The Ministry for the Future

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. What evidence convinces the majority of scientists that our climate is changing as a result of human activity? Which human activities contribute the most to climate change? What are some of the most serious consequences happening now, and how are the effects of climate change likely to impact our future? 

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt offers an opportunity to measure students’ pre-existing knowledge and fill in any gaps in their understanding. Having accurate information about the scope of this problem will increase students’ engagement with and comprehension of The Ministry for the Future and its central theme of The War for Earth: Confronting Climate Change. If readers are hesitant to share their existing knowledge on this potentially sensitive topic, small group discussion or journaling might serve as initial pathways to large group sharing. Information from these or similar resources can help students develop additional context on the topic.

• This page from NASA offers an unambiguous explanation of the evidence for human-made climate change.
• This article from the BBC discusses the complexity of understanding who is to “blame” for greenhouse gas emissions.