climate change research project for middle school

Teaching about Climate Change with Project Based Learning

The project to end all projects.

One way to think about the climate crisis is as the project to end all projects—a massive, collaborative, interdisciplinary endeavor with an authentic, incredibly high-stakes outcome: the future of our planet.

This project requires every single person on Earth to deepen our knowledge and build our skills, and demands that we work together in unprecedented ways.

How can we as educators support the student movement?

We often talk about Project Based Learning as a pedagogy that equips students for the future. However, our youth are fighting right now to ensure that they have a future. Through movements like Sunrise and the Youth Climate Strikes, young people around the world recognize the urgency of the crisis we’re in, and are leading the charge to transform our economic, social, and political systems in time to save the planet.

So how can we help our students adapt to the realities of an already changing climate while also empowering them to stop climate change from getting worse? One way to take action within our own spheres of influence is to design projects that teach core content and skills in the context of authentic climate action.

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Here are 6 project ideas about our changing climate...

Shrinking Our Footprints

How can we use data to reduce our families’ impact on the environment?

Species Survival

How can we protect an endangered species in our area?

Ready for Anything

How can we keep our communities safe in the face of natural hazards?

Waiting on the World to Change

How can we make change happen in our community?

There’s What in My Water?!

How safe is my [water, air, soil, food]?

Broken Laws

How can we change the law to make our society better for everyone?

Looking for more inspiration?

Check out our latest blog posts about the climate crisis – including some real-life projects in action...

The Most Important Project Ever: Climate Change

An Evening of Climate, Science & Theater: Our Grade 6-7 Project

A Project Empowers Students to Improve Air Quality (& Reduce Greenhouse Gases)

Passion is Contagious: Our Sustainable Living Project

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Teaching Ideas

Resources for Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times

Dozens of resources to help students understand why our planet is warming and what we can do to stop it.

By The Learning Network

How much do your students know about climate change — what causes it, what its consequences are and what we can do to stop it?

A 2022 report from the United Nations found that countries around the world are failing to live up to their commitments to fight climate change, pointing Earth toward a future marked by more intense flooding, wildfires, drought, heat waves and species extinction.

Young people in particular are feeling the effects — both physical and emotional — of a warming planet. In response to a writing prompt about extreme weather that has been intensified by climate change, teenagers told us about experiencing deadly heat waves in Washington, devastating hurricanes in North Carolina and even smoke from the California wildfires in Vermont. They’re also feeling the anxiety of facing a future that could be even worse: “How long do I have before the Earth becomes uninhabitable? I ask myself this every day,” one student wrote .

Over the years, we’ve created dozens of resources to help young people learn about climate change with New York Times articles, interactive quizzes, graphs, films and more. To mark this moment, we’re collecting 60 of them, along with selected recent Times reporting and Opinion pieces on the topic, all in one place.

To get you started, we’ve highlighted several of those resources and offered ideas for how you can use them in your classroom. Whether it’s a short video about a teenage climate activist, a math problem about electric vehicles, or a writing prompt about their diet’s carbon footprint, we hope these activities can get your students thinking and talking about climate change and inspire them to make a difference.

How are you teaching about the climate crisis, its consequences and its solutions? Let us know in the comments.

Ideas for Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times

1. Understand climate change (and what we can do about it) with a digital children’s book.

The Times has published thousands of stories on climate change over the years, but many of them can be dense and difficult for young people to understand. Use this guide for kids to help your students learn the basics of the climate crisis and understand what choices can lead us to a bad future or a better future. We have a related lesson plan to help.

2. Assess climate choices with an interactive quiz.

What do your students know — or think they know — about the best ways to reduce their carbon footprints? In two Student Opinion prompts, we invite teenagers to test their knowledge with a mini-quiz about good climate choices or one about how much their diets contribute to climate change , and then share their results and reflections on what they learned.

3. Analyze climate change data with New York Times graphs.

Use our notice and wonder protocol to help students analyze graphs from The New York Times related to climate change. In 2019, we rounded up 24 graphs on topics such as melting ice, rising carbon emissions and global warming’s effect on humans. You can find our most recent graphs in our roundup below or by searching “climate change” in our What’s Going On in This Graph? archives.

Another option? Have students collect and analyze their own climate change data. See how a group of science and math teachers guided their classes to do just that in this Reader Idea .

4. Show a short film about the climate crisis’s impact on a vulnerable community.

Climate change will have a disproportionate effect on the world’s most vulnerable. What can we learn from them during the climate crisis? Invite students to watch the short film “ Rebuild or Leave ‘Paradise’: Climate Change Dilemma Facing a Nicaraguan Coastal Town ” about how intensifying storms are affecting the traditional way of life in the Miskito village of Haulover, and then participate in our Film Club .

If you want to explore this topic further, see our 2017 resource “ A Lesson Plan About Climate Change and the People Already Harmed by It .”

5. Use this lesson plan to explore ways to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

Every year, world leaders and activists meet to set new targets for cutting emissions to prevent the average global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, the threshold beyond which the dangers of global warming grow immensely. But what will it take to get there? In this lesson , students participate in a jigsaw activity to explore seven solutions to climate change, from renewable energy and electric vehicles to nature conservation, carbon capture and more.

6. Invite students to share their thoughts, opinions and concerns with writing prompts.

“How can you not be scared of climate change? Every time you see some news on the state of the planet, can you not feel grief? I know I do,” one student wrote in response to our writing prompt, “ Do You Experience Climate Anxiety? ”

What do your students have to say about climate change? They can weigh in on this question and others about banning plastic bags , the environmental impact of plane travel , whether we should be more optimistic about the planet’s future and more. Find them all in our list of writing prompts below.

7. Apply a math concept to a real-world climate problem: gas or electric cars?

In this lesson , use the familiar formula y=mx+b to help students think through the economic and environmental costs and benefits of electric vehicles. Does “going green” mean saving some “wallet green” too?

8. Learn about climate activism with a video.

What power do ordinary people around the world have to make a difference in the climate crisis? Invite students to watch this eight-minute Opinion video about the teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. Then, they can share what gives them hope in the fight against climate change in our related Film Club .

Students can learn more about Ms. Thunberg and her weekly climate protest in this lesson plan from 2019.

Resources for Teaching About Climate Change From The Learning Network and The New York Times

Here is a collection of selected Learning Network and New York Times resources for teaching and learning about climate change. From The Learning Network, there are lesson plans, writing prompts, films, graphs and more. And from NYTimes.com, there are related question and answer guides, as well as recent reporting and Opinion essays.

From The Learning Network

Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan: Using Statistics to Understand Extreme Heat (2022)

Lesson Plan: The Mississippi Water Crisis and What It Means for the Rest of the Nation (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘The Unlikely Ascent of New York’s Compost Champion’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘In the Ocean, It’s Snowing Microplastics’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘In Wisconsin: Stowing Mowers, Pleasing Bees’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘The People Who Draw Rocks’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘How Bad Is the Western Drought? Worst in 12 Centuries, Study Finds.’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Meet Peat, the Unsung Hero of Carbon Capture’ (2022)

Lesson of the Day: ‘See How the Dixie Fire Created Its Own Weather’ (2021)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Bad Future, Better Future’ (2021)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Two Biden Priorities, Climate and Inequality, Meet on Black-Owned Farms’ (2021)

Gas or Electric? Thinking Algebraically About Car Costs, Emissions and Trade-offs (2021)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Where 2020’s Record Heat Was Felt the Most’ (2021)

Lesson of the Day: ‘50 Years of Earth Day: What’s Better Today, and What’s Worse’ (2020)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?’ (2020)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Protesting Climate Change, Young People Take to Streets in a Global Strike’ (2019)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Becoming Greta: “Invisible Girl” to Global Climate Activist, With Bumps Along the Way’ (2019)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Glaciers Are Retreating. Millions Rely on Their Water.’ (2019)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Why the Wilder Storms? It’s a “Loaded Dice” Problem’ (2018)

Lesson of the Day: ‘Hotter, Drier, Hungrier: How Global Warming Punishes the World’s Poorest’ (2018)

Lesson of the Day: ‘The World Wants Air-Conditioning. That Could Warm the World.’ (2018)

A Lesson Plan About Climate Change and the People Already Harmed by It (2017)

Guest Post | Climate Change Questions for Young Citizen Scientists (2014)

Teaching About Climate Change With The New York Times (2014)

Writing Prompts

Should Students Learn About Climate Change in School? (2022)

How Far Is Too Far in the Fight Against Climate Change? (2022)

Should We Be More Optimistic About Efforts to Combat Climate Change? (2022)

Do You Experience Climate Anxiety? (2021)

How Have You Experienced Extreme Weather? (2021)

Do You Think You Make Good Climate Choices? (2021)

Should Plastic Bags Be Banned Everywhere? (2020)

