Environmental Physics:

A General Overview of Topics and Misconceptions in a

School Setting

By: Heidi Wilkinson

December 6, 2016

0

Purpose Statement:

A year ago I was quite illiterate regarding the issues and science behind many

environmental physics topics. Therefore, it intrigued me to find out a little more about current,

popular environmental physics topics and the science that went with them. As a teacher it was

also of interest to brainstorm of a way in which I might address this topic with my students in the

future. This report will cover general attitudes and perceptions toward environmental science,

general consensus on climate change among the scientific community, and a lesson plan for

integrating the information into a classroom setting.

Table of Contents:

p. 2-4 Student Survey and Results

p. 5-6 Facebook Survey

p. 7-11 Background Research

p. 12 Conclusions and Further Questions

p. 13 – 16 Lesson Plan

p. 17 Works Cited

1

Student Survey and Results

In order to do a preliminary exploration of student knowledge and opinions regarding

Environmental Physics, a survey was conducted among over one hundred 7th – 12th grade

students. It should be noted that this survey covered only two very distinct population groups,

both located in Bloomington, Indiana. The first group consisted of 7th – 12th grade students in

science class at Lighthouse Christian Academy. Data from eighty-six students was collected

there (24: 7th graders; 22: 8th grade, 19: 9th grade; 21: 10th-11th). The second survey was conducted

at the School for Science and Entrepreneurship. Here twenty-seven 10th – 12th grade students

took the survey. It was administered either in written form or by a combination of written and

oral form. In the second case, teachers read the questions to the students, and students marked

their answers on a blank sheet of paper.

Analysis of the results can be found on the pages below. Overall, there was strong

general consensus (75% or more agree) on questions 1, 3, 10, and 13. These questions may be

found in the survey below. Special attention should also be given to questions 2, 5, 6, and 7 as

climate change will be the focus of the research throughout the rest of the paper. Interestingly,

question 2 displayed the greatest split in answers. Another point of interest is that most people

answered question 7 as “false,” whereas most scientists would say that it is true.

2

Student Survey

Grade Level: __________

Directions: Circle “T” if you think the statement is true. Circle “F” if you think the statement is

false.

1.) T F The environment is in danger because of the actions humans have taken.

2.) T F Burning coal is bad for the environment.

3.) T F There are no alternatives to burning coal.

4.) T F Global warming is the most pressing issue facing our environment.

5.) T F Global warming is a not a real concern. The earth simply fluctuates over time

between high and low temperatures. There is nothing to worry about.

6.) T F Global warming is the theory that environmental factors are causing the

average temperature in the world to increase. The theory states that this

increase in temperature will continue indefinitely.

7.) T F Carbon dioxide is harmful to the atmosphere.

8.) T F Depletion of the ozone layer is the main cause of global warming.

9.) T F The ozone layer is shrinking.

10.)T F Windmills that generate electricity serve as one potential way to reduce carbon

emissions.

11.)T F Cows give off more carbon emissions into the environment than do cars.

12.)T F Nuclear power plants are explosive and dangerous and should not be used.

13.)T F Solar panels are not harmful to the environment and are very efficient at

producing electricity.

14.)T F Nuclear power plants produce electricity in much the same manner that coal-

burning power plants create electricity.

3

Survey Outcomes

Question TRUE FALSE

1 79% 20%

2 54% 45%

3 4% 96%

4 28% 72%

5 65% 35%

6 71% 27%

7 28% 71%

8 36% 64%

9 37% 63%

10 85% 15%

11 30% 70%

12 39% 61%

13 75% 24%

14 38% 61%

Facebook Survey

4

The following are a few articles that popped up during a facebook search on the word

“environment.” It is important to note that I was logged into my personal facebook account when

this search was conducted, which may have affected the search results. However, one important

takeaway point from this was noting all the different sources from which the articles came. Only

articles that had 200+ “likes” per month or 100+ “shares” per month were included in the list

below. (Facebook.com, 2015)

“Industrial scars: the environmental cost of consumption—in pictures”

◦ The Guardian: 10/24

◦ 1K likes, 33 comments, 787 shares

“Three household products you could cut to help the environment”

◦ ABC News: 10/24

◦ 828 likes, 46 comments, 460 Shares

“Humans damaging the environment faster than it can recover, report finds”

The Guardian: 05/19

1.2 K likes, 77 comments, 775 shares

“Are Tote Bags really good for the environment?”

