Global Climate Change Science Games

In this series of games, your students will learn about the causes and effects of climate change, and what can be done to reduce both. The Global Climate Change learning objective — based on NGSS and state standards — delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective’s games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

Over the past 130 years, the Earth’s average surface temperature has been rising, a phenomenon known as “global warming.” Global warming is caused by the greenhouse effect, which has become more intense with rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and water vapor — or “greenhouse gases” — in the atmosphere.

These greenhouse gases are produced by different sources:

* CO₂ emissions come from burning fossil fuels, manufacturing, and agriculture.
* Methane is produced by landfills, as well as agricultural activities like cow farming.
* Water vapor levels increase as temperatures rise and water is evaporated into our atmosphere.

Even a small amount of climate change — just 1-2℃ — has widespread effects across the planet’s ecosystems. Ocean levels rise because seawater expands as it warms and ice caps and glaciers melt. More extreme weather events happen, and summers and winters become more intense. Disasters like droughts and floods happen more often, and habitats are destroyed, leading to extinction of species.

Along with human activity, there are some natural causes of climate change, like changes in the Earth’s orbit, solar radiation from sunspot cycles, and volcanic activity. However, the climate change of the past 130 years is too dramatic to be explained by these factors.

Humans can make everyday changes to minimize the problem of climate change. We can reduce, reuse, and recycle in order to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and we can use alternative, clean energy sources like solar, wind, water, and nuclear power.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

You can access all of the games on Legends of Learning for free, forever, with a teacher account. A free teacher account also allows you to create playlists of games and assignments for students and track class progress. Sign up for free today!