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Teaching Resources for Climate Change
Classroom Activities
Introduction to Global Warming
To begin this minds-on analysis and discussion activity, students learn about the correlated increases in global temperatures and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Next, students evaluate an example that illustrates that correlation does not necessarily imply causation.
Then, students analyze several types of evidence to test the hypothesis that increased CO2 in the atmosphere has been a major cause of the increase in global temperatures. This activity concludes with a very brief discussion of how global warming has contributed to harmful effects (e.g., increased flooding) and possible student actions to reduce these harmful effects.
Food and Climate Change – How can we feed a growing world population without increasing global warming?
In this analysis and discussion activity, students learn how food production results in the release of three greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). Students analyze carbon and nitrogen cycles to understand how agriculture results in increased CO2 and N2O in the atmosphere.
Students interpret data concerning the very different amounts of greenhouse gases released during the production of various types of food; they apply concepts related to trophic pyramids and they learn about CH4 release by ruminants.
Finally, students propose, research, and evaluate strategies to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that will be released during future production of food for the world’s growing population.
Global Warming News from the New York Times
- Heat Waves Killed an Estimated 50,000 in European Cities, a Likely Record
- I.U.C.N. Red List Classifies Most Shallow Coral Reefs as Critically Endangered
- U.K. Approves Long-Stalled Jackdaw Gas Drilling Project in the North Sea
- Emissions Gap Report Identifies U.S. as Outlier Among G20 Nations
- Britain Is Said to Approve New Gas Drilling in the North Sea
- Latest Climate Report Warns of Major Upheaval to California Way of Life
- Tree Pandemics
Climate Change News from The Guardian
- ‘Realistic and reassuring’: UK public ‘responding calmly’ to Be Ready campaign
- Tinned mackerel, hand-crank radios and bags for poo: crisis-prepping guides around the world
- Martin Rowson on the approval of the Jackdaw gasfield – cartoon
- The US west has lost nearly 300 glaciers since the 1960s. Climate crisis is drastically shrinking what’s left
- At Cop17, the pressure is on to rescue a deal that could end the destruction of nature
- Heat killed ‘staggering’ 50,000 people in Europe’s cities this summer, scientists warn
- In allowing coal expansion in the Hunter, Chris Minns is pouring fuel on the climate fire. His decision will come back to hurt us all | Jack Egan
Climate Change Posts from Nature
- Scientists put a salt marsh in a giant wave-machine: here's what they learned
- Global emissions slow — but world hurtles towards 2 °C of warming
- Cave stalagmites document global patterns in monsoon rainfall over the past 450,000 years
- Drought and disease trigger novel interactions among top predators
- Antarctic marine-based ice destabilized when warming outpaces solid-Earth feedbacks
- Nepal’s disaster is an urgent wake-up call
- Increased southward swings of the South Indian convergence zone under greenhouse warming
Climate Solutions from Union of Concerned Scientists
- Danger Season 2026 Was Hot and Deadly, Will US Be Ready for 2027 Super El Niño-Charged Killer Heat?
- How Will California Be Shaped by Climate Change? The Fifth Assessment Provides Some Clues
- ¿Cómo cambiará California con el cambio climático? La Quinta Evaluación nos da algunas pistas
- Climate Change Is a Given in Every Extreme Weather Event, Why Do We Keep Needing to Prove It?
- Two High Courts Grapple With Climate Accountability
- My Testimony Opposing the EPA’s Proposal to Stop Regulating Power Plant Global Warming Pollution
- How Do Data Centers Impact Public Health?
Resources for Teaching and Learning about Climate Change
This annotated list includes resources that can help your students to develop a scientifically accurate understanding of the causes and consequences of global warming and climate change. This list also includes resources for learning about how to reduce greenhouse gases and how to cope with the harmful effects of climate change. When learning about climate change, it is important for students to engage with proposals to mitigate and adapt to climate change, so they can feel energized, instead of powerless. Given the nature of the topic, the approach is interdisciplinary. These resources are appropriate for middle school, high school and/or college students.