Initial Publication Date: September 24, 2024

A livable and sustainable future for all is possible with rapid, just, and transformational climate action.

Teaching this principle is supported by nine fundamental concepts:

A. How quickly global carbon dioxide emissions reach net zero will largely determine how much warming can be limited. Every increment of warming that the world avoids reduces the risks and harmful impacts of climate change, including loss of life. Acting sooner on mitigation and adaptation will reduce future warming and associated impacts and produce environmental, economic, and social benefits. Learn more about the choices that will determine the future

There are 8 more fundamental concepts. See them all...

B. Parties to the Paris Agreement set a collective goal to limit global warming to well below 2°C (3.6°F) above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F) above preindustrial levels. To meet this goal, countries, companies, communities, and organizations need to implement more ambitious mitigation actions. Learn more about international climate goals

C. Even if the world rapidly reaches net-zero emissions, the United States will continue to face climate impacts and risks. Adequately addressing these risks involves longer-term inclusive planning, investments in transformative adaptation, and mitigation approaches that consider equity and justice. Learn more about potential benefits of climate action

D. Inclusive, equitable, and just approaches to climate action in the United States can help reduce risks, improve outcomes, encourage ambitious mitigation, and create opportunities to overcome past environmental inequities. Supporting Indigenous and local knowledge holders and their practices can lead to more resilient and sustainable outcomes. Learn more about just transitions

E. Human well-being is dependent on natural and managed ecosystems, which provide crucial functions and resources for nearly everything we eat, make, and do. Nature-based solutions can provide climate adaptation and mitigation benefits, protecting ecosystems and the services they provide while also benefiting people. Learn more about ecosystems, ecosystem services, and biodiversity

F. Improving climate education, increasing access to information, and communicating effectively can improve people's understanding of risks and their ability to address them.

G. Taking constructive climate action together with other people helps reduce eco-anxiety and builds a stronger sense of community. Learn more about climate change and mental health

H. Substantially reducing human-caused greenhouse gas emissions and taking actions to adapt and build resilience involves all levels of society. Actions by individuals, organizations, businesses, and governments can support adaptation and mitigation goals. In the United States, states, cities, Tribes, companies, and other organizations have adopted a range of climate actions and policies. Learn more about mitigation and adaptation actions underway now

I. Millions of people all over the world are already working to make a safer, healthier, more prosperous, more just, and more stable world for all through climate action. Learn more about how people are mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Bringing these ideas into your classroom

The following strategies for teaching were designed for CLEAN's climate mental health pages and taken from the Encourage and Take Action section.

Focus on solving one small part of the climate crisis instead of the whole thing

Start with small actions within students' control. Look at the climate crisis as a collection of challenges to tackle rather than trying to solve the entire climate crisis. Sharing examples of how youth across the globe have taken action to support climate change mitigation and adaptation with your students can provide inspiration, motivation, and increase efficacy.

Teaching Resources

18 Simple Things You Can Do to About Climate Change includes a variety of small, individual, personally relevant actions.

ClimeTime offers examples of the many ways in which climate science and the focus on local phenomena-based learning can engage both teachers and students.

The Green Schools Alliance provides programs, tools, and resources to fast-track sustainable solutions in schools.

There are many resources in the CLEAN collection that promote climate action:

In Drought: Identifying Impacts and Evaluating Solutions students learn about the impacts of drought on communities facing serious water shortages and research and evaluate potential solutions.
The Climate Resilience Toolkit helps users identify and respond to climate-related challenges that they and their communities face.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation is a short video about actions that humans can take to mitigate climate change and adapt to its impacts.
Young Voices for the Planet includes a variety of examples of actions that youth have taken to make a difference.

Nurture student-guided and personal agency

Guide youth towards self-generated solutions that are within their control and personally relevant to encourage agency and empowerment. "Town-watching" has become a useful way for people in Japan and Europe to become more aware of their communities and the potential impacts of and solutions for natural disasters. In town-watching, people walk around town taking photos and notes of various places in their communities, identifying areas that could be susceptible to natural hazards, identifying equipment or spaces available to handle natural hazards, and then creating a community map to ultimately identify solutions. Collecting data on climate impacts in one's community is another effective way to make the issue personally relevant. Citizen science projects such as ISeeChange or CoCoRaHS allow students to explore and record changes in their environment under a changing climate.

Personal planning for the impacts of climate change, such as creating emergency-preparedness kits can foster a feeling of preparedness and help overcome anxiety about possible natural disasters. Include comfort items such as special blankets, toys, photos, journals, or religious or spiritual items.

Student-relevant Activities in CLEAN

The Hazard Education, Awareness, and Resilience Task Force (HEART Force) curriculum engages students in developing, sharing, and implementing their own community resilience projects.

Mapping a Personal Story of Environmental Change has students draw a map of their local environment and annotate it with environmental changes they have observed.

The Lifestyle Project has students track their consumptive behaviors and then learn that making small changes to their lifestyle isn't difficult to reduce their personal impact on the environment.

