Today is rung 3 of 4 on this topic
Human impact on ecosystems and resources
Can do: Evaluates evidence about a human impact and proposes a solution with real trade-offs.
Why it matters
It's the science they'll vote on. Reasoning about trade-offs beats memorising a list of environmental problems.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Reaches for slogan solutions with no consideration of cost, feasibility or who bears the burden.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Name one real trade-off in switching a country to renewable energy."
Solid looks like: A genuine cost — storage, land use, jobs, upfront capital — not just "it's expensive".
The full activity for this topic · 30 minutes
Household Audit and Proposal
- 1Audit one week of household resource use: electricity, water, packaging, or food waste.
- 2Estimate the annual total and the annual cost.
- 3Propose three changes and estimate the saving of each.
- 4For each, list what it would cost — money, convenience, time.
- 5Implement the best one for a fortnight and measure whether it worked.
If it's too hard
Audit one thing — food waste — for three days.
If it's too easy
Compare two national policies and evaluate the evidence for each.
Say this
"Who pays for that solution, and what do they give up? Every real fix has a cost."