Would You Change Your Eating Habits to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? (2019)

Should We Feel Guilty When We Travel? (2019)

How Concerned Are You About Climate Change? (2018)

Should Schools Teach About Climate Change? (2018)

Film Club: ‘New Climate Promises, Same Old Global Warming’ (2022)

Film Club: ‘The Joy of Cooking (Insects)’ (2022)

Film Club: ‘Greta Thunberg Has Given Up on Politicians’ (2021)

Film Club: ‘Rebuild or Leave “Paradise”: Climate Change Dilemma Facing a Nicaraguan Coastal Town’ (2021)

Film Club: ‘“Goodbye, Earth”: A Story for Grown-Ups’ (2021)

Film Club: ‘Sinking Islands, Floating Nation’ (2018)

Teach About Climate Change With These 24 New York Times Graphs

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Calling for Climate Action

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Tree Rings and Climate

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Hotter Summers

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Endangered Biodiversity

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Extreme Temperatures

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Clean Energy Metals

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Global Carbon Emissions

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Wind and Solar Power

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Precipitation

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Gas-to-Electric Vehicle Turnover

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Growing Zones

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Global Climate Risks

What’s Going On in This Graph? | World Cities’ Air Pollution

What’s Going On in This Graph? | U.S. Air Pollution

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Climate Friendly Cars

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Climate Threats

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Global Temperature Change

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Global Water Stress Levels

What’s Going On in This Graph? | North American Bird Populations

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Dec. 11, 2019 (food and environment)

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Nov. 20, 2019 (greenhouse gas emissions)

What’s Going On in This Graph? | Oct. 9, 2019 (global temperatures)

What’s Going On in This Graph? | April 3, 2019 (first leaf appearance)

What’s Going On in This Graph? | March 13, 2019 (electricity generation)

Reader Idea: Interpreting Data to Understand Community Opinions on Climate Change

Vocabulary in Context: Mangrove Trees

Vocabulary in Context: Sustainable Architecture

On-Demand Panel for Students: Covering the Climate Crisis

From The New York Times

The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof (2021)

Searching for Hidden Meaning in Climate Jargon (2021)

A Crash Course on Climate Change, 50 Years After the First Earth Day (2020)

Your Questions About Food and Climate Change, Answered (2019)

Why Half a Degree of Global Warming Is a Big Deal (2018)

Climate Change Is Complex. We’ve Got Answers to Your Questions. (2017)

You Asked, Dr. Kate Marvel Answered. Browse Reader Questions on Climate Science.

Selected Recent Reporting

The New World: Envisioning Life After Climate Change (2022)

Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View (2022)

Ocean-Eaten Islands, Fire-Scarred Forests: Our Changing World in Pictures (2022)

Climate Pledges Are Falling Short, and a Chaotic Future Looks More Like Reality (2022)

U.N. Climate Talks End With a Deal to Pay Poor Nations for Damage (2022)

The World Is Falling Short of Its Climate Goals. Four Big Emitters Show Why. (2022)

Many States Omit Climate Education. These Teachers Are Trying to Slip It In. (2022)

Extreme Heat Will Change Us (2022)

To Fight Climate Change, Canada Turns to Indigenous People to Save Its Forests (2022)

The Unseen Toll of a Warming World (2022)

‘OK Doomer’ and the Climate Advocates Who Say It’s Not Too Late (2022)

6 Aspects of American Life Threatened by Climate Change (2021)

El Niño and La Niña, Explained (2021)

Wildfires Are Intensifying. Here’s Why, and What Can Be Done. (2021)

5 Things We Know About Climate Change and Hurricanes (2020)

Climate Change Is Scaring Kids. Here’s How to Talk to Them. (2019)

Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change (2018)

Selected Recent Opinion

We Need to Rethink How to Adapt to the Climate Crisis (2022)

We Are Wasting Time on These Climate Debates. The Next Steps Are Clear. (2022)

Postcards From a World on Fire (2021)

The Disaster We Must Think About Every Day (2021)

‘He Just Cried for a While.’ This Is My Reality of Parenting During a Climate Disaster. (2021)

This Is the World Being Left to Us by Adults (2021)

Finding the Will to Stave Off a Darker Future (2021)

How to Calm Your Climate Anxiety (2021)

What Western Society Can Learn From Indigenous Communities (2021)

• TeachableMoment

A Climate Change Primer for Middle School

This primer includes six short, interactive, multimodal lessons to help middle school students learn, think, and write about climate change – and consider how to take action.

• Climate Change

Photo: Kids Climate March in Minnesota in 2017, by Lorie Shaull

To the Teacher

This sequence includes six lessons that can be spread over six or more days:

How is the climate changing?

How are glaciers changing over time?

How will sea level rise affect us?

How does climate change make weather more extreme?

Why is climate change happening?

What can young people do about climate change?

Alternatively, use the ideas and links as resources for your existing climate change lesson plans. 

These lessons rely on climate change data from NASA, articles from Newsela, and two key books for middle-school readers:

How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch (Dawn Publications, 2010) collects a wide range of evidence demonstrating how the climate is changing, and presents it in an empowering way by emphasizing how young people are researching and taking action on climate change.

Rising Seas: Flooding, Climate Change, and Our New World by Keltie Thomas (Firefly Books, 2018) focuses on one of the most striking effects of climate change, and explores how sea level rise is already impacting coastal regions around the world in order to bring home the urgency of climate action.

1.  How is the climate changing?

Ask students what they already know or have heard about climate change. Record their knowledge and wonderings on a KWL chart. (That is, what do you Know about this topic; what do you Want to know; and, what did you Learn).

Next, introduce NASA’s Global Climate Change website .

As a class, examine the Global Temperature indicator. Ask students to interpret the chart and the visualization map for what they show about how global temperatures have changed over time.

Then ask students to make predictions about how these changes in temperature might affect the planet. Turn these predictions into questions and add them to the KWL chart.

Note to the teacher: Students may have heard people argue that current climate change is not caused by humans because climate change has also occurred in the past. Be prepared to investigate with students how much faster the rate of climate change is now than in the past, and to make predictions about how those fast-moving changes might be even more challenging for humans and other animals than the slower changes of the past.

2. How are glaciers changing over time?

To explore this question, use the lesson plan “ Disappearing Glaciers ” from the teacher’s guide to How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate , pages 19-21.

This lesson plan includes a kinesthetic exploration of a glacier’s life cycle and an analysis of the changes in a glacier over time using a Venn diagram.

You can also show this time-lapse video of Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska.

Ask students what learning and wonderings they can add to the KWL chart based on today.

3.  How will sea level rise affect us?

Introduce the lesson’s guiding question about how sea level change affects humans by having students conduct an experiment with ice and water, demonstrating how glacier melt affects sea level.

A video of one such demonstration is available here .

After the demonstration, have students explain to each other how glacial ice melting affects sea levels.

Then have students examine the sea level simulation data at NASA’s Climate Time Machine . 

Alternately, show students these photos of children standing in water at the level of expected sea level rise during their lifetimes.

Ask students to make predictions about how these changes in sea level will affect people in coastal cities.

Then have students work in small groups to examine selections from the book Rising Seas . Pages 6-9 offer an overview of sea level rise, and other sections discuss effects on specific regions from Miami Beach to the Maldives. Be sure to clarify that some of the pictures are photo illustrations based on predictions, not actual photographs. Have students discuss and revise their predictions based on their reading.

Finally, have students write their own creative narratives about how changes in sea level might affect a family like theirs, living in a coastal city of their choice.

4. How does climate change make weather more extreme?

Brainstorm with students: What kinds of extreme weather events have you heard about recently? What are some ways that climate change and global temperature rise might affect the weather and make it more extreme?

Divide into small groups and have each group read one of these four Newsela articles at a time at an appropriate Lexile level, and then discuss the given questions as a group (free Newsela account required). 

After groups discuss their article, ask them to work together to write a short summary of the article. Have each group share its summary with the class.

Cyclones and Climate Change (560-1190L)

Ten ways climate change can make wildfires worse (410-820L)

Why there’s a big chill in a warmer world (380-810L)

Climate change in the US Southwest (550-1210L)

Group questions:

What kinds of extreme weather are discussed in our group’s article?

How does climate change cause that extreme weather?

How does that extreme weather affect people?

Who does it affect?

What kinds of damage does the extreme weather cause?

What can people do to help?

5. Why is climate change happening?

To explore this question, use the lesson plan “ Life in the Green House ” from the teacher’s guide to How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate , pages 28-33.

This lesson plan includes an informal pre-test of knowledge about the greenhouse effect, an interactive lecture on the greenhouse effect with a graphic organizer, and small-group discussion questions.

