The unique challenges of teaching climate change
Whether you’re new to teaching climate change or you’ve been doing it for years, it’s worth acknowledging what makes the subject uniquely challenging right now.
For one, most teachers don’t have clear standards to guide them. While subjects like math, science, and history are anchored in well-defined state frameworks, climate education rarely has that same structure. When there are standards that address climate change, they’re most often geared toward science, in electives like environmental science, and are focused exclusively on causes and consequences of warming temperatures. This means that most teachers outside of the sciences don’t feel there’s alignment between their subject matter and climate education, despite the abundant overlaps into social studies and literacy.
There’s also the question of preparation. Few teacher training programs focus specifically on climate education, so educators are often left to find and evaluate resources and training on their own. That’s on top of the constantly evolving nature of the study of climate change, which makes ongoing professional development necessary to build teacher confidence. And while there’s (relative) consensus on the basics of climate science, the conversation around which solutions are worth investing in is fraught with disagreement and debate. It’s no wonder many teachers feel wary about stepping onto what feels like unstable, highly politicized ground.
And then there’s the emotional weight. Climate change can spark anxiety, frustration, and hopelessness. Many educators worry about how to address the realities of the issue without overwhelming students—or themselves.
So, in light of these challenges, it’s probably best just to steer clear, right? Why add the burden of navigating these landmines to an already very full plate?
Because the reality is that students are already encountering climate change—on their feeds, in the news, and in their communities. School is where many young people first learn about it, whether in a structured way or through a heat or cold-day cancellation.1 They need the knowledge and skills to think critically about climate issues, regardless of the careers they pursue. Climate literacy is part of preparing informed citizens in a changing world.
How OER Project: Climate can help
The good news is that teaching climate change doesn’t have to mean reinventing your curriculum. The topic intersects naturally with many existing standards, units of study, and assignments. You might design an English lesson that invites students to explore the political, economic, and social forces shaping disagreements about climate change through analytical writing. Or, use real-world claims about climate change as a way to strengthen students’ media-literacy and critical-evaluation skills. Making those connections visible—and manageable—can lower the barrier to entry. Designing a high-quality yet approachable curriculum that works in a variety of contexts is at the core of OER Project: Climate. Check out our standards alignment document, which lays out the overlap between our course materials and your teaching topics in core disciplines like social studies, science, and ELA. There, you’ll also find curated resources and bespoke lesson plans specific to your discipline.
Remember: You don’t have to be the expert on every scientific detail or policy debate. Effective climate education centers on helping students ask good questions, evaluate evidence, and explore solutions for themselves. And, to ease that burden a bit, we’ve created PD materials that take the guesswork out of teaching climate. From events to climate-specific guides and blogs, you’ll find a variety of tools to help you feel prepared and motivated to guide your students. Plus, the climate community forum is a place for you to connect with, ask questions of, and share ideas with other educators.
Research suggests that one of the best ways to address climate anxiety is to pair honest discussion of challenges with credible examples of progress.2 Climate education doesn’t require sugarcoating reality— but it should highlight practical solutions, past successes, and people who are making meaningful change.
What to do tomorrow: a quick lesson on climate change
Want an easy-to-implement way to bring climate learning to your classroom tomorrow? Try this quick lesson plan:
- Start with an opener: Ask students to take a few minutes to brainstorm what they think are the most important things happening surrounding climate change right now. What are they seeing in their feeds and in the news? What’s being discussed? Have them share their ideas with a partner.
- Trivia: Kick off learning with a quick trivia warm-up. Use the multiple-choice questions on page 4 of the Climate Currents newsletter for a fun way to gauge students’ prior knowledge and prepare them for what’s ahead.
- Have students read the Climate Currents newsletter.
- Working independently or in pairs, students choose one story to research further. What else is important to know about this issue?
- Finally, they’ll craft their analysis and create a detailed response based on their research. They can choose to write a factual news report, share their perspective in an opinion piece, or propose an action plan to address the issue.
Climate change is a complex subject. But with the right framing, it becomes less about having all the answers and more about helping students develop the tools to navigate the questions.
1 Aspen Institute, “Youth Climate Literacy: A 2025 National Snapshot.” This Is Planet Ed. 2025. https://www.thisisplaneted.org/img/2025YouthClimateLiteracy-Snapshot.pdf
2 Laura Castañón, “How to Motivate Collective Action on Climate.” Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. 2026. https://sustainability.stanford.edu/news/how-motivate-collective-action-climate