The Huffington Post: 09/13

590 likes, 166 comments, 389 shares

“6 Documentaries that will change the way you think about animals and the

environment”

One Green Planet: 05/24

960 likes, 69 comments, 699 shares

“People who don’t have children benefit our environment more than any campaign”

5

The Independent: 08/11

5.9K likes, 375 comments, 1.5K Shares

(Facebook.com, 2015)

Background Research

6

“Climate change.” What is really known and understood about this topics and what is

only perceived may be very different when it comes to the topic of Environmental Science. All

the different forms of media can lead people to grab onto ideas that, in reality, do not take an

objective look at the science behind them. The term “anthropogenic climate change” refers to the

idea that Earth’s climate is changing, and generally becoming warmer, due directly to the

behavior of people (Oreskes, 2014; The Royal Society, 2014a; The Royal Society, 2014b;

Dictionary.com, 2016) . Though there are many misconceptions in regard to the mechanics or

consequences involved in the theory of anthropogenic climate change, there is also a good deal

of science that speaks to this topic.

In order to understand the reasoning behind anthropogenic climate change, it is important

to have a basic knowledge of what happens when light from the sun is incident on the earth. In

the end the light will either be absorbed and will heat the earth, or it will be reflected (Dunlap,

2015; Royal Society, 2014a) . “Albedo” refers to the portion of light that an object will reflect

(Dunlap, 2015). Light that is not reflected is absorbed and reemitted. This may occur at two

phases in the atmosphere. First, the light may be absorbed prior to reaching the surface of the

earth. Second, light that was absorbed and reemitted by Earth’s surface also has the potential to

be absorbed and reemitted by the atmosphere (Dunla,p 2015; Royal Society 2014a). This is

where greenhouse gases come into play. The light originally incident on the earth tends to have a

much higher frequency than the light that is reemitted by Earth’s surface. Some compounds in

the air will allow high frequency light through but will absorb lower frequency light (Dunlap,

2015; Royal Society 2014a). Carbon dioxide, methane, and water are a few compounds that

efficiently absorb lower frequency light (Dunlap, 2015; Royal Society 2014a). Varying

concentrations of these compounds in the atmosphere can affect the temperature by containing

7

(absorbing) some of the light incident on them and reemitting it back down to the earth (Dunlap,

2015; Royal Society 2014a).

Anthropogenic climate change becomes a factor when people consider if the actions of

humans are resulting in greater concentration s of carbon and if these increased concentrations

result in a greater retention of heat energy in the earth’s atmosphere (Dunlap, 2015; Oreskes,

2014; Royal Society, 2014a; Royal Society, 2014b). “Human activities, especially the burning of

fossil fuels, have increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide by 40%, mainly since

1900” (Royal Society, 2014a). This may be due, in part, to the Industrial Revolution (Royal

Society, 2014b). Scientists at the Royal Society have reported that the concentrations of carbon

emissions currently in the atmosphere cannot be accounted for unless the activities of humans are

taken into consideration (Royal Society, 2014b). Another potential source of changes in Earth’s

climate could result from changes in the sun’s emitted energy, but the needed changes do not

seem to have occurred in the last several decades (Royal Society, 2014b).

Most scientists seem to agree to the idea that anthropogenic climate change is legitimate

(Dunlap, 2015; Oreskes, 2014). A study analyzing over 900 scientific abstracts having to do with

climate change found that about 75% of those abstracts supported the theory of anthropogenic

climate change, and none dissented to it (Oreskes 2014). Furthermore several scientific

organizations have at least acknowledged the likelihood for anthropogenic climate change

including the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American

Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Science, and

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Oreskes 2014).

There is, among some people, a great urgency to do something to stop this apparent

onslaught of human-induced climate change. Why is the push so urgent? “If emissions continue

8

unchecked, then further warming of 2.6 to 4.8 oC would be expected by the end of this century”

(Royal Society, 2014a). Temperature and carbon emission concentration increases could be

potentially dangerous to the stability of ocean systems and weather, which could, as a result,

affect the lives of many organisms for better or for worse. For example, the oceans take in some

carbon dioxide from the air. This increases the acidity levels of the water, which can shift the

odds of survival away from some organisms and toward others. Also, these changes in

temperature could cause more rainfall in some areas (Royal Society, 2014b). Some ideas have

also been proposed that temperature increases could increase the severity of tornadoes and

hurricanes (Royal Society, 2014b). There is the potential for some species to go extinct under

these conditions, but the severity of the consequences is limited (Royal Society 2014b).

Furthermore, even if there were no more carbon emissions by humans from this point forward,

the carbon dioxide levels would remain relatively constant for many years following (Royal

Society 2014b).

