Supply Chains and Climate Change
Provided by: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative|Published on: April 27, 2021|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Lesson Plans
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Engineering
Authors: MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This lesson about supply chains, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the environmental impacts of making goods includes student pages, a mind-mapping activity, a podcast, and a map reading exercise.
- The podcast talks about the problem of scaling up clean energy technologies while also ensuring people's rights and protecting the environment.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students may be surprised to learn how many locations raw materials come from to make just one tech device.
- The UN Sustainable Development Goals can be printed for display in the classroom.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should already be familiar with the concept that every product we use is created from raw materials that are sourced, processed, manufactured, and transported.
Differentiation
- Social studies or economics classes could use this resource to support their discussion on understanding supply chains and the importance of certification labels to distinguish responsibly produced goods.
- Science and social studies classes could use this resource to examine how the mining industry negatively affects the environment and the injustices associated with the storage sites for spent radioactive fuels or other hazardous wastes.
The resource provides insights on adopting sustainability guidelines in an organization's supply chain. It explores opportunities in energy transition and the importance of using clean technology to reduce global carbon footprints. This is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
Learn about our review process →
