Illustration 2.1
The greenhouse effect
This picture shows a simplified balanced energy budget. Today, a small imbalance means Earth gains heat.
Download printable sheetDownload imageSeries 2 · Episode 1 · Video podcast · About 12 minutes
Can We Stop the Planet Getting Warmer?
Explore Earth’s energy balance, what net zero CO₂ means, and why every cut in emissions matters. Use the printable teaching resources below alongside the episode.
Available now in video and audio.
Free Series 2 · Episode 1 classroom pack
Illustrations, quiz & teacher answers.
3 printable illustrations, a six-question multiple-choice quiz and a separate teacher answer sheet. The complete 5-page PDF uses landscape A4 for illustrations and portrait A4 for the quiz and answers.
For pupils, print the quiz separately. The last page of the complete pack contains answers. Print at actual size or fit to page, with automatic orientation.
Illustration 3.2
From ancient life to fossil fuels
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that was stored underground for millions of years.
Download printable sheetDownload image
New classroom diagram
Earth's energy balance
Compare the two cases. What must happen to Earth's energy store when more energy is absorbed than escapes?
Download printable sheetDownload imageFree to download and print for non-commercial classroom use. Sources and artwork credits are included in the teacher guidance. The energy-balance diagram is original artwork based on NASA and NOAA explanations; no agency artwork or logos are reproduced.
What happens next?
Series 2 — What Happens Next? builds on Series 1 — Core Climate Science to explore practical questions, beginning with limiting warming. Its eight video podcasts can be used for teacher-led classroom viewing or listening or explored at home with a parent or carer.
Show notes
Building on Core Episodes 1 and 2, this episode explores Earth’s energy balance and uses a jar of marbles to distinguish CO₂ emissions from the amount already in the atmosphere. It explains why cutting emissions is essential, what global net zero CO₂ means, and why every tonne avoided matters. Glaciers, oceans and sea level can keep changing after surface warming levels off. One Bright Thing looks at the UK’s move away from coal-fired electricity.
Teacher notes
Learning objective: Distinguish emissions, atmospheric concentration and net zero; explain why surface temperature can stabilise while other climate impacts continue.
Keywords: energy balance, infrared radiation, emissions, atmospheric concentration, carbon sinks, net zero, glaciers, sea level.
Discussion prompts
- Why does Earth gain heat when absorbed sunlight exceeds outgoing heat?
- In the marble jar, what determines whether the level rises?
- Why does net zero CO₂ not immediately restore the pre-industrial climate?
- Why does limiting warming still matter if sea level continues rising?
Natural carbon uptake and human-caused removals are different parts of the explanation: net zero balances human-caused emissions with human-caused removals. Natural sinks can continue absorbing CO₂ afterwards. Approximately stable surface temperature does not mean immediate equilibrium throughout the climate system.
The downloadable teacher sheet includes answers, further guidance and links to NASA, NOAA and IPCC sources.
Start with Series 1 — Core Climate Science
Two illustrated lessons on YouTube and Spotify lead into this episode:
- Series 1 · Episode 1 — What Is Climate? Explore the difference between a day’s weather and long-term climate patterns.
- Series 1 · Episode 2 — Why Is the Earth Warming? Explore the greenhouse effect and why greenhouse gases act like a heat-trapping blanket around Earth.
Both Series 1 episode pages include YouTube and Spotify links and printable classroom packs.