Global Environmental Governance

Active learning works because this topic demands students move beyond abstract definitions to confront real human choices and consequences. By mapping refugee journeys, debating border ethics, and weighing fairness, students connect legal concepts to lived experiences and policy trade-offs.

• Year 10
• Civics & Citizenship
• 3 activities
• 25 min–50 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the ethical and political challenges nations face when collaborating on global environmental issues.
2. Evaluate the effectiveness of international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, in addressing climate change.
3. Design a policy proposal that balances national economic interests with global environmental health responsibilities.
4. Justify criteria for determining fair international emissions reduction targets, considering historical responsibility and capacity.
5. Compare and contrast different models of global environmental governance and their strengths and weaknesses.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Journey Map

Groups research the legal process a refugee must go through to reach Australia, from leaving their home country to the 'determination' of their status. They create a visual map showing the legal and physical hurdles at each stage.

Prepare & details

Design a just policy for sharing the burden of climate action.

Facilitation Tip: During The Journey Map, circulate and prompt groups to trace not just the physical route but the emotional and legal turning points refugees face.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Formal Debate

⏱ 50 min·Whole Class

Formal Debate: Ethics of the Border

Students debate: 'Does a nation's right to secure its borders override its obligation to help those in need?' They must use specific articles from the UN Refugee Convention to support their arguments.

Prepare & details

Analyze the balance between national economic growth and global environmental health.

Facilitation Tip: In Ethics of the Border, assign roles that force students to defend perspectives different from their own to deepen empathy and critical thinking.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What is a 'Fair Share'?

Students look at global refugee statistics and compare Australia's intake with other nations. They discuss what criteria a country should use to decide how many refugees to accept each year.

Prepare & details

Justify who should decide international emissions reduction targets.

Facilitation Tip: For What is a 'Fair Share'?, provide a visible tally board where students can compare group responses to highlight patterns in their reasoning.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by grounding abstract legal frameworks in human stories and policy dilemmas. Avoid presenting refugee issues as purely political; instead, focus on the ethical reasoning behind laws like the 1951 Refugee Convention. Use structured debate and mapping to make the invisible visible—border policies, processing delays, and resettlement realities.

What to Expect

Successful learning shows when students can explain the difference between asylum seekers and refugees, analyze how policy choices balance law and ethics, and articulate nuanced positions in discussions. They should use evidence from international agreements and domestic examples to support their reasoning.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During The Journey Map, watch for students who assume arriving by boat is illegal because it violates policy.

What to Teach Instead

Use the map to pause and ask students to locate where international law (1951 Convention) and domestic policy (Operation Sovereign Borders) diverge, explicitly naming 'illegal' versus 'unauthorized' arrivals.

Common Misconception

During Structured Debate: Ethics of the Border, watch for students conflating refugees with economic migrants.

What to Teach Instead

Ask debaters to categorize push factors on a whiteboard as persecution-related or opportunity-related, forcing them to distinguish motive and legal status.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After Collaborative Investigation: The Journey Map, facilitate a class debate using the maps as evidence. Students must argue for a specific decision-making body (e.g., UN, individual nations, scientific bodies) to set emissions targets, citing equity, capacity, and historical responsibility from the maps and case studies.

Quick Check

During Structured Debate: Ethics of the Border, provide a short case study of a hypothetical nation facing pressure to increase fossil fuel production while being vulnerable to climate impacts. Ask students to write two policy recommendations—one prioritizing economic growth and one prioritizing environmental health—explaining trade-offs, then collect responses for formative feedback.

Exit Ticket

After Think-Pair-Share: What is a 'Fair Share'?, ask students to write one sentence explaining the principle of 'Common But Differentiated Responsibilities' and one example of how it might apply in a climate negotiation between Australia and a developing island nation, using their paired discussion notes as a scaffold.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to research a recent Australian asylum case and prepare a 2-minute summary linking it to international law.
• Scaffolding for struggling students provide a partially completed journey map template with key legal and policy checkpoints already listed.
• Deeper exploration assign students to interview a community member with refugee experience (or a relevant NGO worker) and compare their story to the legal definitions they learned.

Key Vocabulary

Global Environmental Governance	The complex system of institutions, rules, and processes through which nations and other actors attempt to manage shared environmental problems.
Climate Justice	The ethical and political framework that links climate change to issues of fairness, equity, and human rights, recognizing that its impacts disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
Common But Differentiated Responsibilities	A principle of international environmental law acknowledging that all countries share a responsibility to address environmental problems, but acknowledging that developed countries have a greater historical role and capacity to act.
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)	The climate targets set by each country under the Paris Agreement, outlining their plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change.
Climate Refugees	Individuals forced to leave their homes and countries due to the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels, extreme weather events, and desertification.