JoinClimate 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.
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NSTA Climate Science Resources
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.