Hot Topic: Sun Burn?

November 28, 2015

Paris, the “City of Light” plays host to the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21) from November 30 – December 11, 2015.  Paris earned its nickname as the birthplace of the Enlightenment and the first major city in the world to banish the night by lighting its streets.

The gas streetlamps are long gone, but Paris is still awash with light and life from dusk to dawn. As the City of Light hosts COP21, perhaps the scientists and statesmen gathering there will draw from that enlightened heritage.

With the goal of keeping the lights on for future generations while preserving environmental quality, scientists, statesmen, and policy-makers will grapple with the reality of scarcity:  growing demand for energy in a world of limited resources. Concern over the climate effects of carbon emissions provides a sense of urgency, drawing governments and international organizations to the table in Paris.On that table is the issue of what governments should or should not do to  develop and promote alternatives to fossil-fueled energy.

Sun Burn:  Paying the Bill for Solar Energy uses the economic way of thinking to examine and evaluate the rules of the game that shape development of solar energy in the United States.

Sun Burn ? – Paying the Bill for Solar Energy (Students) Students click the “Study” button to begin.  Narration at the top of each screen guides them through the collection of  resources with thought questions and reminders. For direct access to the collection, give students the url or embed it in your teacher website: http://www.goorulearning.org/#collection-play&id=24cd01cb-7bb9-4dd2-92ec-b848fa5f9b35&share=true  Sun Burn? (Teacher Guide)  http://www.gooru.org/#collection-play&id=d70be652-f9cf-4009-9802-22d753579842&share=true Narration in this collection is teacher-focused.  Includes answer guides and supplemental resources.

The FTE thanks Caroline Parrish (Hebron High School, Carrollton, TX) and Karen Yancy (Joshua High School, Cleburn, TX)  for the idea, design, and original draft of this Hot Topic. Their lesson was edited, with permission, and any errors are the responsibility of FTE staff, not the authors.  (Questions or comments?  Please contact kratte@fte.org.)