HSC Geography › Human–Environment Interactions › 13.3

Teacher Lesson Plan — Impacts of Climate Change

NSW Stage 6 Geography (2022) · Climate change · ~75 min
Teacher copy — includes model answers

At a glance

Companion resources

Big idea

Climate change impacts both natural systems and human societies, and they interconnect. Two contrasting case studies — the Great Barrier Reef and the ski industry — anchor the lesson.

Syllabus mapping (NESA Geography 11–12, 2022)

Focus area: Human–Environment Interactions · Content: climate change — the environmental and human impacts of climate change.

Outcomes addressed

GE-11-01 characteristics & patternsGE-11-02 processes across scalesGE-11-03 challenges & perspectivesGE-11-05 analyses sourcesGE-11-09 communicates

Outcome codes: source used GE11-x; re-mapped/verified to current GE-11-x (Year 11 Preliminary).

Key concepts

environmentinterconnectionchangesustainabilityscale

Lesson sequence & timings

TimePhaseTeacher / student activity
0–8HookDeck title (coast under pressure). Brainstorm impacts; Activity 1 (sort env/human, draw a link).
8–22Ocean acidificationSlide 6 + Activity 2 (flowchart). Stress it's separate from warming.
22–34DisastersSlide 8: Black Summer as a compound disaster. Signpost Chapter 14.
34–46People & equitySlide 10 + Activity 5 (equity). Health, food, economy.
46–60GBR caseSlide 12 + Activity 3. Coral bleaching mechanism; AIMS monitoring. Optional: Chasing Coral clip.
60–70Ski caseSlide 14 + Activity 4 (adaptation + limits). Contrast with GBR.
70–75ConsolidateActivity 6 essay plan. Exit ticket: one environmental + one human impact.

Activities — model answers

Activity 1 · Sort

Model
Environmental: coral bleaching, ocean acidification, rising seas, worse bushfires. Human: heat-related illness, lower crop yields, damaged tourism, food insecurity. Link example: coral bleaching (env) → damaged tourism (human).

Activity 2 · Acidification flowchart

Model
Extra CO₂ → absorbed by the ocean → forms carbonic acid (pH falls) → harder to build calcium-carbonate shells → corals, shellfish & plankton harmed. It's a problem without warming because the chemistry (lower pH) happens regardless of temperature.

Activity 3 · GBR

Model
Warming SST stresses coral → it expels its symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) → turns white (bleaches) → starves and dies if stress persists. Monitored by AIMS. Consequences: biodiversity loss and disrupted marine food webs (also lost tourism/fisheries income).

Activity 4 · Ski adaptation

Model
Impact: shorter seasons/less snow → fewer visitors, lost revenue. Adaptations: artificial snowmaking (costly, water/energy-hungry, needs cold nights); higher-altitude runs (limited, expensive); year-round tourism (changes the business, uncertain). Each has real limits.

Activity 5 · Equity

Model
Poorer communities depend on climate-sensitive livelihoods, live in exposed places, and have fewer resources to adapt — so they suffer more despite emitting least. This is a justice/sustainability issue.

Activity 6 · Essay plan

Model plan
Intro: impacts on environment + people, interconnected. Env: acidification, coral bleaching (GBR). Human: health, food, ski industry. Interconnection & equity. Conclusion: wide-ranging, uneven impacts requiring response (→ 13.4).

Key questioning (with answers)

Differentiation & assessment

Support

  • Provide impact cards to sort (Activity 1).
  • Part-complete the acidification flowchart.

EAL/D

  • Pre-teach: acidification, bleaching, zooxanthellae, adaptation, equity.

Extension

  • Compare mass-bleaching years on the GBR — what triggers them?
  • Debate: should ski resorts adapt or relocate?

Assessment / homework

  • Write the Activity 6 extended response.

Useful resources & recent articles

Accuracy reminder: bleaching-event years and reef statistics update — check AIMS for the latest before teaching.
Rose Bay Secondary College · HSC Geography · Human–Environment Interactions — Teacher plan (13.3) · NESA Stage 6 (2022) · HSC 2026
Aligned to the NESA Geography Stage 6 Syllabus (2022); facts verified to public sources; figures redrawn (no textbook images reproduced).