Report on the CO2 module for schools: concept, description of experiment kit and materials for teachers

The ICOS Cities project has developed a compact teaching tool titled “How does CO2 affect climate change?” with the objective of educating and sensitising young people about the challenges posed by climate change. The module relies scientifically on the IPCC reports and focuses on active student involvement, hands-on practice, and practical experiments. The main goals are: (i) Students learn to recognize the dangers of global warming, (ii) They understand how CO2 emissions are generated and their impact on global warming (iii) Common misconceptions are identified and corrected. An interactive summary is provided by the "Climate Fresk", a well-established interactive workshop. The pilot implementation of the teaching module took place in Zurich, with 9 classes who followed the full module, which is designed for secondary school (grades 7-9, age 14-16) and involves 6 lessons. Teachers receive an introductory documentation and an introduction to "Climate Fresk". A guide on “How to run the module” provides practical tips. All hands-on experiments are based on simple, easily available materials to ensure accessibility for all schools. The module is now being transferred to Munich and potentially to France; a French translation is already available.