Interactive Radiative Forcing Learning Tool To Connect Climate Science to Chemistry Curriculum

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Radiative forcing, the change in Earth’s energy balance since the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution in 1750, is the ultimate driver of climate change and one of the core Earth system processes that determines whether we are living within our planetary boundaries. Substances that are positive radiative forcers increase Earth’s energy imbalance and contribute to warming, while negative radiative forcers decrease Earth’s energy imbalance and cause cooling. Though radiative forcing is central to understanding the mechanisms that drive climate change, it is an unfamiliar concept to many chemistry students and the public. To bridge this knowledge gap, the King’s Centre for Visualization in Science (KCVS) has developed an online interactive learning tool to help students explore these concepts further and connect climate change to their learning of core chemistry content. The learning tool visualizes changes in radiative forcing over time and quantifies how each of the key substances’ interactions in the atmosphere have contributed to positive and negative radiative forcing. By engaging with this resource, students, educators, and the public can learn about the sources, impacts, and solutions to mitigate anthropogenic emissions of each radiative forcer. Initial assessment of the learning tool with undergraduate introductory chemistry students demonstrated that the learning tool was successful in increasing their foundational understanding of radiative forcing and its most important contributors.