An Inconvenient Truth

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In the past 200 years, the introduction of industrialization (i.e., mass production of consumer goods) has changed both population as well as consumption patterns. Based on your previous knowledge, consider the following questions: In which ways has industrialization shaped the 21st century? What are some of the positives of living in an industrialized world? What are some of the negatives?

Teaching Suggestion: This question encourages students to critically think about the historical relationship between increased industrial output, population, and consumption. In particular, students should consider the following negatives of industrialization: increased pollution from factory and transportation emissions, increased consumption leading to added stress on global supply chains, and increased waste from non-recyclable materials, all of which are related to the broader discussion of climate change.

• This article from Britannica provides a detailed overview of the Industrial Revolution.
• This academic article by Farhan Ahmed (2022) links the effects of climate change to the industrial revolution, with a case study of the Asia-Pacific region.

2. Terms such as “global warming” as well as “climate change” are frequently used by politicians in their political platforms.