Foster care and empathy for nature through play and exploration

Care of the natural world should be fostered early by encouraging personal, place-based action that cultivates enjoyment of nature. A common theme of worry among youth is the impact that climate change has on animals, providing an opportunity to engage students in caring for the animals and plants in their backyards and schools.

Build a positive connection with nature through art, play, exploration, meditation, and reflection.

Shift Westernized thinking of humans as separate from nature to being a part of nature.

Websites that have Resources for Nature-based Exploration

Natural Start Alliance offers a guide for adults on how to engage children in nature.

Soul Fire Farm's curriculum is based on research that shows that young people make healthy choices when they love their community and the natural world and when they see that their positive action makes a difference.

Indigenous STEAM has a variety of curricula guiding youth in the exploration of water, food, plants, and animals.

Learning in Places offers place-based short activities appropriate for parents to do with children AND that are appropriate for the classroom.

Support collective problem-solving

Invite youth to the table or encourage them to lead community-level action based within a project-based learning framework. "Trying to think just about how you can reduce your personal emissions can feel really lonely, whereas being part of something bigger, finding a community to take action together with -- I think that's a much more empowering way to think about climate change and centers the conversation around those who are responsible for the crisis, which isn't you as an individual." (Morgan Edwards, Climate Action Lab, Univ. Of Wisconsin)

Organizations and Websites that Provide Ideas for Collective Action and Ways to Get Involved

Youth Climate Program- The Wild Center works to convene, engage, connect, and empower young people around the world to take action on climate change.
Climate Generation provides resources around collective action for teachers and students and plenty of ways to get involved.
Project Drawdown is the world's leading collection for climate solutions.
National Wildlife Federation Cool Schools encourages students to take a systems-thinking approach to engage in evidence-based science investigations in efforts to reduce their overall carbon footprint.
The ACE Youth Action Network is an active community of more than half a million youth advocates in all 50 states. ACE sends out action alerts every week with ways that you can advocate for climate justice and a fair democracy and provides a place for youth to register to vote.

Take action to influence policy

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Provenance: From: https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/event/storytelling-through-crises-creative-responses-to-climate-and-nature
Reuse: This item is in the public domain and maybe reused freely without restriction.

Research indicates that youth's climate anxiety and distress are often linked to a perceived inadequate government response. Connecting youth with advocacy groups whose aim is to affect policy can empower them and give them a place for their voice to be heard by policymakers. Encouraging students to meet with congressional leaders, write letters or tweets to policymakers, and teach others in their community about legislative solutions are other direct actions that students can take to impact policy.

Opportunities for Youth to Join Movements that Affect Policy

Climate Generation provides a toolkit for educators to engage youth with the Conference of the Parties.
Extinction Rebellion is an international and politically non-partisan movement that uses youth action to persuade governments to act justly regarding climate change.
Fridays for Future is an advocacy organization created by Greta Thunberg that allows people to register protests against policies and businesses that are detrimental to climate change.
YOUNGO is the official youth constituency of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Citizen's Climate Lobby is a grassroots nonpartisan organization that has many opportunities for volunteers to strengthen frontline community voices and build momentum in Congress around climate action.

Be aware of intersectionality when implementing climate action

When taking action, be aware of the history of intersectionality and Climate Change. Engaging multiple generations, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in collective action brings in different perspectives, inspiring solutions that incorporate the needs of diverse communities. Find common ground with those that find the proposed solutions threatening livelihoods or cultures.

Examples of Work Being Done at the Intersection of the Environment and Social Justice

Our Climate trains youth from communities affected by climate change to participate in advocacy, centering those impacted most by climate change to achieve systemic change.
Gather is a movie about the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political, and cultural identities through food sovereignty.
C40 Cities has published a report that outlines case studies, policies, and engagement processes that take inclusive and equitable climate action.

Teaching materials from the CLEAN collection

Middle school

Shine - Mini climate change musical - This learning activity is a climate change musical for K-12, youth groups or faith organizations. Shine weaves together climate science and performance art into a fun and powerful story, which spans 300 million years of geological time to convey how humanity, energy, and climate are interrelated.
Product Development and the Environment - Students describe the steps in a product life cycle assessment and suggest ways to reduce the environmental impacts of engineered products.
Beat the Uncertainty: Planning Climate-Resilient Cities - This learning activity explores the concept of resiliency. It allows students to make city planning decisions and then employs a game to test their resilience decisions against potential impacts from severe weather, climate change, and natural hazards.

High school

Climate Action Simulation - This interactive role-playing simulation is conducted as a simulated emergency climate summit organized by the United Nations that convenes global stakeholders to establish a concrete plan that limits warming to Paris Agreement goals. This game is a fun format for large groups to explore climate change solutions and see what it would really take to address this global challenge.
Connections in the Earth System - In this activity, students demonstrate their knowledge of connections between natural systems and the built environment in which they live.
Greenhouse Emissions Reduction Role-Play Exercise - In this role-play activity, students take the roles of various important players in the climate change policy negotiation including politicians, scientists, environmentalists, and industry representatives. Working in these roles, students must take a position, debate with others, and then vote on legislation designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

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