Then, consolidate knowledge by having students work in groups to construct cause-and-effect diagrams showing the causes and effects of climate change, using arrows to show how causes lead to effects. Diagrams should link together at least 5 different phrases, and should include target vocabulary, such as “fossil fuels,” “carbon dioxide,” “sea level,” and “global temperature.”

As an extension activity, you might ask students to discuss and use a Venn diagram to record which parts of the world have contributed the most to climate change and which parts of the world are suffering the most consequences from climate change. Ask: What responsibility does our country have to help solve this problem? You can introduce this discussion with a reading from Rising Seas, page 45.

6. What can young people do about climate change?

Ask students to use a Carbon Footprint Calculator to estimate their carbon footprint  Invite them to discuss results with their neighbors as they do.

Discuss as a class:

What kinds of actions emit more carbon?

How can we reduce various forms of carbon emissions?

Which kinds are harder for individuals to stop or reduce?

Read together pages 50-55 from How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate . Then, as a class, have students brainstorm ways they can fight climate change. As students come up with actions, take notes on the board. Analyze the results together.

Students are likely to focus on individual actions they can take to reduce their energy consumption. Ask students: What is the difference between individual actions and collective actions? After they identify the difference, ask why collective actions can be more powerful. You might point to the ways our government or institutions contribute to climate change (such as government support for the fossil fuel industry), and encourage ideas about how to change such government decisions. See if they can come up with any more ideas for collective action.

Ask students: Did you know that children like you have been working together with adults to bring lawsuits against the U.S. government to stop climate change?

Have your students read this Newsela article at an appropriate Lexile level:

Children’s court case to fight climate change (580-1250L)

What do you think about this lawsuit?

How does climate change affect children more than adults?

What are some ways the government is causing climate change?

Do you think the government has a responsibility to protect the climate for children?

What kinds of collective actions could students like you take to fight climate change?

Ask students to reflect on their learning one last time with the KWL chart.

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Home / For Educators: Grades 6-12

For Educators: Grades 6-12

Climate change is a complex topic to teach. In addition to teaching the science behind climate change, it is critical to help students become effective climate change communicators.

We have developed materials for teachers who are interested in using our resources in their classrooms, such as the Yale Climate Opinion Maps and Yale Climate Connections. These materials were developed based on recommendations from educators across the United States. They aim to immerse students in climate change issues in an accessible, digestible, and interactive way. While these NGSS and Common Core-aligned activities were designed for middle and high schoolers, you can easily convert them to Word documents using free platforms like https://simplypdf.com/ so that you can customize them for your students. We’d also love to hear about your experience using our materials with your students! Please fill out this brief survey .

• Audio Story

Backgrounders for Educators

• Climate Change Audiences
• Interactive Maps
• Intermediate
• Introductory

Climate Change Basics: Five Facts, Ten Words

To simplify the scientific complexity of climate change, we focus on communicating five key facts about climate change that everyone should know. 

Climate Change Communication Investigation

Advanced Interactive Maps

The Yale Climate Opinion Maps help us compare Americans’ beliefs around climate change across different parts of the country. For this project, students will get to be researchers collecting data in their own communities, just like the researchers at YPCCC.

Climate Change Jigsaw

Introductory Audio Story

This Jigsaw exercise offers two ways in which students can discuss our radio stories as a team to deepen thinking around climate change issues.

Climate Explained: Introductory Essays About Climate Change Topics

Climate Explained, a part of Yale Climate Connections, is an essay collection that addresses an array of climate change questions and topics, including why it’s cold outside if global warming is real, how we know that humans are responsible for global warming, and the relationship between climate change and national security.  

Connecting Data to Storytelling

Advanced Audio Story

There are many ways to tell stories. We can write, speak, or even use art to tell a story. Data can tell a story, too. In this activity, students will draw connections between a Yale Climate Connections radio story and data from the Yale Climate Opinion Maps.

Decoding the Data

Intermediate Climate Change Audiences

This activity is inspired by the New York Times What’s Going On in This Graph? feature and offers students the chance to practice their data interpretation skills.

External Resources

Looking for resources to help you and your students build a solid climate change science foundation? We’ve compiled a list of reputable, student-friendly links to help you do just that!  

Meet Global Warming’s Six Americas

Introductory Climate Change Audiences

Our research has identified “Global Warming’s Six Americas” as six unique audiences within the American public that each responds to the issue of climate change in a distinct way. Introduce Global Warming’s Six Americas to your students with this text.

Navigating the Yale Climate Opinion Maps

Intermediate Interactive Maps

The Yale Climate Opinion Maps tool is a way to explore how Americans’ climate change beliefs vary across the country. Navigating the Yale Climate Opinion Maps is a question guide that will help students use this interactive tool. 

Question Bank

Use this Question Bank as a guide to discuss any of our 90-second daily podcasts! These questions can help start a full class conversation, be used in small group discussion, or function as writing prompts.

Re-representing a Climate Change Story

Intermediate Audio Story

Stories can build understanding around a topic and can also help students explore connections between classroom content and their own lives. In this activity, students will get to be the storyteller and will choose how they would like to retell one of our radio stories.

Role Play: Six Americas, Six Views on Global Warming

Advanced Climate Change Audiences

An important part of stopping climate change is being able to communicate with people who may have different opinions about it. This is an exercise to help students practice engaging with people of varying perspectives.

What is a Survey?

This annotated list of links can be used to teach your students about surveying in general and scientific polling in particular. These resources can help answer questions about what polls are, why we use polling and surveying, and what reliable survey data shows us.   

Why should we care about climate change?

Having different perspectives about global warming is natural, but the most important thing that anyone should know about climate change is why it matters.  

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10 videos to watch to discuss climate change with students

By Lauren McAlpine on February 1, 2021 in News + Updates , TED-Ed Innovative Educators

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TED-Ed Innovative Educator , Kim Preshoff, based in Williamsville, NY, has been an environmental teacher for over 30 years.

Here, Preshoff shares a list of TED-Ed Lessons and TED Talks to watch and discuss with students.

As an environmental educator for more than 30 years, I have had the unique perspective of watching the climate change issue evolve over time and see first-hand students that care about what is happening. They care about future generations and they want change. So, how can we help them? Climate change can be a daunting and sometimes scary topic to discuss. My consistent response: “Knowledge is power!” Only by providing students with the science of climate change, and perspectives about what is truly happening in areas across the world, can we empower them to make a difference. Climate change must become a daily topic of discussion in classrooms across the globe, and part of everyday conversations.

TED has created several unique and informative lessons on climate change that will provide students, educators, and parents with the science and background necessary to understand the true impact of this issue. I consider these five animations my must-watch list:

Climate change: Earth’s giant game of Tetris  - Joss Fong

Using the game Tetris as a comparison, this video is a terrific introduction to the carbon cycle, what can cause an imbalance in that cycle, and how that imbalance is affecting Earth’s climate. Can you define the greenhouse effect? You will after this lesson! It also covers the creation of fossil fuels, how they cause today’s imbalance in the carbon cycle, and the effect deforestation has on the carbon budget. This lesson is a fun and unique way to present the difficult topic of the carbon cycle.

Is the weather actually becoming more extreme? – R. Saravanan

Knowing the difference between weather and climate is a key point in the discussion of climate change issues.  Extreme weather events such as heat waves, wildfires and tropical cyclones have been increasing over the last 40 years. Could climate change be the culprit? Earth’s average temperature has increased nearly 1 degree C over the last 150 years– the end result is more energy in Earth’s atmosphere, and in turn more extreme weather events. Questions about climate versus weather? This lesson will clarify the differences.

Why the Arctic is climate change’s canary in the coal mine  - William Chapman

How can the Arctic be used as a predictor of climate change? The Arctic region is kept in balance with feedback loops– both positive and negative.  Positive loops amplify effects while negative loops stabilize effects. Studying these feedback loops in relation to cloud cover, melting sea ice, and reflectivity can help scientists predict the effects of climate change. The Arctic is the most often talked about region in regard to climate change– this lesson will provide the background information needed to understand why.

Underwater farms vs. Climate change – Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Megan Davis

What exactly is aquaculture? Can aquaculture help fight climate change? Is there a sustainable way to farm the ocean? Aquaculture, while providing food for people, can have some negative repercussions. The answer: restorative ocean farming. A sustainable underwater farm can feed people a more healthy diet, provide jobs, and, at the same time, sequester carbon from the atmosphere. When students are looking for potential solutions to climate change– use this lesson as an example.

Can wildlife adapt to climate change? – Erin Eastwood

How resilient is nature in adapting to climate change? Scientists have seen changes in organisms, but many of these changes are not heritable. Approximately 20 different species have evolved adaptations to climate change. While this might seem like good news, humans will have to play a role in maintaining biodiversity, and helping species to continue to thrive in this changing environment. This lesson may provide a bit of hope about animals versus climate change.