Another potential consequence of increased concentrations of carbon emissions is the

continual increase in temperatures (Dunlab, 2015; Royal Society and the US National Assembly

of Sciences (RS and USNA)). This would make all the above factors discussed even more

severe. In response to the question of whether or not there is a cap to the temperature increasing

with increases in carbon dioxide concentrations, the Royal Society gave a definite answer: “No.

Adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere will cause surface temperatures to continue to

increase” (RS and USNA).

Though carbon dioxide is a large concern for environmental scientists when discussing

climate change, this is only one of several greenhouse gases. In fact, carbon dioxide is neither the

most abundant nor the most efficient greenhouse gas in our atmosphere. Methane has

9

concentrations of only about 0.5% compared to concentrations of carbon dioxide. However, it is

about 25 times more effective at absorbing infrared light, the main wavelength reemitted by the

earth (Dunlap, 2015). Furthermore, chlorofluorocarbons, though much more rarely found in the

air, are over ten thousand times more effective at absorbing infrared light (Dunlap, 2015).

However, when considering both concentration and ability to absorb infrared light, carbon

dioxide still comes out on top by over a factor of three when compare to the runner-up, methane

(Dunlab, 2015).

Even though there is good reason to theorize and general consensus supports

anthropogenic climate change, it is important to consider problems with this theory. For

example, the example of looking for changes in the sun’s energy emission was mentioned earlier

in the paper (Royal Society, 2014b). By ruling out other potential causes of climate change, the

true causes may become more credible or clearly understood. There is, on the other hand, a

significant amount of evidence supporting the idea of increased global temperatures. Although it

is probably implied, these factors are not necessarily anthropogenic-specific evidence (Dunlap,

2015; Royal Society, 2014a). Some of this evidence is as follows:

1. “A reduction in the size of the number of glaciers…”

2. “A reduction in the area and thickness of Arctic sea ice…”

3. “An increase in sea level…”

4. “Biological changes…”

5. “Increased geographical ranges of certain plants and animals…”

6. “Thawing of the permafrost in the Arctic…”

7. “Weather changes, such as more frequent El Nino events” (Dunlap, 2015).

10

Though there is good evidence for anthropogenic climate change, it is important to think

of the potential loop holes and remember that scientific conclusions may never be proven, only

disproven. “The scientific consensus might, of course, be wrong. If the history of science teaches

anything, it is humility…” (Oreskes, 2014). It can be easy to take a well-accepted idea in science

for granted, but scientists must be weary not to zone in so much on a perceived conclusion that

other pieces of information are missed or overlooked.

Conclusions and Further Questions

11

This research helped me gain some perspective regarding key issues and ideas behind

climate change science, but it also left me with more question. All of the sources I looked at were

proponents of anthropogenic climate change, but it is always good scientific practice to look at

opposing arguments or potential fallacies in the current theory. I did not see a lot of self-analysis

regarding uncertainties or potential holes in argumentation. This could be because the theory of

anthropogenic climate change is so well-developed that there really are not a lot of unknowns, or

it could be that there are some uncertainties that are either not getting attention or were not

evident in my sources. In conclusion, here are some questions I found myself asking throughout

the research:

If climate change is projected to cause an increase in rainfall and the earth has already

experienced a temperature rise of 0.8oC, has there also been an increase in the net rainfall

seen over this same time period (Royal Society, 2014a)?

What are other potential contributing factors to climate change that are not human-

induced? Are these large or small factors?

Are there any holes in the theory of anthropogenic climate change, and, if so, what are

they?

During some time period, scientists predict that there was more carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere than there is now. This was projected to have occurred long, long before the

Industrial Revolution. What caused the high concentrations of carbon dioxide then, and

how did those concentrations decrease later on (Royal Society, 2014b)?

Lesson Plan

12

Goal: Students will practice scientific, unbiased research, analysis, and reporting by developing

a report and presentation on a topic directly related to environmental science.

Objectives:

Skills

o Students will evaluate the veracity of online sources and the media from a

scholarly perspective and will chose four reliable references to use in their

research.

o Students will carry out either a presentation or project proposal of their work. The

presentation will be geared toward informing younger students about an important

topic in environmental science. The project proposal will involve a presentation to

school faculty to propose an activity for the school to participate in involving their

research.

o Students will research and write an analysis report regarding major findings and

including a useful graphic, table, or diagram. This report will involve using proper

MLA citations.

Knowledge

o Students will define and identify a scientific study, biased perspectives, and

flawed arguments.

o Students will identify their own misconceptions regarding major environmental

science topics and will establish a more accurate, basic understanding of climate

change and renewable energy.

o Students will appreciate the limits and usefulness of science.

