Synopsis

In this lesson, students will learn about the climate and human health impacts of natural gas extraction. They’ll begin with a personal story in Texas, where Miguel highlights the use of LDAR technology to track methane emissions and hold fossil fuel producers accountable. Next, students will investigate the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) methane data tracker and discuss abatement strategies in depth. Tying the lesson together in the elaborate section, students investigate the specific human health impacts of natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing (fracking) using a report from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

TOTAL TIME

90 Minutes

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Students will summarize a variety of methane emission abatement technologies, including how they work, their net cost, and where they can be implemented.
• Students will cite evidence to advocate for specific methane abatement strategies using data from the IEA.
• Students will identify specific human health impacts associated with natural gas extraction.
• Students will design and create an infographic that effectively communicates the human health impacts associated with natural gas extraction.

STANDARDS

Next Generation Science Standards:
HS-ESS3-1
HS-ESS3-4
DCI-ESS2.D
DCI-ESS3.A

Common Core:
ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.SL.1

Brookings Center for Universal Education: Skills for a Green Transformation

• Environmental Stewardship
• Collective action
• Ability to analyze unequal systems of power