In addition to these lessons, TED’s new initiative COUNTDOWN , has amplified TED Talks that provide great perspectives on issues around the world that people are facing everyday. Remember, with climate change problems, there are also climate change solutions. Through learning new perspectives, we can truly understand what other communities are going through and make changes that positively impact every person on this planet. Here are the TED Talks on my must-watch list:

10 years to transform the future of humanity or destabilize the planet  - Johan Rockstrom

Has the Earth reached its climate change tipping point that could potentially make earth uninhabitable for future generations? Evidence is pointing to yes; we have begun to potentially destabilize Earth as we know it, yet we have failed to mitigate climate change. Rising sea levels, permafrost belching methane, and interwoven systems may be the downfall of Earth’s stability. Want solutions? Stewardship, science, a view of Earth as a global commons, and a willingness to change. This TED Talk will provide you with a solid foundation about what is happening in regard to climate change.

Cities are driving climate change.  Here’s how they can fix it  - Angel Hsu

Urban areas contain the majority of people on Earth, and these cities have a great impact on climate change. They can decrease our carbon footprint or they can be urban heat islands. One solution is equity in greenspace for all residents of all economic levels and races. This talk provides perspective about the unique issues encountered by people living in large urban areas, and ways they can mitigate the effects of climate change.

Climate justice cannot happen without racial justice  - David Lammy

When struggling with racial injustices, climate change gets put on the back-burner. But racial and climate injustices must be addressed together. Who is most likely to breathe in polluted air, live in an area suffering from extreme heat, or have homes surrounded by fewer trees? People of color who make up a greater percentage of our low economic communities. Often, individuals and countries that are most vulnerable to climate change are  those who contribute the least to the issue. Only by bringing all stakeholders to the climate change discussion can this truly be remedied. Watch this talk and gain perspective about the need to involve every citizen in the climate change discussion.

The city planting a million trees in two years  - Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr

How can deforestation affect a community? Lack of trees can cause landslides, flooding, and loss of biodiversity. Aki-Sawyerr’s goal is not to just plant trees, but to grow a tree steward program. The end result is a city that is collectively proud to protect itself and its homes as trees are planted in yards, schools, offices, and public spaces. While it may not be the complete answer to climate change, these trees provide a much needed carbon sink for her city. This TED Talk is proof that taking action can truly make a difference.

How to be a good ancestor  - Roman Krznaric

We as humans are destroying the environmental inheritance of future generations- those with no voices about what is occurring. We need to become good ancestors, but how? Be a time rebel, extend your vision– look forward to the future, and keep our future Earth inhabitants in mind when planning out goals. Ask kids who to vote for and discuss the future with them. Focus on and learn from nature, regenerate the Earth, and take care of the place that will take care of our offspring. This TED Talk emphasizes the importance of looking forward for the sake of future generations.

Interested in learning more about climate change? Here are some additional resources and platforms:

TED-Ed’s Earth School , a 30-day journey of daily Quests using videos, resources, and activities compiled by Earth experts for students to learn more about the environment and climate change

The  Count Us In  project, which has 16 actionable steps you can take on your own, with your family, friends or school

United Nations Environment Program

NASA: Global Climate Change

NPR: Resources on Climate change

NOAA Climate

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Using Place-Based Learning to Teach Middle School Students About Climate Change

Climate change lessons become more relevant to students when they learn about how it’s affecting their communities.

How do we prepare today’s youth for a future defined by the climate crisis?

As a middle school science teacher, I have grappled with this question. Many communities are already feeling the impacts of rising sea levels, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. The future workforce will require eco-literate people who are equipped to address climate change in their communities. As we work toward a more sustainable world, educators have an opportunity to instill a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship in the next generation.

From my experience, if you ask a group of middle school students how climate change has affected their lives, most will shrug their shoulders. That’s because climate change education is often taught in the global context, leaving kids feeling disconnected and powerless.

According to several studies on effective climate change education, engaging students in place-based learning increases their understanding of climate change. Learning experiences focused on local issues and phenomena connect students with their communities while providing context for climate change and its impacts. By working to strengthen a child’s sense of place, educators can foster positive relationships with the environment and empower students to take action in their communities.

But how can educators bring place-based learning into the middle school classroom? Surprisingly, online tools can be a great place to start. Organizations such as NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association), the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) provide interactive maps where students can engage with real-time data from their community.

These user-friendly tools are accessible to any educator looking to bring climate change education down to the local level. Whether exploring the local landscape, biodiversity, sea levels, or environmental justice, using interactive maps can help get the conversation started.

5 Online Tools for Place-Based Learning

1. Images of Change from NASA. Using satellite imagery can be an effective way to teach middle school students about the impacts of climate change on local landscapes. NASA’s Images of Change provides breathtaking images of altered landscapes all over the world. In an interactive format, this tool allows students to view the impacts of drought, flooding, habitat loss, and extreme weather events. My students made observations of landscape changes in California by using the toggle feature to compare images side by side.

2. Biodiversity hot spot maps from ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World. This tool helps students visualize real-time data with biodiversity hot spot maps . A location-based data platform, ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World has imagery that shows species richness, imperiled species, and areas of biodiversity importance. My students used these maps to explore biodiversity in our region, which sparked deeper conversations about the impacts of climate change on vulnerable species.

3. EJScreen from the EPA. Looking to incorporate environmental justice education in your lessons? EJScreen, the EPA’s screening and mapping tool , allows students to dissect different aspects of environmental inequities.

Students can enter their city and use the map to access visuals of local data, including pollution levels, socioeconomic indicators, and health disparities. By exploring the different levels of air pollution in their hometown, my middle school students were able to reflect on the unequal distribution of resources and environmental hazards in their community.

4. Heat and Health Tracker from the CDC. Human health and well-being are directly affected by climate change, especially as the prevalence of extreme heat events increases. The CDC’s Heat and Health Tracker provides local data that can be used to help students make the connection between rising temperatures and human health.

Students can use the visual map and search function to find out how their county is impacted by extreme heat events and which areas are most vulnerable. The tracker also allows students to access resources available in their area.

5. Sea Level Rise Viewer from NOAA. Live in a coastal area? This online tool helps users visualize the current and potential impacts of sea-level rise on coastal communities. NOAA’s Sea Level Rise Viewer provides information on flooding risks and makes predictions of sea-level scenarios for the future. This user-friendly tool allowed my students to assess sea-level rise projections on their favorite beaches and parks.

Place-based learning can bring to life complex topics and help students feel more connected to their world. Using online mapping tools to engage with local data has allowed my students to form a deeper understanding of the impacts that climate change has on their community. When educators help students interpret and reflect on local issues, it can provide a stepping stone toward meaningful climate change education, with the hopes of promoting environmental stewardship.

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8 Ways To Teach Climate Change In Almost Any Classroom

Anya Kamenetz

NPR/Ipsos conducted a national poll recently and found that more than 8 in 10 teachers — and a similar majority of parents — support teaching kids about climate change.

But in reality, it's not always happening: Fewer than half of K-12 teachers told us that they talk about climate change with their children or students. Again, parents were about the same.

The top reason that teachers gave in our poll for not covering climate change? "It's not related to the subjects I teach," 65% said.

Most Teachers Don't Teach Climate Change; 4 In 5 Parents Wish They Did

Yet at the same time, we also heard from teachers and education organizations who are introducing the topic in subjects from social studies to math to English language arts, and at every grade level, from preschool on up.

That raises the question: Where does climate change belong in the curriculum, anyway?

The "reality of human-caused climate change" is mentioned in at least 36 state standards, according to an analysis done for NPR Ed by Glenn Branch, the deputy director at the National Center for Science Education. But it typically appears only briefly — and most likely just in earth science classes in middle and high school. And, Branch says, that doesn't even mean that every student in those states learns about it: Only two states require students to take earth or environmental science classes to graduate from high school.

Joseph Henderson teaches in the environmental studies department at Paul Smith's College in upstate New York. He studies how climate change is taught in schools and believes it needs to be taught across many subjects.

"For so long this has been seen as an issue that is solely within the domain of science," he says. "There needs to be a greater engagement across disciplines, particularly looking at the social dimensions," such as the displacement of populations by natural disasters.

Why Science Teachers Are Struggling With Climate Change

At the same time, there's a tension in pushing more educators to take this on. "I worry a lot about asking schools to solve yet another problem that society refuses to deal with."

As a potential response to this criticism, the nonprofit Ten Strands follows an "incremental infusion" model in California. In other words, environmental literacy becomes part of subjects and activities that are already in the curriculum instead of, the organization says, "burdening educators" with another stand-alone and complex area to cover.

We also heard from teachers who say they are searching for more ideas and resources to take on the topic of climate change. Here are some thoughts about how to broach the subject with students, no matter what subject you teach:

1. Do a lab.

Lab activities can be one of the most effective ways to show children how global warming works on an accessible scale.

