What is Climate Change?
Provided by: Earth Cubs|Published on: April 18, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Type: Videos
Subjects: Science
Authors: Earth Cubs
Location: Earth, Polar Regions
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
- In this animated video from Earth Cubs, students will learn about climate change, its causes, and actions they can take to help.
- Students are introduced to fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, their impact on the climate, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video provides an overview of a wide variety of climate change topics while remaining concise.
- Students will enjoy the animations and the characters in this video.
Prerequisites
- It may benefit students to understand fossil fuels and what they are used for, though this is briefly mentioned in the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After watching the video, students can explore the polar or underwater habitats and their importance and recognize the need for their protection. Useful resources may be the Still Waiting Read Aloud [English], which connects polar habitats with literature, or Coral Reef in a Box, which is a creative and hands-on activity.
- This video can serve as an introduction to climate change and the importance of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Teachers can use the article All About the Sustainable Development Goals for an overview of all 17 goals or look into specific goals, using resources like Quality Education: SDG 4 or Understand Goal 5: Gender Equality.
- Students can create posters telling others what they can do about climate change, using the section of the video beginning at 6:21 for reference.
- Students may benefit from following this video with an in-depth lesson about greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect. The video Meet the Greenhouse Gases! can introduce students to the specific gases, while The Greenhouse Effect Experiment provides a hands-on activity.
This resource is a fun, animated introduction to climate change grounded in sound science and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The narwhal narrator and colorful animations clearly show the causes of climate change and its effects. Notably, several suggested actions are included whereby students are empowered to help mitigate climate change. This resource 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 →
