Futures literacy

As part of The Climate in Our Hands – Climate Models guidebook, "Futures Literacy" is an interactive and creative lesson where students explore climate scenarios through storytelling and artistic expression. By imagining different futures, students engage with climate science while developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

What is this activity about?

This lesson introduces students to future scenario-building, encouraging them to think critically about societal choicesand their impact on the climate. Through literary, artistic, and theatrical exercises, students create stories, illustrations, or performances that depict possible futures under different climate conditions.

Key Information

• Subjects: Literature, Visual Arts, Theater, Natural Sciences
• Duration: 2 hours
• Teaching method: Storytelling and creative activity
• Key learning outcomes:
  • Understand how climate projections shape future societies
  • Explore the role of adaptation and mitigation strategies in shaping climate-resilient futures
  • Express climate knowledge through creative storytelling and artistic interpretation
  • Develop futures literacy, a crucial sustainability competency

How does it work?

1. Introduction (30 min):

   • Students reflect on climate projections for 2100, discussing how different societal choices influence climate change.
   • They analyze a student-produced artistic representation of a future city and identify climate adaptation strategies in the scene.

2. Part 1 – Storytelling in a Climate-Stressed City (40 min):

   • Students read and match testimonies of fictional characters living in a climate-impacted city.
   • They create their own character and write or illustrate a day in their life in a climate-affected future.
   • Students can draw, write a narrative, or perform a theatrical scene based on their imagined future.

3. Part 2 – Envisioning Life in 2100 (40 min):

   • Students revisit their climate scenario choices from previous lessons and build a new future scenario for a city in 2100.
   • In pairs, they develop a story about daily life in a future climate, considering aspects like transportation, food, work, and social interactions.
   • Students evaluate their stories based on how well they integrate sustainability concepts, including SDGs and climate mitigation/adaptation strategies.

4. Wrap-up Discussion (10 min):

   • Students present their stories or artworks and discuss the practicality and feasibility of their imagined climate solutions.
   • The class reflects on how envisioning alternative futures can help overcome eco-anxiety and inspire climate action.

Why use this activity in your classroom?

• Engages creativity and imagination: Uses art, storytelling, and drama to explore scientific concepts
• Encourages systems thinking: Helps students connect climate science, society, and individual choices
• Promotes emotional resilience: Supports students in processing climate concerns through positive and constructive storytelling
• Bridges science and humanities: Provides an interdisciplinary approach to climate education