Ellie Schaffer is a sixth-grader at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C. In science class, she has done simulations on greenhouse effects, using plastic wrap to trap the sun's heat. And she has used charcoal to see how black carbon from air pollution can speed the melting of ice.

These lessons have raised her awareness — and concern. "We've ignored climate change for a long time and now it's getting to be, like, a real problem, so we've gotta do something."

Many teachers we talked with mentioned NASA as a resource for labs and activities. The ones in this outline can be done with everyday materials such as ice, tinfoil, plastic bottles, rubber, light bulbs and a thermometer.

Teaching Middle-Schoolers Climate Change Without Terrifying Them

On the Earth Science Week website, there's a list of activities and lesson plans aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. They range from simple to elaborate.

2. Show a movie.

Susan Fisher, a seventh-grade science teacher at South Woods Middle School in Syosset, N.Y., showed her students the 2016 documentary Before the Flood , featuring Leonardo DiCaprio journeying to five continents and the Arctic to see the effects of climate change. "It is our intention to make our students engaged citizens," Fisher says.

Before the Flood has an action page and an associated curriculum. Common Sense Media has a list of climate change-related movies for all ages.

The 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth and its 2017 sequel, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power, have curricular materials created in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation.

3. Assign a novel.

Rebecca Meyer is an eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Bronx Park Middle School in New York City.

She assigned her students a 2013 novel by Mindy McGinnis called Not a Drop to Drink .

"As we read the novel, kids made connections between what is happening today and the novel," Meyer says. "At the end of the unit, as a culminating project, students chose groups, researched current solutions for physical and economic water scarcity and created PSA videos using iMovie about the problem and how their solution could help to combat the issue."

Educators On A Hot Topic: Global Warming 101

She described the unit as a success. "They were very engaged; they loved it," she explains. "A lot of them shared this information with their families. When parents came in for parent-teacher conferences, they mentioned their kids had been talking to them about conserving water."

Not A Drop To Drink belongs to a subgenre of science fiction known as " cli-fi " (climate fiction) or sometimes eco-fiction. You can find lists of similar books at websites like Dragonfly.eco or at the Chicago Review of Books, which has a monthly Burning Worlds column about this kind of literature.

Looking for English topics for younger students? EL Education covers environmental topics, including water conservation and the impact of natural disasters, in its K-5 English language arts curriculum.

4. Do citizen science.

Terry Reed is the self-proclaimed "science guru" for seventh-graders at Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School in Honolulu. He has also spent a year sailing the Caribbean, and on his way, he collected water samples on behalf of a group called Adventure Scientists , to be tested for microplastics. (Spoiler: Even on remote, pristine beaches, all the samples had some.)

He has assigned his students to collect water samples from beaches near their homes to submit for the same project. He also has them take pictures of cloud formations and measure temperatures, to see changes in weather patterns over time. "One thing I stress to them, that in the next few years, they become the voting public," he says. "They need to be aware of the science."

5. Assign a research project, multimedia presentation or speech.

Gay Collins teaches public speaking at Waterford High School in Waterford, Conn. She is interested in "civil discourse" as a tool for problem-solving, so she encourages her students "to shape their speeches around critical topics, like the use of plastics, minimalism, and other environmental issues.

6. Talk about your personal experience.

Pamela Tarango teaches third grade at the Downtown Elementary School in Bakersfield, Calif. She tells her students about how the weather has changed there in her lifetime, getting hotter and drier: "In our Central Valley California city of Bakersfield, there has been a change in the winter climate. I told them about how, when I was growing up in the 1970s, we often had several two-and-three-hour delays to school starting because of dense tule fog, which affected visibility. We really never have those delays in the metropolitan area. It is only the outlying areas, which still have two-and-three-hour dense fog delays, and they are rare even for the rural areas."

(Although the Central Valley winter has indeed become hotter and drier because of climate change, recently a University of California, Berkeley study has attributed the reduction in tule fog specifically to declines in air pollution.)

7. Do a service project.

"I teach preschoolers and use the environment and our natural resources to highlight our everyday life," says Mercy Peña-Alevizos, who teaches at Holy Trinity Academy in Phoenix. "I stress the importance of appreciation and eliminating waste. My students understand and have fantastic ideas. We recycle and pick up around our neighborhood."

Environment And Energy Collaborative

Skipping school around the world to push for action on climate change.

Environmental service projects can be simple, elaborate or just for fun. Check out the #trashtag challenge on social media, for example.

8. Start or work in a school garden.

Mairs Ryan teaches science at St. Gregory the Great Catholic School in San Diego. "The sixth-graders oversee the school garden, as well as our vermin composting bin, christened the 'Worm Hotel'. The garden is their lab and the students 'live and learn' soil carbon sequestration and regenerative agriculture. Our school's compost bin is evidence that alternatives exist to methane-producing landfills. In looking for more solutions to reduce methane, students debate food reuse practices around the world."

Check out ThePermacultureStudent.com for resources on building school gardens with rainwater capture and compost systems to regenerate the soil. There are local and regional resources such as the Collective School Garden Network in California and Growing Minds in North Carolina, which offer basic plans for a school garden as well as lesson plans that connect gardening to Common Core standards.

Here are some more resources

After the publication of our climate poll story on Monday, we heard from people all over the country with dozens more resources for climate education.

Alliance for Climate Education has a multimedia resource called Our Climate Our Future , plus more resources for educators and several action programs for youth.

The American Association of Geographers has free online professional development resources for teachers.

American Reading Co. sells an English Language Arts curriculum called ARCCore that includes climate change themes.

Biointeractive, created by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, has hundreds of free online education resources, including many on education and the environment , and it offers professional development for teachers.

Climate Generation offers professional development for educators nationwide and a youth network in Minnesota.

CLEAN (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network) has a collection of resources organized in part by the Next Generation Science Standard it is aligned with.

Global Oneness Project offers lesson plans that come with films and videos of climate impacts around the world.

Google offers free online environmental sustainability lesson plans for grades 5-8.

The Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility has a group of 19 lessons for K-12.

"We believe that the social and emotional skills we help strengthen in young people and adults are sorely needed to combat the fear and avoidance we and students experience around climate change," spokesperson Laura McClure told NPR.

The National Center for Science Education has free climate change lessons that focus on combating misinformation. They also have a "scientist in the classroom" program.

The National Science Teachers Association has a comprehensive curriculum .

The Paleontological Research Institution in Ithaca, N.Y., has a book called the Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change.

Ripple Effect "creates STEM curriculum" for K-6 "about real people and places impacted by climate change," starting with New Orleans.

Ten Strands offers professional learning to educators in California in partnership with the state's recycling authority and an outdoor-education program, among others.

Think Earth offers 9 environmental education units from preschool through middle school.

The Zinn Education Project (based on the work of Howard Zinn, the author of A People's History Of The United States) has launched a group of 18 lessons aimed specifically at climate justice. Some are drawn from this book: A People's Curriculum For The Earth: Teaching Climate Change And The Environmental Crisis .

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Seeing the wood for trees: sustainable forestry (video).

In this lesson, students interact with Google Earth to identify forests that have been logged selectively versus those that have not. They also learn how to distinguish the appearance of forestry methods in satellite images.

Fighting Fire with Fire (video)

Wildfires occur naturally when lightning strikes a forest or grassland. Alternatively, controlled burns, also known as prescribed fires, are set by land managers and conservationists to mimic the effects of natural fires. In this lesson, students explore controlled burn scenarios and the positive impacts of fire on ecosystems. Download the Powerpoint here .

Bee Detective: Declining Bee Populations (video)

Honeybees benefit humans in many ways: They are important pollinators of food crops and producers of honey and beeswax. Learn about the features of a honeybee colony and the potential causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD). 

The Need Is Mutual: Biological Interactions (video)

Organisms have a variety of relationships. In this lesson, students learn to categorize relationships according to their impact on organisms and the terminology for these biological interactions, for example, symbiosis.

How Natural Areas Filter Water (video)

Nature works to filter water and to release water over time, thereby reducing the amount of artificial treatment needed to filter water and helping to prevent flooding. In this lesson, students learn about the importance of water quality for human health and agriculture. 

Population Management (video)

The needs of cattle herds overlap the needs of wildlife in communities, such as Kenya. In this lesson, students learn how balancing cattle herd size, grazing rights and wildlife populations is beneficial. 

Reforestation: Impact on Climate (video)

Students explore how reforestation can help decrease carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby minimizing climate change and improving air quality.

Urban Trees (video)

In this lesson, students learn how trees renew our air supply by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen, and how they clean our air by filtering out dust and greenhouse gases. 

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Lessons Learned: How Can We Connect Middle School Students to Climate Change and Ocean Acidification?

