Teaching about climate change is challenging.
Introduction to Earth’s Dynamically Changing Climate, NASA and PBS TeacherLine
This activity engages students in examining evidence of global warming throughout the globe.
Climate Change Live: A Distance Learning Adventure
This website from the U.S. Forest Service and dozens of federal and non-governmental partners links to several resources, broken out by grades K-12. The vetted resources included vary in type, and include websites, lesson plans, activities and more.
Global Climate Change: Understanding the Greenhouse Effect (Lesson 1), PBS Learning Media
This lesson involves studying climate change, the role of greenhouse gases and the impact human behavior has on global warming.
Global Climate Change: The Effects of Global Warming (Lesson 2), PBS Learning Media
Intended to follow the lesson, Global Climate Change: Understanding the Greenhouse Effect, students will conduct an experiment to learn about carbon dioxide levels found in four different gases. They will think about carbon dioxide on a global scale, looking at evidence of global warming. This lesson also involves thinking through how human behavior contributes to global warming.
A Student’s Guide to Global Climate Change, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This interactive website provides an overview of climate change
Teaching Climate, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This section of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website provides resources, information and guidance on teaching about climate. This website includes background information, strategies for engaging youth, teaching tools and professional development opportunities.
Climate Kids: NASA’s Eyes on the Earth, NASA
The climate change section of this website offers content, links to games and a visually appealing discussion guide for teachers to present the evidence for climate change throughout the planet.
Talking to Children about Climate Change, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
This web content provides an overview of climate change topics, and addresses strategies for explaining this complex issue to students. Links to additional information are included.
Climate Change, Global Systems Science
This online textbook provides a detailed overview of climate change, with chapters covering government action on climate change, the history and controversy surrounding climate change, and the role greenhouse gases play.
A Brief Mathematical Guide to Earth Science and Climate Change, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
This resource offers a large collection of activities for grades 4-12. Teachers will find background information, problem and answer keys, discussion of alignment with standards, and a detailed table of contents for easy identification of activities.
Climate Change in my Backyard, Chicago Botanic Garden
This guide incorporates the NASA climate change curriculum to provide activities over four units.
Energy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation and more
This website provides the guiding principles of climate change education, with resources listed for each principle for both middle and high school students. This link also posts the Climate Literacy Framework, a publication from the U.S. Global Research Program. This piece is a useful tool for bringing climate change education into the classroom.
Evidence of Global Warming, KQED Education Network
This interactive web page provides an overview of global warming with clickable topics to learn about the evidence that it is taking place. There are also questions for students to consider included.
Action for Climate Empowerment Guidelines
The Action for Climate Empowerment: Guidelines for accelerating solutions through education, training and public awareness are intended to facilitate the work of National Focal Points (NFPs) to implement ACE activities in their countries. This publication can also be useful to other policy-makers and members of civil society organisations (CSOs) seeking the means to address climate change. The guidelines provide a flexible, phased approach to the strategic and systematic implementation of ACE activities at the national level, driven by each country’s circumstances. Activities exemplifying ACE implementation are provided from more than 20 countries in all regions of the world
UNESCO’s ‘Learning to address climate change’
This animated video by UNESCO shows in four minutes why climate change education is important and how it shapes sustainable development in practice. The video also helps better understand the causes of climate change and highlights examples of how teachers and students can shape climate action.
The UN Gateway to Climate Change provides news, features, and core links to climate change related activities from all UN agencies participating in the Chief Executives Board for Coordination.
UNESCO Climate Change Education Clearinghouse
The UNESCO CCE Clearinghouse is an online database that provides easy access to hundreds of resources including good practices, teaching and learning materials, scientific articles, and multimedia material from around the world.
UN CC:Learn is a partnership of more than 30 multilateral organizations that support countries in designing and implementing results-oriented and sustainable learning to address climate change.
Planning for Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change
FAO’s e-learning tool offers interactive learning sessions and practical resources for training on climate change adaptation in rural communities. It is specifically designed for development practitioners.
Green Growth On-line e-Learning Facility
This e-Learning facility, offered by UNESCAP, the AIT, and the RRCAP in partnership with the Government of the United Kingdom, offers interactive on-line training on the growing green economy.
