Dr. Alexandra Anderson-Frey, UW Atmospheric Sciences

Unequal Impacts: Justice at the Intersection of Risk and Exposure to Severe Weather Threat

This module was originally used in the courses ATM S 103. This content is originally built as an asynchronous class, however it can also be adapted to a synchronous format, either in a traditional or flipped classroom set up. 

Overview

  • Climate Justice Issue: Focuses on the intersection between severe storms, climate change, and societal vulnerability.
  • Target Audience: Undergraduates, 100 level course
  • Lesson Length: 1 hour class period with prior preparation
  • Learning objectives:
    • Provide students with the tools they need to recognize and describe the nuanced connections between severe storms (especially hurricanes), climate change, and societal vulnerability.
    • Give students an overview of how different demographics face unequal impacts of severe storms.
    • Have students establish their own solutions-based approaches to this problem and gain experience in presenting climate change and social justice to a broad audience.
  • Topic Overview: As climate change continues to alter the natural systems and balance of the world, the effects of severe storms (especially hurricanes) have become exacerbated, disproportionally effecting vulnerable populations. Different demographics (those living in coastal cities for example) will disproportionately experience the impacts of more severe weather as climate change continues to increase the severity of these systems .
  • Chapter Components:

Instructor Guide

  • BEFORE CLASS: Students are provided with the attached list of readings and videos (“Resources on Severe Storms, Climate Change, and Inequality”).
  • DURING CLASS (IF SYNCHRONOUS): Lead a brief discussion (including break-out rooms and think-pair-share) of materials read, optionally covering the following questions:
    • What did the readings teach you about climate change and hurricane that surprised you?
    • Which groups are likely to be most strongly impacted by severe storms?
    •  Which of those inequities are likely to become more or less pronounced with climate change?
  • DURING CLASS (IF ASYNCHRONOUS): Encourage students to consider the above questions while reflecting on the readings/videos.
  • AFTER CLASS (ASSIGNMENT): Provide students with assignment details (“Unequal Impacts Assignment”) and one week to complete assignment. Students should receive detailed feedback on each element of grading, using the attached grading rubric (“Grading Rubric”).
  • FOLLOW-UP (IF SYNCHRONOUS): In a small class, have each student report back a reading of their assignment and a 1-2 minute Q&A. In a larger class, break students into groups of 4-5 and have them do the same thing. Optionally, have students cycle into two or more groups.
  • FOLLOW-UP (IF ASYNCHRONOUS): Students hand in copies of their assignments to the instructor. With students’ permission, all assignment files are saved in a class-public repository, where a selection can be summarized by students for optional extra credit.

Unequal Impacts Assignment

In class (see “Resources on Severe Storms, Climate Change, and Inequality”) we explored the complex connection between climate change and hurricane strength, and also discussed how vulnerability to storms is likely to expand over time. We also delved into how the impacts of hurricanes are already being felt unequally and that those unequal impacts are likely to expand over time.

Your goal is to create a brief Public Service Announcement-style description of at least one way in which unequal impacts due to severe storms could be reduced. Your PSA can have different formats (an interview with a fictional expert, a letter to the editor, a social media post, a script for a YouTube video) but should be concise at around 250 words.

Your PSA can be guided by questions like the following:

    • What can be done to decrease vulnerability to severe storms?
    • What resources can be provided to help offset inequities?
    • Are there specific policies or practices in place that should be reversed?
    • In a future in which climate change is more pronounced than now, what should be done with urgency to reduce these unequal impacts?

Grading Rubric

Your PSA will be graded out of a maximum of 10 points based on the following categories:

  • Creativity and Originality (3 pts):
    • Are the solutions suggested interesting and potentially feasible?
  • Accuracy of Information (3 pts):
    • Does the scientific information being communicated accurately reflect our
      understanding of the situation?
  • Persuasiveness (3 pts):
    • Do the arguments presented make a good case for change?
  • Conciseness (1 pt):
    • Are the provided arguments within 100 words of the 250-word suggested length?

Resources on Severe Storms, Climate Change, and Inequality

 Severe Storms Vulnerability

 Unequal Impacts

Attribution: Anderson-Frey, A. “Unequal Impacts: Justice at the Intersection of Risk and Exposure to Severe Weather Threat”. Climate Justice in Your Classroom,  edited by Bertram, Brooks, and Olson, 2021. https://uw.pressbooks.pub/climatejustice/chapter/unequal-impacts-justice-at-the-intersection-of-risk-and-exposure-to-severe-weather-threat/ Date of Access.

About the author

name: Dr. Alexandra Anderson-Frey

institution: University of Washington

License

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Unequal Impacts: Justice at the Intersection of Risk and Exposure to Severe Weather Threat Copyright © by Dr. Alexandra Anderson-Frey, UW Atmospheric Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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