Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) Teaching Resources*
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CLEAN and the National
Climate Assessment »"The Fifth National Climate Assessment is the US Government's preeminent report on climate change impacts, risks, and responses. It is a congressionally mandated interagency effort that provides the scientific foundation to support informed decision-making across the United States."
The Fifth National Climate Assessment offers a wealth of actionable science about the causes, effects, risks, and possible responses to human-caused climate change. CLEAN, along with project partners, has developed a series of guides for educators that focus on the regional chapters of the Assessment Report, helping to unpack the key messages of each region and point to related, high-quality online resources.
*Please note that this guide is a draft version that is currently being reviewed by partners for content and usability. For more information about the creation and review process, see the notes below the map.
About this guide: To explore the regional chapter educator's guides, click on one of the NCA5 designated regions below. Each region features an overview, figures from the corresponding chapter, art selections from the Art X Climate section of the guide, and the following sections:
1. Key Messages: Chapter-focused conclusions based on NCA5 authors' expert judgment and synthesis.
2. Educational resources aligned with the regional key messages: Each key message features three guiding questions to help educators navigate these topics with students. Each guiding question includes example lessons and supporting videos. The lessons were taken from the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) educational resource database. The videos were selected from reputable sources to support the lessons.
3. CLEAN curated pathways to action for the region (National, regional, and classroom-level actions): Actions that include components for taking steps at national, regional, and classroom levels which are meant to support and inspire students and educators to take steps that address the challenges outlined in this chapter.
4. NCA5 non-regional chapter connections: The national climate assessment includes multiple chapters on climate change-specific topics. The chapters and key messages offer ways to further engage with the NCA and find out more information related to the region.
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| Regions: | ||||
| Northeast | Southeast | Midwest | Northern Great Plains | Southwest | US Caribbean
| Northwest | Alaska | Hawai’i and Pacific Islands | Southern Great Plains | US Caribbean |
Click on the map above for teaching support and resources for each region.
Creation and review process:
Beginning with the Third National Climate Assessment, which was published in 2014, CLEAN has created an educator's guide to help teachers bring the information in the NCA reports to their students. The creation and review process involves several steps and evolves with each iteration. For the Fifth National Climate Assessment, work began in late 2023 to identify design and content priorities. The first chapters were produced in February 2024 by the CLEAN team in collaboration with student interns from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Initial chapters were reviewed by teachers, curriculum designers, and national education experts from across the United States. Edits were incorporated into subsequent chapters to produce the first final draft, published in June 2024. Throughout the summer of 2024, CLEAN will work with reviewers to assess content and usability. Please feel free to contact Patrick Chandler, NCA5 Educator's Guide lead author, with any questions or comments at patrick.chandler@colorado.edu.
Additional NCA5 Resources:
Overview of the Fifth National Climate Assessment
ATLAS of the 5th National Climate Assessment: This site taps into the power of maps and stories to share information from NCA5.
Art X Climate Gallery: Art × Climate is the first art gallery to be featured in the National Climate Assessment. The US Global Change Research Program issued a call for art with the understanding that, together, art and science move people to greater understanding and action.