A collaboration between UW students and DNR using local nearshore ecosystems as examples to center a climate change curriculum. A capstone in fulfillment of the UW PCC Graduate Certificate in Climate Science.

Written by: Amanda Arnold , Katie Byrnes, and Lizzy Matteri

Climate change is so vast and complex, riddled with intricate interactions, making  teaching it to young students daunting. Additionally, while many middle school teachers have training in biology and want to incorporate climate change and biological responses to climate change in their teaching, they often lack formal coursework in climate change. We found ourselves wrestling with these issues as we embarked on this capstone project for our Graduate Certificate in Climate Science (GCeCS) . What exactly should we focus on? How can we help students connect with the material? How can we create something that is comprehensive enough that teachers feel like they have all the necessary information, but is flexible and adaptable enough that they can tailor it to their own classroom needs?

We realized that the best way to get both students and teachers engaged was to shift the focus to the local level! While climate change is a global issue, using a local example can help make the concepts covered seem less faraway and abstract—climate change is affecting us in Washington State too, after all. Not only that, but giving the students a way to connect with others in the community who are working to collect data to inform strategies to combat the impacts of climate change, can help empower students in the face of climate change. We realized that incorporating community science into our capstone project, so that students could learn about what is being done in their own “backyards” was a great way to accomplish both of these goals.   

Our climate change curriculum 

For this capstone, we collaborated with Washington DNR to create an engaging and interactive climate science curriculum focused on nearshore ecosystems in Washington State. DNR’s Acidification Nearshore Monitoring Network ( Project ANeMoNe ) focuses on increasing awareness of issues like ocean acidification and warming through student engagement and public outreach projects. Project ANeMoNe monitors water quality at nearshore sites throughout the state with the help of community scientists, and was interested in working with graduate students completing the GCeCS to create a curriculum about ocean acidification in nearshore eelgrass ecosystems using data collected by their community scientists.

We created a complete unit, broken down into three separate but interconnected modules , that satisfy the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for middle school science students. The first module introduces nearshore ecosystems in Washington and is designed to help students think critically about the type of habitat and ecosystem services that eelgrass beds provide. This links to the second module, which dives into ocean acidification and asks students to think about how carbon dioxide interacts with the ocean, and how eelgrass can impact this relationship through uptake and sequestration. Our final module has students apply what they have learned about the nearshore eelgrass ecosystem and ocean acidification to determine the cascading impacts of ocean acidification on the nearshore environment and ocean as a whole. 

Since we weren’t able to present our curriculum to students in a classroom setting, we led a virtual teacher workshop. Teachers were introduced to the Program on Climate Change and the graduate certificate and DNR’s Project ANeMoNe. We led middle school teachers through a lesson and gave them time in breakout rooms to go through one of the new activities. At the close of the workshop, teachers were asked to discuss in breakout sessions what they enjoyed about the lesson, if they saw it as a lesson they could use in their classroom, and if so, how they would adapt it for their classroom. Additionally, teachers were able to earn two Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) clock hours for participating and providing feedback to incorporate into our final curriculum. 

What did we learn?

Developing a curriculum is hard! Teaching young students about complex topics like ocean acidification and climate change in a way that is both accessible and engaging, is difficult. This is especially true when considering the varying background knowledge middle schoolers might have. Since climate change is such a vast topic, which can be explored in many different ways, a big challenge was identifying the big takeaways for students. First, we had to narrow our scope, taking into account the overarching context of ANeMoNe and focusing on ocean acidification, while maintaining a structure that could reasonably be explored in our short time frame. Then, we had to figure out how to structure lessons and activities to reach the ultimate learning objectives.

Teaching techniques are important! Having a clear idea of the teaching techniques you want to use is vital to developing a cohesive curriculum. Our advisor, Prof. Mark Windschitl , emphasized the importance of modeling and hands-on activities when teaching about complex systems. We wanted to incorporate a variety of learning styles into our unit so highlighting those techniques was important to us. Additionally, the educators we surveyed reacted positively to using anchoring events, local context, and community science to contextualize climate change principles for students.

Building this unit taught us about science communication as a whole . The lessons we learned in developing this curriculum can directly translate to other aspects of science communication. Building off previous examples, focusing on anchoring events, and using local context are all great ways of communicating climate change concepts to anyone, not just middle schoolers. We are all grateful for learning methods that make climate change topics more engaging and will use these concepts in the future in many other contexts. 

Lizzy Matteri is a soon to be graduate of the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and completed this project for the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science. While her thesis focuses on the impacts of sediment from the Elwha River dam removals on Chinook salmon spawning habitat, she’s also interested in ocean acidification and climate change. Working as a teaching assistant as a Fulbright Fellow led to her interest in science education and communication. Lizzy enjoyed being able to combine these passions through this collaborative project.

Katie Byrnes is a soon to be graduate of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and completed this project for the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science. Her research focuses on marine spatial planning for kelp aquaculture and rehabilitation in Puget Sound and how increased seaweed abundance can provide localized bioremediation and ocean acidification mitigation. Katie enjoyed the opportunity to combine her interests in ocean acidification and science communication through this capstone project. 

Amanda Arnold is a soon to be graduate of the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and completed this project for the Graduate Certificate in Climate Science. Although her thesis explores the best practices for determining tourist carrying capacity in marine ecosystems, she has always been interested in local, community based science and management. Volunteering for the Girl Guides of Canada and as a wet lab educator for the Vancouver Aquarium ignited her interest in early marine science education. Amanda is glad she was able to learn more about these topics through this project.

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A Guide to Climate Change for Kids

Have you heard your parents or people in videos talking about climate change? Ever wondered what it is and why we care about it so much? NASA scientists have been studying Earth’s climate for more than 40 years. We used what we’ve learned in that time to answer some of your biggest questions below!

Click here to download this guide as a printable PDF!

What is the difference between weather and climate?

The main difference is time. Weather is only temporary. For example, a blizzard can turn into a flood after just a few warm spring days. Climate, on the other hand, is more than just a few warm or cool days. Climate describes the typical weather conditions in an entire region for a very long time – 30 years or more.

Click here to learn more about the difference between weather and climate!

What is climate change?

Climate change describes a change in the typical weather for a region — such as high and low temperatures and amount of rainfall — over a long period of time. Scientists have observed that, overall, Earth is warming. In fact, many of the warmest years on record have happened in the past 20 years. This rise in global temperature is sometimes called global warming.

Click here to learn more about climate change!

How do we know Earth’s climate is getting warmer?

Scientists have been observing Earth for a long time. They use NASA satellites and other instruments to collect many types of information about Earth's land, atmosphere, ocean, and ice. This information tells us that Earth's climate is getting warmer.

Click here to learn more about how we know the climate is changing!

Why is Earth warming?

Some of the gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap heat from the Sun—like the glass roof and walls of a greenhouse. These greenhouse gases keep Earth warm enough to live on. But human activities, such as the destruction of forests and burning fossil fuels, create extra greenhouse gases. This traps even more of the Sun’s heat, leading to a warmer Earth.

Click here to learn more about the greenhouse effect!

What does carbon have to do with it?

Carbon is in all living things on Earth. As plants and animals die, they get buried in the ground. After enough years, these squished underground remains can turn into fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. When we burn those fuels, the carbon that was in the ground goes into the air as a gas called carbon dioxide, or CO2. Plants and trees can absorb some of this extra carbon dioxide. But a lot of it stays in the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas that warms up the planet.

Click here to learn more about carbon!

Has the climate ever changed before?

Yes, but this time is different. Over millions of years, Earth's climate has warmed up and cooled down many times. In the past, Earth often warmed up when the Sun was very active. But nowadays, we can carefully measure the Sun’s activity. We know Earth is warming now, even when the Sun is less active. Today, the planet is warming much faster than it has over human history.

It doesn’t feel hotter where I live. Why does climate change matter?

The average air temperatures near Earth's surface have gone up about 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century. A couple of degrees over a hundred years may not seem like much. However, this change can have big impacts on the health of Earth's plants and animals.

Click here to learn more about how we know the climate is changing!!

What does climate change do to the ocean?

As Earth warms, NASA has observed that sea levels are rising. This is partly due to melting ice. Glaciers and ice sheets are large masses of ice that sit on the land. As our planet warms, this ice melts and flows into the oceans. More water in the oceans makes sea level higher. Also, water expands as it gets warmer. So, warm water takes up more room in our oceans – making sea levels higher.

The properties of ocean water are also changing. One change is called ocean acidification and it can be harmful for plants and animals. Scientists have observed that the ocean is becoming more acidic as its water absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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How are scientists studying climate change?

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Today's Climate

As extreme weather batters schools, students are pushing for more climate change education, though climate change education varies across public schools in the u.s., extreme weather impacts are affecting them all..

