No Option Except Escape: A Role Play on the Struggles of Climate Refugees

Activity - Classroom

Grades9, 10, 11, 12Civics, Geography

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Zinn Education Project

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What it is

In this activity, students will role-play to understand climate refugees and the lack of protections for them.
Students will read a vignette of the climate refugee they will play, participate in a mock convention for refugees, and write from the perspective of their refugee after reading a fictional proposal from the International Summit of Business Leaders regarding climate refugee protection.

Teaching tips

Positives

Putting students in the role of a refugee will help them develop a deeper connection to the issue.
Through the mock convention, students have the opportunity to learn about a variety of issues that force people from all over to escape their homes.

Prerequisites

Teachers will have to sign in or create an account to access the activity.
Teachers should be mindful of their classroom demographics, especially mindful of any students who are refugees.
Students may benefit from having background knowledge about climate change and its impacts.

Differentiation & Implementation

If students are new to role-playing, teachers may want to model the expectations.
Teachers can plan strategic groups to ensure students get maximum value out of the activity.
Students in the "home" group answering questions may benefit from a graphic organizer or cheat sheet to help them answer other students' questions accurately.

From the scientist review

This resource provides first-hand insights on what being a climate refugee is like and how real people's lives have changed due to the climate crisis. This resource is well-sourced and is recommended for teaching.

How we review resources

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Civics, Geography
Other types: Articles/Websites
Format: PDF
Language: English
Location: Africa, Asia, Earth, Middle East, North America > Puerto Rico, North America > United States > Oregon, Oceania, South America
Provider: Zinn Education Project
Authors: Zinn Education Project, Rethinking Schools
Published: May 24, 2024
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.12.9-12 + 14 more

Core

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.12.9-12Analyze how people use and challenge local, state, national, and international laws to address a variety of public issues.
D2.Civ.3.9-12Analyze the impact of constitutions, laws, treaties, and international agreements on the maintenance of national and international order.
D2.Civ.5.9-12Evaluate citizens' and institutions' effectiveness in addressing social and political problems at the local, state, tribal, national, and/or international level.
D2.Civ.7.9-12Apply civic virtues and democratic principles when working with others.
D2.Geo.11.9-12Evaluate how economic globalization and the expanding use of scarce resources contribute to conflict and cooperation within and among countries.
D2.Geo.12.9-12Evaluate the consequences of human-made and natural catastrophes on global trade, politics, and human migration.
D2.Geo.7.9-12Analyze the reciprocal nature of how historical events and the spatial diffusion of ideas, technologies, and cultural practices have influenced migration patterns and the distribution of human population.
D2.Geo.9.9-12Evaluate the influence of long-term climate variability on human migration and settlement patterns, resource use, and land uses at local-to-global scales.

Oregon Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

9-10.RI.1Analyze what the text says explicitly as well as inferentially; cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support the analysis.
9-10.W.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
11-12.RI.4Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text.
11-12.W.1Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
9-10.WHST.1Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

Social Sciences

HS.G.GR.1:Use geographic tools, various kinds of maps, and geospatial technologies to examine geographic components of past and current world events or to solve geographic problems.
HS.G.MM.2:Analyze recent voluntary and forced migration patterns to identify and understand the push and pull factors and their effect on people and places.

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What it is

Teaching tips

From the scientist review

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