Lesson video

Hello, geographers.

My name is Mrs. Hormigo.

I'm looking forward to teaching you today.

I hope you're gonna enjoy the lesson and learn lots.

Let's get started.

The outcome for today's lesson is that you'll be able to understand how climate change can be managed through adaptation strategies.

There are three key words for today's lesson: irrigation, desalination, and coastal defences.

Irrigation is the method of supplying water to crops to help them to grow.

Desalination is the process of removing salt from sea water to make it suitable for drinking and irrigation.

Coastal defences, structures built to protect land from the sea, for example, sea walls.

There are three parts to today's lesson: adaptations to agricultural systems, adaptations to managing water supply, and adaptations to sea level rise.

Let's get started on our first one and look at adaptations to agricultural systems. Managing climate change can involve adaptation strategies.

Climate change is already happening.

We know that different areas of the world are experiencing the effects of climate change.

So it's important that we do what we can to manage this.

Adaptation is strategies taken to cope with or adjust to the impacts of climate change.

Mitigation are strategies to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases, which lead to climate change.

Check for you now.

True or false? Adapting to climate change is different from mitigating climate change.

Think carefully about what we've just said.

Pause the video and come back when you've decided.

Well done if you said true, but why? Can you explain your reasons? Pause the video and come back when you've decided.

You may have said something like this.

Adaptation involves strategies and actions taken to cope with or adjust to the impacts of climate change.

Whereas mitigation strategies are actions to reduce or prevent the emission of greenhouse gases.

Well done.

So agricultural systems are affected by climate change in these ways.

More frequent extreme weather events, like droughts, floods, and heat waves disrupting crop growth and reducing yields.

Warmer temperatures and different rainfall patterns are changing growing seasons, and it means that different crops are cultivated in different areas.

Warmer climates and changing ecosystems may allow pests and plant diseases to spread to regions where they were not previously, and that has a huge impact on crops and livestock.

Another quick check for you now.

How is climate change affecting agriculture? A, altering growing seasons, B, creating new plant diseases, or C affecting yields via extreme weather? Pause the video and decide on your answers.

Well done if you said A and C, altering growing seasons and affecting yields due to extreme weather.

It's not creating new plant diseases, but it is meaning that plant diseases may be found in different areas now due to climate change.

Here are some ways that farmers are adapting to climate change.

They're adopting drought-resistant, flood tolerant, and heat resistant crop varieties to cope with extreme weather and changing weather patterns.

They're improving irrigation systems, such as drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting.

And that image shows an example of rainwater harvesting, collecting the rainwater, which they then use for irrigation purposes.

And they're diversifying their crops and livestock to reduce the vulnerability to specific risks and thus avoid economic loss.

Practises like crop rotation are being introduced to protect soil health and improve resilience to extreme weather.

You can see there an image of moving your crops around onto different fields, and at times leaving some fields fallow to allow the nutrients to build back up.

And the timing of planting and harvesting is being adjusted to match the change to growing seasons that are being caused by changing temperatures and rainfall patterns.

Some examples now of where this is happening.

So in Canada, you've got farmers using crop rotation, improving soil fertility, and promoting carbon storage.

In Australia, farmers are using precision irrigation systems and drought tolerant crops to manage the issue of water scarcity.

And in India, farmers are shifting from water-intensive crops like rice to more drought-resistant crops such as millets, sorghum, and pulses.

Check for you now.

Can you add labels to these pictures to identify the different ways in which farmers are adapting to climate change? Pause the video, and come back when you're ready.

Did you say for the first picture, rainwater harvesting? The second one, diversifying crops.

And the third, shifting planting times.

Well done.

First task now for you.

Number one, list three ways climate change affects agriculture.

And number two, annotate this map with ways agricultural systems have adapted to cope with the impacts of climate change.

Pause the video, and come back when you've completed these tasks.

For your answer to list three ways climate change affects agriculture.

You may have included: Growing seasons have shifted due to warmer temperatures and changes to rainfall, increased extreme weather has reduced crop yields, warmer temperatures have meant pests, and diseases have spread to new regions.

