Climate Change Education In Formal Settings K 14

Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused by human activities, and poses significant risks for a broad range of human and natural systems. Each additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted commits us to further change and greater risks. In the judgment of the Committee on America's Climate Choices, the environmental, economic, and humanitarian risks of climate change indicate a pressing need for substantial action to limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt to its impacts. A principal message from the recent National Research Council report, America's Climate Choices, this brief summary of how climate change will shape many aspects of life in the foreseeable future emphasizes the vital importance of preparation for these changes. The report points to the importance of formal and informal education in supporting the public's understanding of those challenges climate change will bring, and in preparing current and future generations to act to limit the magnitude of climate change and respond to those challenges. Recognizing both the urgency and the difficulty of climate change education, the National Research Council, with support from the National Science Foundation, formed the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The roundtable brings together federal agency representatives with diverse experts and practitioners in the physical and natural sciences, social sciences, learning sciences, environmental education, education policy, extension education and outreach, resource management, and public policy to engage in discussion and explore educational strategies for addressing climate change. Two workshops were held to survey the landscape of climate change education. The first explored the goals for climate change education for various target audiences. The second workshop, which is the focus of this summary, was held on August 31 and September 1, 2011, and focused on the teaching and learning of climate change and climate science in formal education settings, from kindergarten through the first two years of college (K-14). This workshop, based on an already articulated need to teach climate change education, provided a forum for discussion of the evidence from research and practice. The goal of this workshop was to raise and explore complex questions around climate change education, and to address the current status of climate change education in grade K-14 of the formal education system by facilitating discussion between expert researchers and practitioners in complementary fields, such as education policy, teacher professional development, learning and cognitive science, K-12 and higher education administration, instructional design, curriculum development, and climate science. Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K-14: A Workshop Summary summarizes the two workshops.

Environmental educators face a formidable challenge when they approach climate change due to the complexity of the science and of the political and cultural contexts in which people live. There is a clear consensus among climate scientists that climate change is already occurring as a result of human activities, but high levels of climate change awareness and growing levels of concern have not translated into meaningful action. Communicating Climate Change provides environmental educators with an understanding of how their audiences engage with climate change information as well as with concrete, empirically tested communication tools they can use to enhance their climate change program. Starting with the basics of climate science and climate change public opinion, Armstrong, Krasny, and Schuldt synthesize research from environmental psychology and climate change communication, weaving in examples of environmental education applications throughout this practical book. Each chapter covers a separate topic, from how environmental psychology explains the complex ways in which people interact with climate change information to communication strategies with a focus on framing, metaphors, and messengers. This broad set of topics will aid educators in formulating program language for their classrooms at all levels. Communicating Climate Change uses fictional vignettes of climate change education programs and true stories from climate change educators working in the field to illustrate the possibilities of applying research to practice. Armstrong et al, ably demonstrate that environmental education is an important player in fostering positive climate change dialogue and subsequent climate change action. Thanks to generous funding from Cornell University, the ebook editions of this book are available as Open Access from Cornell Open (cornellopen.org) and other Open Access repositories.

Addressing global climate change is a monumental battle that can only be fought by the leaders of tomorrow, but future leaders are molded through education and shaped by the leaders of today. While the pivotal role of education in spreading awareness of climate change is one universally espoused, equally universal is the recognition that current education efforts are falling woefully short. Promoting Climate Change Awareness through Environmental Education stems the rising tide of shortcomings in environmental education by plugging a known gap in current research and opening a dialogue for the future. Targeting an audience of young scholars, academics, researchers, and policymakers, this volume provides a much needed dam of empirical evidence regarding the role of youth education in addressing one of the greatest challenges of our age. This timely publication focuses on topics such as building resilience to climate change, green learning spaces, gender issues and concerns for developing countries, and the impact of young adults on the future of environmental sustainability.

The global scientific and policy community now unequivocally accepts that human activities cause global climate change. Although information on climate change is readily available, the nation still seems unprepared or unwilling to respond effectively to climate change, due partly to a general lack of public understanding of climate change issues and opportunities for effective responses. The reality of global climate change lends increasing urgency to the need for effective education on earth system science, as well as on the human and behavioral dimensions of climate change, from broad societal action to smart energy choices at the household level. The public's limited understanding of climate change is partly the result of four critical challenges that have slowed development and delivery of effective climate change education. As one response to these challenges, Congress, in its 2009 and 2010 appropriation process, requested that the National Science Foundation (NSF) create a program in climate change education to provide funding to external grantees to improve climate change education in the United States. To support and strengthen these education initiatives, the Board on Science Education of the National Research Council (NRC) created the Climate Change Education Roundtable. The Roundtable convened two workshops. Climate Change Education Goals, Audiences, and Strategies is a summary of the discussions and presentations from the first workshop, held October 21 and 22, 2010. This report focuses on two primary topics: public understanding and decision maker support. It should be viewed as an initial step in examining the research on climate change and applying it in specific policy circumstances.

The forested land in the United States is an asset that is owned and managed not only by federal, state, and local governments, but also by families and other private groups, including timber investment management organizations and real estate investment trusts. The more than 10 million family forestland owners manage the largest percentage of forestland acreage (35 percent) and the majority of the privately owned forestland (62 percent). The Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, which is responsible for the stewardship of all of the nation's forests, has long worked with private owners of forestland on forest management and preservation. At a time when all forestland is facing intensified threats because of the long-term effects of global climate change, the Forest Service recognizes that family forestland owners play a key role in protecting forestland. It is working to identify optimal ways to engage this diverse group and support them in mitigating threats to the biologically diverse land they own or manage. Climate Change Education: Engaging Family Private Forest Owners on Issues Related to Climate Change is the summary of a workshop, convened by the National Research Council's Board on Science Education and Board on Environmental Change and Society as part of its Climate Change Education Roundtable series, to explore approaches to the challenges that face state foresters, extension agents, private forestry consultants, and others involved with private family forestland owners on how to take climate change into consideration when making decisions about their forests. The workshop focused on how findings from the behavioral, social, and educational sciences can be used to help prepare for the impacts of climate change. The workshop participants discussed the threats to forests posed by climate change and human actions; private forestland owners' values, knowledge, and dispositions about forest management, climate change, and related threats; and strategies for improving communication between forestland owners and service providers about forest management in the face of climate change.

Global climate change will alter the environmental forces of today and increasingly affect weather patterns, rises in temperature, and government policies for decades to come. To provide future generations with the knowledge and resources needed to develop solutions for these ongoing issues, current shortcomings in environmental education need to be addressed. Building Sustainability Through Environmental Education is a collection of innovative research on methods and applications for creating comprehensive environmental education programs that support sustainability practices and instruct students on a variety of topics including water resource management, disaster risks and mitigation, and issues surrounding climate change. Targeting an audience of educators, conservationists, instructional designers, administrators, academicians, researchers, policymakers, and students, this publications provides practical applications and examples of integrating best environmental sustainability practices into education.