Bringing Climate Change Topics into your Classroom

Learn about the new 2024 Climate Literacy Principles

One of CLEAN's goals is to support teachers to be effective when teaching about the climate system and climate change. This series of web pages introduces the principles of addressing climate change in a sequence that illustrates different aspects of the human-climate system. Presented here is a summary of the current understanding of how human actions influence the climate and how the climate influences people and other parts of the Earth system. Special emphasis is placed on the scientific literature, and Indigenous and local knowledge. People who understand and communicate effectively about climate change can work with their communities, workplaces, and institutions to design and implement solutions that address climate change and related social, economic, and environmental challenges. Taken together, these concepts describe climate literacy. Climate literacy is important because people who understand the processes, causes, and effects of climate change are better able to assess evidence and claims about evidence, discuss options to manage risks, and take well-informed actions. A climate-literate society is better able to develop and implement effective climate solutions that benefit all.

The Guide to Teaching About Climate

Each principle listed below links to a description of the topic, a discussion of what makes the topic important, ways to bring it into your classroom, and links to relevant teaching materials.