Throughout this process I have been thinking about how to teach climate change from a local perspective. I am interested in finding out if there has been an overall change in climate patterns in Wilkes County, NC and if so, how have the local farmers adapted? The area that my students and I live in has farms that have been around for 2-3 generations, so I am interested in seeing what information we can find out.
Tying this into MWEE...
The issue: How has climate in Wilkes County changed over the last 100 years? If there has been a change, how have local farmers adapted?
Outdoor field experience: visiting local farms and collecting an oral history of possible ways they have adapted techniques over time
Synthesis and conclusion: reflecting on what all they have learned. If there is no apparent climate change in Wilkes County, research some ways that farms might have to adapt in the future if we were to see those changes.
Action Project: create some sort of brochure, video, poster to explain your findings!
Other regional questions we could consider as well:
-Rising sea level and the effects on the Outer Banks [did the Cape Hatters lighthouse get moved as a result of rising sea level]
-Has climate change caused more severe flooding in Eastern North Carolina?
-What are the coastal cities doing to prepare for stronger hurricane seasons?
-How has the skiing industry in the mountains been affected by climate change?
-What mitigation methods are being used in residential mountain communities to prevent landslides from heavy rains?