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Unit 1: Introduction to Climate Change

Teacher Resources

Climate change—the evidence of it and the news about it—surround us on a daily basis. How can we effectively evaluate information about climate change to more fully understand the causes, impacts, and most powerful ways to address it?

Lesson 1.1

Understanding Climate Change
Talking about climate change can feel overwhelming, but understanding the core concepts will help to make sense of things. You’ll start with the basics and work to develop your own definition of what climate change is.

Lesson 1.2

Climate Disagreement
If the scientific community agrees that climate change is real, why is there still so much debate on the topic? Explore why there’s still debate around climate change and how you can determine for yourself what to believe.

Lesson 1.3

The Case for Climate Optimism
When everything you hear about climate change is doom and despair, what’s there to be optimistic about? Understanding the progress that’s been made and why hope is necessary will help build an impatiently optimistic outlook.

Lesson 1.4

International Climate Goals
Establishing climate goals is an important task if we’re going to address climate change, but getting the world’s policymakers to adhere to these goals has been challenging. What can be done to help reach these goals?

Featured Materials

Small Parts, Big Impacts
Infographic

Small Parts, Big Impacts

Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the concentration of CO2 and other gases in the atmosphere. This infographic dives into the big impacts that even small changes can have.
Data Exploration: How Do We Know Climate Change Is Real?
Article

Data Exploration: How Do We Know Climate Change Is Real?

The global scientific community agrees that climate change is happening, and it’s caused by human activity. In this article, you’ll dig into four charts about global temperature anomaly, CO2 emissions, and the correlations between them.
Making Claims About Climate Change
Activity

Making Claims About Climate Change

Developing claim-making skills will help you assess the claims you encounter and make stronger evidence-backed arguments of your own, which is something you’ll do throughout this course and in many areas of your life.

Understanding Climate Change Disagreement
Article

Understanding Climate Change Disagreement

You’ve likely heard people disagree about the causes and impacts of climate change. But if there’s so much evidence behind climate change, why is there still disagreement? This article will help you dig into this important question.
A Case for Optimism
Video

A Case for Optimism

Climate change can be a scary topic and it’s easy to give in to despair and pessimism. But despair doesn’t solve anything. This video produced by Wondrium will help you learn how to acknowledge the severity of climate change while remaining optimistic that we can develop solutions.
Understanding 1.5° Celsius
Article

Understanding 1.5° Celsius

What’s the big deal about 1.5 degrees? This article explains the importance of that number along with the international policies that are tied to this goal. You’ll also learn about how we can set climate targets to inspire action into the future.

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Teaching This Unit

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Climate Project Standards Alignment External link

Research-backed strategies for differentiation, modification, and adaptation.