Earth Day is April 22, a reminder of warning signs that the earth’s environment has been sending over the past decades. Decoding those signals is essential to understanding the origins of climate change, and the motivations of the people working to stop it. Share these six Retro Report short films and free resources with your students to introduce past and current environmental issues that have ties to today’s fight against climate change.
Choking Smog. A River on Fire. How Pollution Set the Stage for the First Earth Day.
In the mid-20th century, smog choked cities, factories spewed industrial waste and a river in Ohio caught fire. By the late 1960s, a series of environmental crises, including a devastating oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., pushed environmental damage into the national spotlight.
This Retro Report traces how those events led to the creation of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, when an estimated 20 million Americans took part in demonstrations, teach-ins and community cleanup efforts. Use this 10-minute video and related resources to teach your students how public pressure eventually led to landmark legislation, including the Clean Air Act, and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Unprepared: Lessons From Two Massive Oil Spills
A catastrophic oil spill off the coast of Alaska and the explosion of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico occurred 21 years apart. Together, they highlight a pattern of unsettled standards and inconsistent oversight within the oil industry. Use this 11-minute video and resources to introduce students to the history of oil spills and their impact on the environment.
Fighting Drought With an Ancient Practice: Harvesting the Rain
The growing threat of global drought has made some conservationists turn to the wisdom of those indigenous to the land. In India and Tucson, ancient practices of collecting, storing, and diverting rainwater are being implemented to counter the impacts of prolonged dry seasons. This 11-minute video and related resources ask students to explore these practices and the ways they could shape the future.
Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?
In 1983, scientists revealed the impact that smoke from nuclear-ignited cities could have on the atmosphere. The threat was referred to as nuclear winter, and raised questions about how humans can alter the earth’s climate. Use this 10-minute video and resources to investigate whether such power is a blessing, a curse, or something in between.
Our Appetite for Beef is Growing. So Are Climate Worries.
Climate scientists have warned about the correlation between beef consumption and global warming for decades, yet Americans’ beef consumption reached a new high in 2021, at 30 billion pounds. Introduce the connection between beef consumption and global warming, and the reasons the appetite for beef continues to grow in this 4-minute Retro Report video.
Nuclear Meltdowns Raised Fears, but Growing Energy Needs May Outweigh Them
Accidents at nuclear power plants have heightened fears about the safety of nuclear energy. That hasn’t stopped climate scientists and activists from pursuing the technology as an alternative to fossil fues, drivers of global warming. Explore the history and future of nuclear energy using this 11-minute short film and related resources.
Healing the Ozone: First Steps Towards Success
Concerns about the depletion of earth’s protective ozone layer arose in the 1970s, when climate scientists observed holes caused by manufactured chemicals used in refrigerants and aerosol sprays. Experts view this as the beginning of the climate justice movement. What steps have been taken to address the depletion of the ozone layer? Address questions about the ozone layers and early signs of its recovery with this 12-minute Retro Report documentary and lesson plan.
DAGMAR ROTHSCHILD is an education intern at Retro Report. She is an undergraduate at Georgetown, studying International Relations. Stay up to date. Subscribe to our newsletters.
