Creating Art as a Climate Solution
Provided by: Yale News|Published on: April 23, 2024|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Articles/Websites
Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts
Authors: Yale News
Location: North America, North America > United States, North America > United States > Connecticut
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video and article detail a collaboration between community members in New Haven using urban art and heat-absorbing paint to inspire and inform people.
- Students will learn about contributions to the urban heat island effect and hear from the Yale leaders who spearheaded this project.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This video features two women of color with prominent positions at Yale University.
- This resource displays why an interdisciplinary approach helps tackle climate change.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand the urban heat island effect, its causes, and how it impacts people in cities.
- Some students may need the terms urban art, mitigate, and others defined before watching the video and reading the article.
Differentiation
- Students can look at other measures to reduce the heat island effects, such as the one described in the Do Cities Need More Green Roofs? resource.
- This resource can supplement a lesson on the connection between buildings and greenhouse gas emissions.
- After viewing the mural, students can sketch their ideas for murals regarding climate change.
- This resource can support a classroom discussion on the merits of interdisciplinary collaboration and what other problems could be solved with this approach.
This resource from Yale News describes an interdisciplinary collaboration between Yale's School of the Environment and the School of Art to address climate change through public art. Led by Karen Seto and Kymberly Pinder, the partnership aims to utilize innovative heat-absorbing paint to mitigate urban heat island effects while engaging local communities. Although the text effectively conveys the initiative's goals and activities, it lacks specific data or evidence on the efficacy of using art as a climate solution. However, the 2-minute video featuring a conversation between Seto and Pinder enriches the narrative by providing firsthand insights into the collaboration's origins and objectives. This resource is a valuable educational tool for promoting interdisciplinary approaches to climate action and community engagement through art.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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