Energy Crises in Pennsylvania and Beyond

1. Energy Crises in Pennsylvania and Beyond from the Center for Global Studies in collaboration with Richard Alley

2. Overview of energy use in Pennsylvania • Goal: to describe Pennsylvania’s energy usage over time using concrete historical examples

3. Let’s take an inventory of what we already know • What is energy and what does it mean to use energy? • What types of energy do we use today? • What types of energy did people use in the past? Source: Flickr

4. History of Pennsylvania Energy through the 20th Century Pennsylvania has a rich history of extraction of natural resources • Think of the unique geographic features near where you live • You will watch a short 3.5min PBS video to get an overview of energy resources in PA over time • Make a list of each resource mentioned (ex. coal) Source: flickr – Jeffrey Beall

5. After the video • What were the energy resources mentioned in the video? • Do you have a personal connection with any of the places mentioned? • Do you know any towns with the name “furnace” or “forge”? • Full list of town names Source: Carmen Vanderhoof

6. Research energy crises in Pennsylvania Goal: find data about energy use in Pennsylvania over time • pay careful attention to cycles of energy crises – when one resource starts to run out and a switch is made to another energy source • use your blank PA map to label towns associated with logging, mining, etc. Source: Wikimedia Commons

7. Graphical representation • Once you finish gathering your data, think of ways you can represent your findings • You may use a table, a flow chart, a concept map, a cartoon, etc. Tip: think of the big idea your representation will communicate – the cycle of energy crises Source: flickr – jean-louis Zimmermann

8. Problem-solving discussion In small groups (4-5 students) • share and discuss your energy crises representations • define the problem(s) • brainstorm possible solutions think about how people in Pennsylvania can deal with increased energy demands and the finite nature of fossil fuels Source: flickr-Trung Nguyen

9. Problem-solving discussion continued Assign roles in your group: • note taker – to make sure big ideas are written down • discussion moderator – to make sure everyone has an equal chance to participate • time keeper – to make sure that the group has enough time to complete the problem solving task • fact-checker – to make sure students pull reliable evidence from their research

10. Whole-group sharing Share your ideas with the class – what are possible solutions to our energy crisis? • If you had money to sponsor sustainability research, how would you invest it? • What do you think are the potential differences between PA and other states when it comes to energy use patterns?

11. Comparing energy use patterns Comparison with Texas 44:20 - 50:46 min clip from Earth: The Operators’ Manual Guiding questions: • How did wind turbines change the local economy in Nolan county? • What changes did the city of Houston implement to increase energy efficiency? • How does TX compare to PA in terms of energy use patterns? Source: flickr - Jeska

12. Comparisons between countries Comparison with China 33:00 - 36:41 min clip from Earth: The Operators’ ManualGuiding questions: • What has lead China to change its energy harvesting infrastructure and invest in sustainability research? • What are some ways China is reducing its energy use and making changes towards sustainability? • How does China’s energy use patterns compare to the US? • What can we learn from China? Source: Wikipedia.org - WiNG

13. Jigsaw activity • research patterns of energy use and efforts towards sustainability in China and other countries • work in table groups to research a different country; share and compare your findings Reflection: write about each country and draw comparisons or make a table with energy problems and sustainability efforts across countries   Source: Wikipedia.org – Chris Lim

14. Connecting with global issues through case studies • You will explore a case study about a student your age in a coastal city that will be affected by temperature and sea level rise • You will write a letter from the point of view of that student Source: Wikipedia - Croquant Source: Wikipedia - Tokyoahead

15. Hong Kong case study Wai is a high school girl who lives in a high-rise apartment on one of the 200 islands that comprise Hong Kong. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English and attends an international school. Her parents work in finance and have encouraged her to follow in their footsteps, but she wants to study marine biology. She has noticed how much hotter and humid it is in the city compared to her grandparents’ farm just hours away. The air pollution is sometimes visible as a gray haze takes over the muggy skyline. She has often heard her parents talk about the need for better ventilation and cleaner transportation options. Wai is concerned over the local coral reefs, which may be impacted by increasing temperatures and sea level rise. She wants to visit and eventually be part of a research team at the Mai Po Nature Reserve, a biodiverse wetland area of 1,500 hectares (or roughly 5.8 square miles). Now that Wei has an idea of what she wants to study, she needs to convince her parents. They have often talked about temperature and sea level rise and her parents think that it won’t be a problem in their lifetime; they are only concerned with reducing the air pollution in the city. Wei disagrees and wants to convince her parents that we need to take action sooner.

16. Hong Kong case study writing prompt Can you help Wei construct a strong argument to convince her parents of the immediate impact of global temperature and sea level rise on the Hong Kong coastline? Write a letter to Wei’s parents from her point of view and explain to them how you feel about issues of sustainability and conservation of biodiversity. Tell them why it’s important for you to study conservation and marine biology. Tip: strong arguments are based on evidence

17. Closing reflection Scientist Richard Alley said we have three options for dealing with our increasing energy demands problem: 1) Use less energy/increase efficiency, 2) Reduce the population, 3) Switch to renewable energy sources Where do you stand on this issue? What is the most important thing you learned from this energy crises unit? Source: Efeverdearticlehttp://www.efeverde.com/noticias/richard-alley-premiado-bbva-climatico/