Climate Change

A. Pre-reading task

Which of these following factors do you think will most likely cause humans to go extinct? Why?

Factors causing humans to go extinct Yes/ No Reason

Climate change Yes Lead to more natural disasters which
threaten human survival
No It’s a conspiracy fabricated by climate
scientists
Food shortage Yes Climate change will result natural disaster
such as flooding and drought which could
seriously affect food supply esp. in
disaster-stricken areas
No Global food production remains ample
Nuclear weapons Yes The war between Ukraine and Russia is still
going on and it’s difficult to say if humans
could survive a large-scale nuclear attack.
No There are checks and balances among
countries today which make nuclear
conflicts virtually impossible to happen
Pandemic Yes Covid-19 has already taken so many lives
around the world so it’s possible that the
next pandemic can lead to a gradual
extinction of the human race esp. when
experts argue that pathogens come from
own microbiome.
No So many of us have survived the deadly
Covid-19 and from the historical
perspective, humans survived the Spanish
Flu and many other more severe pandemic
in the past.
Artificial intelligence Yes With the advancement of AI, it is possible
that our future world will be ruled by AI
robots one day.
No Robots or ChatGPT exist to complement
and support humans, not to replace them.
Bioweapons Yes Doomsday genes are now developed by
scientists to selectively target and
exterminate entire human species to
control population.
No There are conventions and treaties signed
among countries to safeguard global
safety.

B. While-reading task

What’s the opinion of the writer on the following threats facing humanity?

Threats facing Opinion Evidence (quotes with paragraph no.)

humanity
 Climate change Poses a comparatively
small threat to the
survival of human race.
Natural disasters The risk of eradicating the
entire human species is
roughly one in a million
per year.
pandemics Worse than natural
disasters because new
viruses kept popping up
but unlikely to contribute
to human extinction
Biotechnological The current risk is minimal
conflict but will grow in time
unless we keep an eye on
risky biotechnology and
the government.
Nuclear weapons Biggest risk to humanity;
the risk goes up or down
Just more work and more expensive to
tackle it (para. 2 & 3)
“A very small threat to the survival of
human race.” (para. 1 under ‘Disasters
and diseases’)
“Hazards big enough to cause entire
species to go extinct are relatively
rare.” (para. 2 under ‘Disasters and
diseases’)
“Natural pandemics are unlikely to
wipe out the human race…” (para. 5
under ‘Disasters and diseases’)
‘As the technology becomes more
accessible, there’s a growing risk it
could be used as a “doomsday device”
by nasty regimes…’ (para. 2 under
‘Technology attacks’)
‘The risk of a nuclear war…to be
somewhere between one in 100 and
one in 1,000 per year.’ (para. 3 under
‘Technology attacks’)

C. Post-reading task (“The Believing Game and the Doubting Game”)

Students (and adults) often stick to their assumptions and preconceived notions when they read,
rather than be open to new ideas or possibilities. Placing oneself in the mind of the “other” side of
an argument can be difficult. A simple practice called the “believing game” and the “doubting game,”
from Professor Peter Elbow’s “Writing Without Teachers,” can help students to challenge their own
preconceptions and to think more critically about what they read.

After students read the above article, ask them to write for a few minutes in response to the
following prompts:

Believe: Write about all of the reasons you have for agreeing with this text. What examples could
you offer in support of the argument, from the text or your own outside knowledge or
experience?

Doubt: Write about all of the reasons you have for doubting the text. What counter arguments
could you offer? How could you question the text? What examples do you have that would go
against what the author is saying?

After students both believe and doubt, they can share their writing — including their arguments and
counterarguments — with their peers.

Believe:
 - Climate will threaten the lives of hundred of millions of people, such as by leading to food
and water scarcity, which has the potential to trigger a societal collapse and set the stage for
global conflict, but it won’t directly causes humans to go extinct

- The runaway greenhouse effect where the scenario of the planet’s oceans evaporate and
can no longer sustain life won’t possibly occur and it’s not supported by science

- Climate threat is exaggerated; humans have survived climate fluctuations in the past and
currently live all over the world despite the rise and fall of numerous civilizations

- Even if climate change triggers a global civilization collapse, humans will likely be able to
keep going, at least in some areas, e.g. New Zealand and Ireland, which is habitable through
agriculture

Doubt:

- Climate change has played a role in every mass extinction event, e.g .cooling during the Ordo
vician-Silurian extinction about 440 million years ago that wiped out 85% of species and
warming during the Triassic-Jurassic extinction about 200 million years ago that killed 80% of
species; the 300-year-long drought contributed to the downfall of ancient Greece about
3,200 years ago

- Climate change can create knock-on effects, e.g. food and financial crises, conflict and new
disease outbreaks; directly affect nuclear powers, and containment labs housing the most
dangerous pathogens

- There’s a track record of other hominid species going extinct, e.g. Neanderthals, which was
caused by climatic fluctuations

- Serious study of worst-case scenarios are insufficient

- Real info. on climate change has been hidden, distorted, and avoided