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Climate Change Resources

 

A scientific consensus indicates that Earth's climate is changing, largely due to human-induced increases in the concentrations of heat-absorbing gases. Climate change mitigation and resilience strategies exist that human societies may choose to adopt.

Featured Resources

Journal Article

In Legislation to Support Climate Change Education, Symbolism is Not Enough by Glenn Branch

It’s a perfect storm. No fewer than fifteen measures to support climate change education in the public schools have been introduced in the statehous...

Blog Post

Web Seminar: NSTA Science Update: Pulse of the Planet: The State of the Climate in 2019, September 18, 2019

Join us on Wednesday, September 18, from 7:00 – 8:00 pm Eastern time to learn about the state of the climate....

Web Seminar

Latest Resources

 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, February 20, 2024
 

Web Seminar

Science Update: Making Climate Science Matter: Expanding the Use and Reach of the Fifth National Climate Assessment, May 2, 2024

Join us on Thursday, May 2, 2024, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about the fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) report....

 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, January 30, 2024
 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, January 16, 2024
 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, January 9, 2024
 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, December 19, 2023
 

Web Seminar

Archive: Science Update: The Grand Challenge of Coral Reef Sustainability, March 7, 2024

Even optimistic climate scenarios predict catastrophic consequences for coral reef ecosystems by 2100. Understanding how reef connectivity, biodiversi...

 

Journal Article

Using Fiction and Nonfiction Readings in Climate Change Education

Facts about climate change are often ineffective in impacting people’s climate change beliefs or environmentally related behaviors. Multiple theorie...

 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, October 10, 2023
 

Web Seminar

Archive: Science Update: Every Rock Has A Story: Life's Evolving Relationship with the Earth, December 7, 2023

Identifying a rock or mineral can be the beginning of an investigation. Every rock has a story just waiting to be told, and everyone loves to hear a g...

 

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, September 19, 2023
 

Journal Article

Open Innovation Challenge to Mitigate Global Warming

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NSTA Climate Science Resources

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NSTA recently issued a position statement calling for greater support for science educators in teaching evidence-based science, including climate science and climate change. The statement promotes the teaching of climate change as any other established field of science and calls on teachers to reject pressures to eliminate or de-emphasize climate-based science concepts in science instruction.

Read the NSTA press release.

Read a Q&A with position statement panel members.

See also:

Most Teachers Don't Teach Climate Change; 4 in 5 Parents Wish They Did
A recent NPR survey finds that more than 80% of the parents polled support the teaching of climate change, but a majority of teachers say they do not cover climate change in their classrooms. The most common reason given? Nearly two-thirds (65%) said it's outside their subject area.

Climate Change Is a Thing. You Should Teach It, Science Teachers Group Says (Education Week's Curriculum Matters Blog, September 13, 2018)

National Teachers Group Confronts Climate Denial: Keep the Politics Out of Science Class (Inside Climate News, September 13, 2018)

Additional NSTA Resources

NSTA Position Statement: Environmental Education (under revision)
NSTA's position statement on environmental education states: "NSTA strongly supports environmental education as a way to instill environmental literacy in our nation's pre-K–16 students. It should be a part of the school curriculum because student knowledge of environmental concepts establishes a foundation for their future understandings and actions as citizens."

NSTA Position Statement: Next Generation Science Standards
NSTA recommends the adoption and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The NGSS include the study of climate change supporting Earth and Space Science performance expectations. One of the relevant disciplinary core ideas is stated as:

"Human activities, such as the release of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels, are major factors in the current rise in Earth's mean surface temperature (global warming)." (ESS3D)

Following are links to the weather and climate in the NGSS.

What does NGSS expect elementary students to know about weather and climate?

Kindergarten | 3rd Grade | 5th Grade

What does NGSS expect middle school students to know about weather and climate?

Weather and Climate | Human Impacts

What does NGSS expect high school students to know about weather and climate?

Weather and Climate | Human Sustainability

Want More?

The NSTA Learning Center contains the above resources, and thousands more, for science educators, including archived web seminars, virtual conferences, and comprehensive collections of resources organized by topic and grade level. Numerous collections can be found on climate science.

Register today to access the Learning Center and let NSTA guide you to the resources you want and need.

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