Well done.

And for the second question, annotate this map with ways agricultural systems have adapted to cope with the impacts of climate change.

You may have included: in Canada, farmers are using crop rotation to improve soil fertility, in Australia, farmers are using precision irrigation systems to manage water scarcity, and in India, farmers are shifting from water-intensive crops like rice to those that are more drought-resistant, for example, millet.

Well done.

Let's move on now to our second learning cycle.

Adaptations to manage water supply.

Water supplies are being affected by climate change through longer and more frequent droughts, melting glacier and reduced snow cover, and intense rainfall and flooding.

How are we managing this? River basin management through water storage and transfer, water conservation, desalination plants, and use of recycled or grey water for non-drinking purposes.

We're gonna look at all of these in a little bit more detail now.

First of all though, a check.

How is climate change affecting water supplies? Can you add labels to these images? Pause the video and come back when you've completed this.

Did you say melting of glaciers and reduced snow cover, intense rainfall and flooding, and longer and more frequent droughts? If so, well done.

So river basin management helps to balance water needs.

It means that water is provided in the areas where it's needed or it is scarce.

Building reservoirs and water storage tanks to collect and store rain water during wetter periods for use in drier times.

So building up a reserve.

Water can be transferred from regions with excess water to those in need, and that can be via canals, pipes, or aqueducts.

This is an example.

The Colorado River Aqueduct delivers water to arid areas of Southern California from Lake Havasu on the California-Arizona border, and it provides a key source of drinking water in California.

And we can see there, it's the route that it takes from the mountainous areas over to the coast.

The use of grey water for irrigation.

So grey water is reusing treated wastewater, and we can use this for irrigation and industrial processes, reducing the demand on drinking water sources.

And an example for you here.

In the city of Cape Town, they are using grey water for irrigation to conserve fresh water for drinking and household use.

Desalination plants remove salt and other minerals from sea water to produce fresh drinking water.

The Ashkelon Desalination Plant in Israel is shown here in this image, and it produces 127 million litres of fresh water per day, which provides 50% of the country's population with drinking water.

And this is really useful for cities that have coastal locations.

True or false? Reusing treated wastewater, grey water, reduces the demand for water because it is safe to drink.

Pause the video and have a think.

Is that true or false? Did you say false? Well done.

But why? Pause the video and come back in a minute.

You may have said something like this.

Treated wastewater, known as grey water, is not safe to drink, but it can be safely used for irrigation and industrial processes, which allows water from other sources to be conserved for drinking and household use.

And we saw that example of this happening in Cape Town.

Encouraging efficient water helps to conserve water.

And in the USA, the "Save Water, Save California" initiative programme promoted efficient water use through public awareness campaigns, so telling people about how to save water, financial incentives for people who buy water efficient appliances, for example, low flow toilets, and incentives for drought-resistant landscaping, so replacing lawns with plants that require less water.

Task for you, now.

Complete the table to describe and exemplify two ways in which countries are adapting to manage water supply.

Got an example for you here.

The management strategy: water transfer skins to move water from wetter areas to dry areas with high demand.

And the example we've got is the Colorado River Aqueduct, which transfers water from the mountains to California to provide drinking water.

Pause the video and see if you can think of two other ways.

You may have included these.

The use of grey water for irrigation or industrial processes to reduce pressure on drinking water.

And your example being Cape Town, which uses grey water for irrigation and public parks.

And the second way, desalination plants converting sea water to drinking water.

And your example, the Ashkelon desalination plant in Israel, which provides enough fresh water for 50% of the population.

Well done.

Moving now to the third part of our lesson, adaptations to sea level rise.

Rising sea levels pose significant risks to coastal areas.

The latest report from the IPCC predicts that global mean sea levels will most likely rise between 0.

29 metres and 1.

1 metres by the end of this century.

And this image here depicts what might happen.

So sea levels will come further inland.

How are we trying to reduce the risks of rising sea levels? We've got coastal defences, floodplain management, elevated buildings, and migration.

