biodiversity loss and disrupted marine food webs (also lost tourism/fisheries income).

### Activity 4 · Ski adaptation

Model
Impact: shorter seasons/less snow → fewer visitors, lost revenue. Adaptations: artificial snowmaking (costly, water/energy-hungry, needs cold nights); higher-altitude runs (limited, expensive); year-round tourism (changes the business, uncertain). Each has real limits.

### Activity 5 · Equity

Model
Poorer communities depend on climate-sensitive livelihoods, live in exposed places, and have fewer resources to adapt — so they suffer more despite emitting least. This is a justice/sustainability issue.

### Activity 6 · Essay plan

Model plan
Intro: impacts on environment + people, interconnected. Env: acidification, coral bleaching (GBR). Human: health, food, ski industry. Interconnection & equity. Conclusion: wide-ranging, uneven impacts requiring response (→ 13.4).

## Key questioning (with answers)

- Q: Why is acidification called the “other CO₂ problem”?
  A: It's a direct chemical result of CO₂ dissolving in seawater — separate from warming — that harms shell-building marine life.
- Q: Why use two contrasting case studies?
  A: The Reef (environmental/natural) and ski industry (economic/human) show impacts across different systems and scales — demonstrating range.
- Q: How does one impact cascade into others?
  A: E.g. bleaching → lost biodiversity → lost tourism & fishing income → community hardship.

## Differentiation & assessment

### Support

- Provide impact cards to sort (Activity 1).
- Part-complete the acidification flowchart.

### EAL/D

- Pre-teach: acidification, bleaching, zooxanthellae, adaptation, equity.

### Extension

- Compare mass-bleaching years on the GBR — what triggers them?
- Debate: should ski resorts adapt or relocate?

### Assessment / homework

- Write the Activity 6 extended response.

## Useful resources & recent articles

- AIMS — Great Barrier Reef monitoring
- NOAA — ocean acidification
- IPCC AR6 WG2 — impacts & adaptation
- NatGeo — Causes & Effects of Climate Change

Accuracy reminder: bleaching-event years and reef statistics update — check AIMS for the latest before teaching.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (13.3) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); facts verified to public sources; figures redrawn (no textbook images reproduced).