HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 13.4

# Teacher Lesson Plan — Climate Responses

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Climate change · ~75 min · completes Chapter 13
Teacher copy — includes model answers

## At a glance

### Companion resources

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

### Big idea

Responses are mitigation (reduce the cause) or adaptation (reduce the harm). The Paris Agreement, a mitigation toolkit and the Costa Rica case study let students evaluate effectiveness.

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

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: climate change — challenges, opportunities and responses (mitigation, adaptation, and a case study of a response — Costa Rica).

### Outcomes addressed

GE-11-03 opportunities/challenges & perspectives GE-11-04 responses & management for sustainability GE-11-05 analyses sources GE-11-09 communicates

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

### Key concepts

sustainability interconnection scale environment change

## Lesson sequence & timings

Time | Phase | Teacher / student activity
--- | --- | ---
0–10 | Frame | Deck title (renewables + forest). Define mitigation vs adaptation; Activity 1 (classify).
10–24 | Paris Agreement | Slide 6 + Activity 2 (evaluate). Model strengths vs limits + judgement.
24–38 | Mitigation toolkit | Slide 8: net-zero, renewables, EVs, sinks, seaweed. Australian examples (Bungala, CSIRO/Narungga partnership).
38–50 | Adaptation & limits | Slide 10 + Activity 4 (Tuvalu). Netherlands vs Tuvalu; equity.
50–66 | Costa Rica | Slide 12 + Activity 3 (response file). The anchor case study; evaluate transferability.
66–75 | Consolidate | Activity 6 essay plan (or Activity 5 design task). Exit ticket: one mitigation + one adaptation.

## Activities — model answers

### Activity 1 · Classify

Model
Mitigation: rooftop solar, electric buses, reforestation, seaweed cattle feed. Adaptation: flood defences, drought-resistant crops, floating homes, early-warning systems. Difference: mitigation reduces the cause (emissions); adaptation reduces the harm from impacts.

### Activity 2 · Paris Agreement

Model
Strengths: near-universal participation; a clear 1.5–2 °C goal; a framework for regular review. Limits: voluntary, self-set targets; weak enforcement; countries can withdraw (USA 2017). Judgement: a vital framework whose effectiveness depends on countries actually delivering their commitments — ambitious but not self-enforcing.

### Activity 3 · Costa Rica file

Model
Electricity: ~99% renewable (hydro, wind at Tilarán, geothermal) — mitigation. Transport: electric buses / decarbonisation plan — mitigation. Forests: reversed deforestation; reforestation & payments for ecosystem services — carbon sink/mitigation. Economy: ecotourism ties conservation to income. Not easily copied: small population and hydro-rich geography give it advantages many nations lack.

### Activity 4 · Tuvalu

Model
There is a physical limit to adapting to sea-level rise on very low, small islands — you can't wall out the sea indefinitely, nor replace lost land and freshwater. Tuvalu's survival depends on the world cutting emissions (mitigation it can't do alone) — an interconnection and justice issue, as it emitted almost nothing.

### Activity 6 · Essay plan

Model plan
Intro: define mitigation & adaptation. Mitigation: Paris + toolkit (evaluate). Adaptation & limits: Netherlands vs Tuvalu. Case study: Costa Rica (evaluate strengths & transferability). Conclusion: a clear judgement on overall effectiveness — progress made, but delivery & equity are the tests.

## Key questioning (with answers)

- Q: Why do we need both mitigation and adaptation?
  A: Some warming is already locked in, so we must adapt to unavoidable impacts — but only mitigation stops it getting worse. They're complementary.
- Q: Is the Paris Agreement a success or a failure?
  A: Both framings have merit — it's a landmark of near-universal ambition, but its voluntary design means results depend on delivery. A good answer weighs both.
- Q: What makes Costa Rica special — and limited as a model?
  A: Multi-strand success (renewables, reforestation, ecotourism), but aided by small size and hydro-rich geography — not directly transferable to large industrial nations.

## Differentiation & assessment

### Support

- Response cards to sort (Activity 1).
- Part-complete the Costa Rica file.

### EAL/D

- Pre-teach: mitigation, adaptation, net-zero, decarbonise, voluntary.

### Extension

- Compare Costa Rica with Australia — why is the transition harder here?
- Research the Narungga Nation / CSIRO seaweed partnership.

### Assessment / homework

- Write the Activity 6 extended response, or complete the Activity 5 design task.

## Useful resources & recent articles

- UNFCCC — the Paris Agreement
- FutureFeed / CSIRO — Asparagopsis seaweed feed
- World Bank — Costa Rica data
- IEA — Global EV Outlook

Accuracy reminder: renewable-share, EV-sales and seaweed-methane figures update and vary by source — quote approximate values and cite the source and year.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (13.4) · 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).