Teaching Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. Because of this, being able to address climate in the classroom is increasingly necessary, regardless of what area or discipline we work in. Due to the broad and systemic nature of climate issues, from highly technical scientific research and deep existential questions to everyday experiences of the food we consume and the clothes we wear, faculty (and students) often find it challenging deciding where to begin. 

For the purposes of this teaching guide we have focused on the social and cultural elements of teaching about climate change, rather than the technical aspects. This allows for multiple entry points into climate change engagement and makes it easier to design and develop activities and readings that a wide range of students will be able to engage with across the university, including those in the natural sciences who might have a deeper knowledge or interest in climate science issues. 

This guide also includes links to a variety of online activities for students to do, such as ecological footprint/carbon footprints calculators and climate change surveys, which can be paired together to create even richer classroom engagements.

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• RESEARCH

  Examine selected research on climate change: 

  The gold standard for climate research remains the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)(opens in new window) and their Assessment Reports (AR 1-5)(opens in new window) and related reports.

  The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which plans the Conference of the Parties (COP)(opens in new window) climate meetings that gave us the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Climate Agreement also produces an Annual Report on climate change(opens in new window). In the US, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)(opens in new window) produces a National Climate Report(opens in new window) that provides valuable research on US climate issues.

  The Pew Research Center has many valuable public opinion and climate change reports for helping students learn more about media and public opinion on climate issues, such as the 2019 US Public Views on Climate and Energy Report(opens in new window).

  An excellent media and communication resource is the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication(opens in new window), which offers a variety of climate education resources. Two other excellent climate news sites are Inside Climate News(opens in new window) and Mongabay News(opens in new window).

  The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)(opens in new window) has a rich set of data on American religion views and values and how they shape views on science and climate change.

  The Climate Central Research Library(opens in new window) is a great place to send students to explore and learn more about a wide range of climate change issues and resources.

  The National Education Association has a handy climate change education guide(opens in new window).

• APPLICATION

  Ready to address climate change issues to your teaching? Here are some ideas and strategies to get you started:

  Faculty are encouraged to check out the Office of Faculty Development's Teaching Climate & Resilience Series which consists of a series of workshops and resources designed to advance our teaching practices. The workshop recordings are available on the FDEV Media Channel(opens in new window).

  One great exercise you can have your students do for a class activity is to try and calculate their Carbon Footprint. While many different models exist, a few worth exploring include the Ecological Footprint Calculator(opens in new window) from the Global Footprint Network and the CoolClimate Network Calculator(opens in new window). The Ecological Footprint can be paired with the World Offshoot Day(opens in new window) resources for a deeper engagement with how student's lifestyle choices scale up to shape global climate change.

  This BBC News(opens in new window) article includes some good resources on carbon footprints and a quick food calculator as part of the story. This "OK, I’ll bite. What the hell is my carbon footprint?(opens in new window)" article from Grist helpfully breaks down some of the basic concepts behind calculating carbon footprints and can be paired with carbon calculator exercises.

  You can have students complete the Six America's Super Short Survey (SASSY)(opens in new window) from Yale's Climate Change Communication website and then discuss how they imagined their own climate views compared to the survey results. This activity can be nicely paired with the Ecological Footprint or Carbon Calculator exercises as well.