Geoengineering

This unit looks at 'geoengineering', which is the implementation of large-scale interventions into the Earth's climate to reduce the impact of climate change. This includes the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or reflection of solar radiation away from the Earth. 

In this unit pupils use science and philosophy to investigate geoengineering. Initially pupils undertake an exercise to 'fallacy spot'. This is to identify an invalid or bad argument which uses faulty reasoning. Using this skill they then investigate geoengineering techniques identifying common fallacies and developing questions they think need to be answered. They also look at the role of different disciplines in answering geoengineering questions and issues.

It is part of a series of units from 'Science Beyond the Boundaries' which can be used for interdisciplinary teaching about applications of science and is designed for use in sixth-form enrichment programmes. 

This unit has 5 main phases, lasting around 5 hours in total. Four phases take place in the classroom and the remainder can be completed either independently or as classwork. It contains 7 activities in total and those that require specialist resources are found in the presentation listed below along with teacher guidance. The final activity asks pupils to reflect on the principles for geoengineering they have created and compare them to those drawn up by the University of Oxford.