🌿 AI and the Environment
Use AI to understand climate and environmental data.
🔥 Warm Up — 3 minutes
"Climate change, biodiversity, pollution — these are some of the biggest topics you will deal with in your lifetime. AI can help you understand the data behind them."
"Today we look at the real numbers — and practice reading them critically."
🤖 The Activity — 20 minutes
Check two of the facts against the cited sources. Did AI get them right?
This is genuinely interesting because AI's honest answer often differs from conventional wisdom. Discuss: were there any surprises?
Local context makes global issues personal.
🧩 The Twist — 5 minutes
Ask: Why do companies make environmental claims? How can you tell the difference between genuine action and greenwashing? This connects data literacy to consumer awareness.
Environmental data is one of the areas where AI needs the most verification. Numbers change as new research emerges. Political debates affect how data is framed. Always check environmental statistics against primary sources — government agencies, peer-reviewed research, established scientific bodies.
Earth Analyst Badge 🌿
Used AI to understand environmental data — critically and accurately
Parent Notes — tap to expand
▼Environmental data literacy — using real numbers to understand real issues, combined with scepticism about how data is framed and presented.
- What fact surprised you most?
- Which individual action has the most genuine impact? Did that surprise you?
- What environmental issue do you think most people your age do not know about?
This session can generate genuine concern about the future. Balance with agency: these are problems that need solutions, and the people working on them need exactly the skills your child is developing.
The greenwashing checklist is valuable consumer education. It connects to the media literacy and data literacy work earlier in the programme.