And we're going to look at each of these in a little bit more detail now.

We've got a picture here of an elevated building.

By doing this, by raising the buildings and the infrastructure above projected sea level rise, reduces the damage it may see from flooding so that you can see there that the buildings and homes are being raised on stilts or elevated foundations.

And this is an example in New Orleans after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina, which caused devastating floods in this city.

This is how they are adapting their buildings and their infrastructure to cope.

Flood plane management.

Land use zoning prevents the construction in high-flood-risk areas.

So areas are designated as high-risk, and, therefore, it's not suitable for building in those areas.

And second thing, using natural flood management methods like wetlands and mangroves.

Mangroves store large amounts of carbon, which mitigates climate change and their dense root systems stabilise shorelines, which reduces erosion.

So adapting to climate change.

And mangroves absorb wave energy, reducing the impact of storm surges, again, adapting to the impacts of climate change.

They also trap sediments brought in by tides and rivers, which builds up the land, another way of adapting to climate change and its impacts.

Check for you now.

How do mangrove forests help to reduce the risks of sea level rise? A, they allow sediments to move back out to sea, B, the dense roots stabilise the soil, or C, they absorb the energy of the waves.

Pause the video and make your decisions.

Well done, if you said the dense roots stabilise the soil, and they absorb the energy of the waves.

They don't allow sediments to move back out to sea.

Their root system traps it and helps sediments to build up, helping to reduce the effects of erosion.

Coastal defences.

Hard engineering such as building sea walls, tidal barriers, and storm surge barriers can protect coastlines and prevent flooding.

In 2024, the Danish government invested 17 million pounds into protecting their low-lying coastline.

The Thames Barrier in London is a large movable barrier, and it protects London from tidal surges and sea level rise.

And it does this by blocking incoming high tides and storm surges so it can be closed or opened as appropriate.

And lastly, migration.

This migration is when individuals or whole communities are moving away from vulnerable coastal areas.

I've got an example here in Kiribati, which is a low lying island nation in the Pacific Ocean.

The government has implemented the "Migration with Dignity" programme.

This prepares its citizens to relocate to other countries like New Zealand.

It's doing this before it's forced, and before they have to move.

Kiribati has also purchased land in Fiji as a potential resettlement location for its population.

This is forward thinking and preparing its residents for the future impacts of climate change.

Check for you now.

Can you name these different management strategies to protect low lying coastlines? Pause the video and come back when you've done this.

Did you say the first one, coastal defences? That's an image of the Thames barrier in London.

B, Elevated houses and buildings.

That's an image of an elevated house in New Orleans.

And C, migration to safer places.

So the population of Kirabati are moving to New Zealand and potentially Fiji.

Task for you, now.

Explain two ways communities are adapting to the risks of rising sea levels.

And I've suggested here that adding a relevant example or examples is a great way to improve your answer.

So think about what we've talked about in this lesson.

Sophia says, "As this question says 'explain,' I must make sure to give reasons why each strategy helps communities cope with or adapt to rising sea levels." Pause the video and come back when you've had a go.

Your answer may have looked like this.

Communities in low lying coastal areas vulnerable to sea level rise are elevating buildings, for example, on stilts.

This will help to protect the property from increased risks of coastal flooding and storm surges.

And this is happening in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, for example.

For your second way, you may have said, rising sea levels increased risks of coastal erosion so communities are adapting by improving coastal defences.

A sustainable method is planting mangrove forests along the coastline because these provide a natural barrier, absorbing wave energy, stabilising soils, and so reducing erosion.

Well done.

Let's have a look then at the summary of today's lesson.

Adapting to climate change refers to strategies and actions taken to cope with or adjust to the impacts of climate change.

Changes to agricultural systems include growing drought resistant crops, changing planting times, and using really efficient irrigation systems. Managing water supplies include desalination plants, reuse of grey water, and transferring water.

And reducing the risks from rising sea levels includes coastal defences, elevated buildings, and migration to safer areas.

Well done.

I hope you now understand how we are managing climate change through adaptation.

I look forward to seeing you again soon.