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In the U.S. and around the world, the impact of climate change on primary education is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, both inside and outside the classroom. As heat and flooding threaten the physical environment, pedagogical—and political—debates rage over how and what to teach students about their rapidly warming planet.

Often a reflection of the political majority in a state, climate curriculums vary across public schools in the U.S., and now students themselves are advocating for more climate change education. However, these efforts have been met with mixed responses from school boards and state legislatures. 

Today, I am diving into the student-led push to expand climate change instruction across classrooms as schools struggle against the most severe climate impacts. 

Buckling Under the Elements: While “snow days” in some parts of the country have decreased due to shorter winters , other weather-related school cancellations have surged, from “wildfire days” in California to “it flooded so badly that sewage is spilling onto the street” days (that may not be the official name for them, but you get the gist). 

The latter hit Leaders High School in south Brooklyn in September, when several inches of rain overwhelmed sanitation infrastructure around the school, writes Mariana Simões for City Limits . A report from NYC’s Comptroller’s Office shared with City Limits found that 28 percent of the city’s public school buildings are vulnerable to extreme stormwater flooding, and that many of them don’t have updated infrastructure to handle a deluge. 

In some cases, particularly extreme climate-fueled weather events can keep children out of class for weeks, such as Hurricane Michael in Florida, which devastated schools across the Florida Panhandle in 2018 and kept around 45,000 students from their classrooms during recovery . 

But for many schools, a chief climate concern is the lingering and almost constant threat of heat. At the start of the school year in 2023—which scientists confirm is the warmest year in modern history —many students baked inside classrooms with little to no air conditioning, reports Wired . These high temperatures affect learning at a physiological level: Along with impacting a student’s mental health, heat causes the body to sweat, diverting blood from organs toward the skin. This can reduce oxygen in some of the body’s tissues, including the brain, which can disrupt a child’s cognition and ability to focus, research shows . 

This poses an environmental justice issue as students all around the world are struggling to beat the heat. Over the past month, a deadly heat wave has blanketed Southeast Asia, forcing governments to shut down schools and further widening the education gap in low-income countries, reports CNN . 

Climate Change Education Is a Mixed Bag: In the U.S., students are speaking out to learn more about the source of the climate impacts hitting their schools. But their efforts haven’t always been met with support. 

In February, dozens of high school and college students attended a hearing in the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul to advance a bill that would require schools to integrate climate change into their curriculums, the Associated Press reports. However, the bill was not moved forward, similar to one that New Hampshire high schoolers were advocating for in March that is now indefinitely stalled .

Oftentimes, classroom materials do not reflect current climate science. In August, Republican Gov. Ron Desantis approved a move which allows classrooms to show videos that reject the reality of climate change. Several recent studies show that while science textbooks discuss climate change, they have not kept pace with the body of new research on the subject, a trend that my colleague Kiley Bense reported on last year . 

In a recent investigation, Rolling Stone magazine and Drilled revealed that the oil and gas industry has given funding to push forward corporate goals into lesson plans produced by Discovery Education, a textbook and multimedia education provider used by half the classrooms in the U.S. In one of their lessons, which includes a logo from oil and gas lobbying organization the American Petroleum Institute, the plan advises teachers to “tell the class that in 2020, petroleum powered 90 percent of the country’s transportation.” It does not include any mention of renewable energy or climate impacts from oil-related emissions, the news outlets found.

However, other states have embraced climate change curriculums across public schools. In 2020, New Jersey became the first state to require teaching climate change at all grade levels in all subjects, from art class to physical education. Since the program began, many teachers have focused on helping kids connect with nature and brainstorm climate solutions, reports The New York Times . 

“When we shield them from so much, they’re not ready to unpack it when they learn about it, and it becomes more scary than when they understand they’re in a position where they can actively think about solutions,” Lauren Madden, a professor of elementary science education at the College of New Jersey, told the Times. “When you take kids seriously that way, and trust them with that information, you can allow them to feel empowered to make locally relevant solutions.”

Multiple states have followed New Jersey’s lead by implementing their own climate education measures, including Connecticut and California, according to the National Center for Science Education. However, as climate impacts continue to ransack schools around the world, experts say education efforts have a long way to go. 

More Top Climate News

Earlier this week, the world’s largest plant that sucks carbon emissions from the air began operating in Iceland, according to the company Climeworks , which owns the direct carbon capture facility. 

Dubbed Mammoth, the plant is expected to pull in up to 36,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually by next year, though it is not fully operational yet. While some say direct carbon capture could be critical to slowing climate change, the technology has been repeatedly criticized as expensive, distracting and unproven, though oil and gas companies have been pouring funding into its development. My colleague Nicholas Kusnutz has written about carbon capture extensively in his series “Pipe Dreams ” if you are keen to dive in deeper. While 36,000 metric tons may sound like a lot, they would represent a miniscule fraction of overall global carbon emissions, which were projected to reach 36.8  billion tons in 2023 , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

Following up on Tuesday’s newsletter, in which I covered the threats of climate change pushing wild animals closer to humans, a new study published on Wednesday adds further evidence of this trend. The study’s authors found that climate change, biodiversity loss and invasive species are making infectious disease deadlier for humans, animals and plants, Scott Dance writes for The Washington Post . 

Meanwhile, a 44-foot dead endangered whale was found on the bow of a cruise ship in New York City. While the investigation is ongoing, scientists believe the whale was likely struck while it was still alive after preliminary results revealed broken bones in its flipper and tissue damage, The New York Times reports . Shipping, cruise and fishing vessels fatally strike an estimated 20,000 whales around the world annually, though scientists believe this may be an underestimate because whale carcasses often sink to the bottom of the ocean after they are hit, laying undiscovered. As I’ve written about in the past, climate change could be making this situation worse as warming ocean temperatures reshuffle food chains, causing whales to pop up in new areas without protection. 

Kiley Price

Kiley Price is a reporter at Inside Climate News, with a particular interest in wildlife, ocean health, food systems and climate change. She writes ICN’s “Today’s Climate” newsletter, which covers the most pressing environmental news each week.

She earned her master’s degree in science journalism at New York University, and her bachelor’s degree in biology at Wake Forest University. Her work has appeared in National Geographic, Time, Scientific American and more. She is a former Pulitzer Reporting Fellow, during which she spent a month in Thailand covering the intersection between Buddhism and the country’s environmental movement.

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Kennebunk High School students tackle the changing climate in the Gulf of Maine

A symposium on May 9 highlighted students' efforts to research and combat climate change.

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Keara Battagliese presented her research on micro plastics at a student-led symposium last week. Contributed / Meagan Cooper

Kennebunk High School senior Keara Battagliese wants to do scientific research to make change. Her school gave her a way to get involved.

Through a class led in collaboration with the University of New England, students have the opportunity to conduct field work and research on topics relating to climate change.

For Battagliese, the class was an opportunity to do what she loves.

“It’s taking the class out of the classroom,” Battagliese told the Post. “It teaches students that you can learn from anywhere, especially the environment.”

On May 9, Kennebunkport Conservation Trust hosted a youth-led symposium to highlight the efforts of these students making a difference in climate change.

Gulf of Maine Field Studies teacher Sarah Stowell said the symposium at the end of the year is an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they are passionate about when it comes to environmental concerns within their school and community. Advertisement

“Students can explore and present ways in which to work toward mitigation of these issues,” Stowell said.

Over 30 community members, including local officials, came out to support student-led research, which included topics like invasive species, contaminants in the Gulf of Maine, and for Battagliese, plastics.

KHS students presented research on climate change last week. Contributed / Meagan Cooper

The large-scale issue of micro plastics was both fascinating and scary to Battagliese, because of the fact that micro plastics are virtually everywhere.

With a partner, Battagliese studied how micro plastics affect the hatch rate of brine shrimp, and while she said her project wasn’t a complete success, the process was still rewarding.

“I’ve grown up in Kennebunkport my whole life, so I loved getting the opportunity to get out into the field and local environments like the beaches I grew up at and the river that runs through our town,” Battagliese said.

Research done by KHS students could lead to stronger environmental practices being adopted in RSU 21, Climate Initiative Executive Director Leia Lowery told the Post.

“These students are raising awareness and creating conversations around topics that deserve attention and action from decision makers,” Lowery said.

For Battagliese, the research doesn’t stop at the symposium.

“Ultimately, I want to do research to make change,” she said.

