Mock UN Global Warming Debate

As we begin studying the Greenhouse Effect, what is your initial stance on greenhouse gases effecting global warming? If you are unsure or even if you have a firm stance, begin researching printed and online resources about the Greenhouse Effect to learn more about it for our upcoming mock UN debate. For example, you can visit the "Climate Change: State of Knowledge" website to learn about the latest evidence and models predicting global warming. As you research the Greenhouse Effect, collect evidence that supports or refutes the theory. Depending on your stance, you will be supporting or refuting that global warming is taking place and it is highly contributed to by Greenhouse gasses. As you visit these websites, you should also be identifying what effects global warming might have on the earth, and what possible solutions might exist to the Greenhouse Effect. You may work in groups if you find others that have your same views to divide up the work load. For the debate, each one of you will represent a country in which you are the acting UN leader for. You may form alliances with other country leaders and make this as realistic as you would like. On the day of the debate you will dress the part for your role and act out how you believe a UN conference would look like over the debate of global warming. Take into consideration what the Greenhouse Effect means to your country and how global warming may overall affect your countrys industries and people.
Questions that you should consider as you collect information:
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What impact might CO2 emissions have on overall global warming? Is there evidence of a strong connection between CO2 emissions and global warming? What impact have chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) emissions had on global warming? How is the structure of our current ozone layer related to global warming? Would the earth be warming as quickly if we had not invented and used internal combustion engines for our transportation? How can we model future changes in the global climate with the scientific models available? What can global climate models tell us about life on earth for future generations? How much scientific weight should we place on the results of these models?

On the day of the debate we will discuss about the scientific merits of the Greenhouse Effect. As you and your fellow like-minded peers offer up your views, you should support your positions with evidence drawn from your research. Positions and evidence should be scrutinized by the group according to scientific merits, verifiability, weight of evidence, and influences by outside parties. You should also discuss what effect global warming and the Greenhouse Effect might have on our lives as a current global society, as well as the lives of others in future generations.