There should be no argument that Global Warming is a real phenomenon tied to the rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere. So why do many adults argue that global warming isn’t real? One apparent reason is special interest groups that profit from the fossil fuel industry, which purposely spread misinformation about the subject. Often we dig our heads in the sand and ignore reality. We know the solutions to the problem are very difficult at best, or the solutions could make terrible new or different problems at worst. It is much more complicated than “going green.” I want to emphasize that many adults are “aware” of global warming but do not know why it is happening. This game will help illustrate how manufactured CO2 slowly accumulates in the atmosphere and cannot be recycled through the Carbon cycle.

The Carbon Cycle is the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, the Earth’s crust, and all the living things on Earth. Atmospheric carbon is found in the molecule carbon dioxide. When humans burn fossil fuels, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This extra carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse (gas) in our atmosphere, helping retain heat. Coal, natural gas, and oil combustion are the source of all this extra carbon. A straightforward chemical equation for the students to understand is the burning of methane. The equation is CH4 + 2O2 = CO2 + 2H2O. In English, this would read as methane plus two oxygen molecules, which results in carbon dioxide and two water molecules (plus a release of energy).

Plants use carbon dioxide, water, and solar energy to make sugar through photosynthesis. The leftover molecules after the creation of glucose are oxygen molecules. Plants are also able to absorb some carbon through the soil as well. This carbon may have come from dead plants, animals, or feces. Bacteria and fungi decompose this organic matter to release the nutrients, molecules, and other essential components of this organic matter. They make carbon available for the plants but release this broken-down carbon into the air as carbon dioxide. Animals eat plants that contain carbon, and they exhale carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as well. It should be obvious why plants are so important; they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen. Thank goodness for plants!

The oceans also hold a lot of carbon in the form of carbonic acid. As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, so do the amount absorbed in the ocean. This acidifies the water, which could be harmful to organisms that cannot acclimate to the increasing acidity of the ocean water. Lots of carbonic acids have been trapped in ocean glaciers. As they melt due to increasing temperature, they release carbonic acid into the ocean water. Most of the Earth’s carbon is trapped in calcium carbonate in the Earth’s lithosphere.

So what can be done if fossil fuels release so much CO2? First, we must produce energy that does not release copious amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. This could include sources like wind, water, solar, geothermal, nuclear, and in the (near) future, fusion. We also need technologies to capture the extra CO2 released into the environment to return the levels to the pre-industrial age. Finally, suppose we continue to release CO2 at current levels. Eventually, there will be an overall increase in global temperature that may be catastrophic for humans. Melting ice caps and glaciers, increasing sea levels, destroying coastal cities, and disrupting weather patterns may permanently change habitable living areas worldwide.

This lesson is not meant to serve as a doomsday prophecy and be a massive downer for the students. Its primary function is for the students to understand the basic science behind global warming. We want the students to have a basic understanding, so they can sift through the rhetoric and make the best choices based on facts, not fear.

Materials: 

·      If played indoors in a gym

o   Lots of basketballs

o Two additional adjustable basketball hoops are fine, but four are the best, especially for younger players. If you have many more students in your class, a ratio 1:10 works.

·      If being played outdoors

o   Lots of cones to show the playing area

o   Lots of soccer balls

o   Optional

§  Soccer nets

Minimum Number of Students Needed: This game could be played with four or five students but is much better with an entire class.

Age: All ages