Standards

13

“Env.2.7 Differentiate between renewable and nonrenewable resources, and compare and

contrast the pros and cons of using nonrenewable resources.”

“Env.2.8 Cite examples of how all fuels, renewable and nonrenewable, have advantages

and disadvantages that society must question when considering the trade-offs among

them, such as how energy use contributes to the rising standard of living in the

industrially developing nations. However, explain that this energy use also leads to more

rapid depletion of Earth’s energy resources and to environmental risks associated with the

use of fossil and nuclear fuels.”

“Env.2.9 Describe how decisions to slow the depletion of energy sources through

efficient technologies can be made at many levels, from personal to national, and these

technologies always involve trade-offs of economic costs and social values.”

“Env.7.1 Identify evidence, consequences, and prevention for climate change produced

by anthropogenic sources.”

“Env.7.2 Differentiate between natural pollution and pollution caused by humans.”

“Env.7.6 Understand and explain how the burning of fossil fuels releases energy, waste

heat and matter (air pollutants).”

“Env.8.7 Understand and explain that waste management includes considerations of

quantity, safety, degradability, and cost. Also understand that waste management requires

social and technological innovations because waste-disposal problems are political and

economic as well as technical.”

(IDOE, 2016)

14

Summary and Schedule

Students will be placed into small groups of two or three. The unit will begin with a

survey to help students identify what they do and do not know about basic topics in

environmental science. This will be followed by a discussion on how to argue from a scientific

standpoint and how to identify fallacies in arguments. Next, students will learn about climate

change and will view an example of what their presentations might look like as the teacher

navigates them through this topic. Interspersed in this content will be discussions on how to

handle social and scientific issues with poise, decorum, responsibility, and thoughtfulness.

Finally, students will pick another topic related to climate change or environmental science (solar

panels, nuclear power plants, hybrid cars…) and will chose a project type. One project type will

culminate in giving a presentation to school faculty asking for the school to participate in some

sort of activity, such as raising money for a well in Africa or establishing a recycling system in

school. The other option will be to prepare a presentation for an elementary classroom in for

which the group will need to prepare visual aids, a lesson plan, and some sort of activity for the

class. This unit will end with a final exam over topics covered as a group and by individual

groups.

Days 1-2: Project Introduction

o Survey

o Activity: List of unknowns and questions

o Project Description

o Discussion: Our responsibility as stewards

Days 3-5: Scientific Argumentation

o Video: Identify the fallacies

15

o Lecture: Scientific argument fallacies: bias, assumption, argument styles,

causation vs. correlation

o Activity: Identifying reliable sources

Days 6-11: Climate Change and Other Topics

o Lecture: Climate change—misconceptions and the data

o Reading Activity: becoming acquainted with the key issues

o Discussion: How to handle controversial issues

o Lecture: Climate change—misconceptions and the data

o Reading Activity: becoming acquainted with the key issues

o Discussion: Limits and Uses of Science

Days 12-20

o Identify the type and general topic for the project

o Find reliable resources

o Research

o Research

o Presentation /Project Proposal preparation

o Presentation/Project Proposal preparation

o Practice Day

o Presentations

Days 21-22

o Review

o Exam

16

References

Dictionary.com (2016). “Anthropogenic.” Dictionary.com. Retrieved from

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/anthropogenic?s=t

Dunlap, R. A. (2015). Sustainable Energy. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Print.

Facebook search. (2016, November). Facebook. “Environment.” Retrieved from

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Environment

Indiana Department of Education. (17, Nov. 2016). “Environmental Science Resources.” Indiana

Academic Standards. Retrieved from http://www.doe.in.gov/standards/environmental-

science-resources

Oreskes, N. (3 Dec., 2014). “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change. Science.” Vol. 306,

Issue 5702, pp. 1686, DOI: 10.1126/science.1103618. Retrieved from

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/306/5702/1686.full.

The Royal Society. (27, Feb. 2014a). “An Introduction to Climate Change in 60 Seconds.”

Climate Change: Evidence and Causes. Retrieved from https://royalsociety.org/topics-

policy/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/.

The Royal Society. (Nov. 2014b). “A Short Guide to Climate Science.” Retrieved from

https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/.

The Royal Society and the US National Academy of Sciences . (n.d.). “8. Is there a point at

which adding more CO2 will not cause further warming?” Climate Change: Evidence

and Causes. Retrieved from https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/climate-

change-evidence-causes/question-8/

Maltese, A. (2016). “M446: Secondary Science Methods II.” (Class lectures and activities).

17