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High school students, frustrated by lack of climate education, press for change

Youth activists pushing for more climate education in Minnesota schools say working with peers to draft legislation gives them hope for a future under threat. (AP Video: Mark Vancleave)

B Rosas, left, Lucia Everist, center, and Libby Kramer, of Climate Generation, speak to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

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Libby Kramer, left, Lucia Everist, center, and B Rosas, of Climate Generation, speak to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Lucia Everist, of Climate Generation, center, speaks to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

FILE - Water floods a damaged trailer park in Fort Myers, Fla., Oct. 1, 2022, after Hurricane Ian passed by the area. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell, left, sits with members of Climate Generation, from second left, B Rosas, Lucia Everist, Libby Kramer and Minnesota Rep. Larry Kraft, right, as they speak the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Libby Kramer, of Climate Generation, right, speaks to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

B Rosas, back left, Lucia Everist, back center, and Libby Kramer, back right, of Climate Generation, speak to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. The advocates called on the council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Several dozen young people wearing light blue T-shirts imprinted with #teachclimate filled a hearing room in the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul in late February. It was a cold and windy day, in contrast to the state’s nearly snowless, warm winter.

The high school and college students and other advocates, part of group Climate Generation, called on the Minnesota Youth Council, a liaison between young people and state lawmakers, to support a bill requiring schools to teach more about climate change .

Ethan Vue, who grew up with droughts and extreme temperatures in California, now lives in Minnesota and is a high school senior pushing for the bill.

“I just remember seeing my classmates always sweating, and they’d even drench themselves in water from the water fountains,” Vue said in a phone interview, noting climate change is making heat waves longer and hotter, but they didn’t learn about that in school.

“The topic is brushed on. If anything, we just learn about, there’s global warming, the planet’s warming up.”

Libby Kramer, left, Lucia Everist, center, and B Rosas, of Climate Generation, speak to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

In places that teach to standards formulated by the National Science Teachers Association, state governments and other organizations, many kids learn about air quality, ecosystems, biodiversity and land and water in Earth and environmental science classes.

But students and advocates say that is insufficient. They are demanding districts, boards and state lawmakers require more teaching about the planet’s warming and would like it woven into more subjects.

Some states and school districts have moved in the opposite direction. In Texas , the board of education turned down books with climate information. In Florida, school materials deny climate change .

“Someone could theoretically go through middle school and high school without really ever acknowledging the climate crisis,” said Jacob Friedman, a high school senior in Florida who hasn’t learned about climate except for in elective classes. “Or even acknowledging that there is an issue of global warming.”

That’s bizarre to Friedman, who experienced firsthand when Hurricane Ian closed nearby schools and submerged homes in 2022.

A study conducted after the storm found that climate change added at least 10% more rain to Hurricane Ian. Experts also say hurricanes are intensifying faster because of the extra greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are collecting heat and warming the oceans.

“What an unfair reality to have a young person graduate from high school,” said Leah Qusba, executive director of nonprofit Action for the Climate Emergency, “without knowing about the biggest existential threat that they’re going to face in their lifetime.”

Some places are adding more instruction on the subject. In 2020, New Jersey required teaching climate change at all grade levels. Connecticut followed, then California. More than two dozen new measures across 10 states were introduced last year, according to the National Center for Science Education.

Libby Kramer, of Climate Generation, right, speaks to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Where some proposals require teaching the basic science and human causes of climate change , the Minnesota bill goes further, requiring state officials to guide schools on teaching climate justice, including the idea that the changes hit disadvantaged communities harder .

Some legislators say they’ve heard from school administrators and teachers who say that goes too far.

“What was said to me is: ‘Why are we pushing a political perspective, a political agenda?’” Minnesota Rep. Ben Bakeberg, a Republican, said during a House Education Policy Committee hearing in March 2023. “That’s a reality.”

The bill didn’t advance in the 2023 session. Now it hasn’t this year either. Supporters say they will try again next year.

Aware of such opposition, some students interested in climate opt to campaign at their schools rather than through the legislative process.

Three years ago, floods destroyed Ariela Lara’s mom’s village in Oaxaca, Mexico, while they were visiting. Then Lara came home to California and was hit by smoke-filled skies caused by wildfires that pushed thousands to evacuate or be stuck inside for weeks.

Yet despite what she was seeing, Lara felt in school she was only taught about recycling and carbon footprints, a measure of a person’s personal greenhouse gas emissions.

So she went to the board of education.

“I had to really think about how I could go to the people in power to really rewrite the curriculum we were learning,” Lara said. “It would get so tiresome because for me, I was the one that was really trying to enforce it.”

By the time her school offered Advanced Placement Environmental Science, Lara was too senior to enroll in it. AP Enviro does cover climate change , according to the College Board, but it’s also more broad.

B Rosas, back left, Lucia Everist, back center, and Libby Kramer, back right, of Climate Generation, speak to the Minnesota Youth Council, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

When targeted efforts don’t work, some students feel they’re on their own.

For high school junior Siyeon Joo, climate education seems like a no-brainer where she lives in Lafayette, Louisiana, which was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and has been affected by several other intense storms and heat waves.

But Joo wasn’t exposed to climate change at her public middle school and an educator there once told her it wasn’t real.

“I remember sitting in that classroom,” the now-16-year-old said, “being really angry that that was the system that was being forced upon me at the time.”

It took enrolling in a private school for Joo to learn about these topics. Many students don’t have that option.

Experts say climate material could be worked into lessons without burdening schools or putting the onus on students. But much like with legislation, that will take time students say they don’t have.

“I was part of these communities that were really just affirming how much is at stake if we don’t take action,” said Lara, the student in California, recalling how important to her it would have been to receive education about her experiences. “You should be able to go to school and learn about the gravity which the climate crisis is at.”

Alexa St. John reported from Detroit and Doug Glass reported from St. Paul, Minn.

Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @alexa_stjohn . Reach her at [email protected] .

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

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State, MSU helping farmers address climate change

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - We rely on our farmers to produce fresh fruits and vegetables, and they rely on the weather to keep the fresh foods coming. A new partnership between Michigan State University (MSU) and the State Department of Agriculture is working to address challenges in farming.

This new partnership aims to help farmers adjust their practices to climate change. To this end, the state of Michigan granted MSU’s New Agricultural Climate Resiliency Program $5 million to fund four projects. The funds for agricultural research will be released to MSU over three years.

That includes developing climate-smart technology to optimize irrigation, cropping systems, and pest management. Agriculture experts say this is a long-term experiment to solve the challenges of the future.

“Whether it be extreme precipitation, whether it be drought,” said George Smith. Or an unexpected early frost. All types of weather conditions that can destroy crops and put a pause on your next salad.

George Smith, with the Michigan State AgBioResearch, says new state funding will benefit agriculture’s future.

“These innovations are gonna help keep our agriculture industries in business because they need solutions, and it’s a really tough time for agriculture right now,” said Smith.

Hillcrest Farms has provided fresh produce for more than 20 years.

“In the beginning, production was predictable,” said Mark Kastner. “You could pretty much predict the weather and you could grow around or in harmony with the weather. Climate change has changed. Now we grow on our own schedule, and we adapt our protection to protect us against the weather changes.”

Kastner now plants his crops inside greenhouses to protect against changes in weather.

“We’re seeing the effects of climate change in real-time now,” said Tim Boring, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Development. “And that poses a unique challenge to a state like Michigan with a really diversified cropping system.”

The funds will also protect the quality of Michigan water, which Smith says will be important for future generations.

“Michigan is the most diverse agricultural state in the country with a reliable source of water,” said Smith. “We can’t take that for granted, and we have to make sure we utilize the water we have efficiently.”

Agriculture experts say Michigan is heading in the right direction when it comes to agriculture, as the state ranks sixth in the nation for total production.

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What's the best state for you », asia's extreme april heat worsened by climate change, scientists say.

Asia's Extreme April Heat Worsened by Climate Change, Scientists Say

FILE PHOTO: A drone view of a woman carrying a utensil filled with water after drawing it from a well on a hot day in Kasara, India, May 1, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Extreme temperatures throughout Asia last month were made worse - and more likely - as a result of human-driven climate change, a team of international scientists said on Wednesday.

Billions of people across the continent were affected by record-breaking temperatures during April, with schools forced to shut down, crops damaged and hundreds of people killed by heat-related illnesses, climate experts from the World Weather Attribution group said in a report.

Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam experienced their hottest April days on record, while temperatures in India reached as high as 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 Fahrenheit), they said.

"From Gaza to Delhi to Manila, people suffered and died when April temperatures soared in Asia," said Friederike Otto, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science at the Grantham Institute of Climate Change and the Environment, one of the report's authors.

War in Israel and Gaza

"Heatwaves have always happened. But the additional heat, driven by emissions from oil, gas and coal, is resulting in death for many people."

In the Philippines, one of the worst-hit countries, authorities issued health warnings, shut down schools and rationed electricity supplies as soaring temperatures threatened the country's power grid.

The 15-day heatwave, which started in the middle of the month, would have been "virtually impossible, even under El Nino conditions" without the impact of man-made global warming, the report said.

Parts of the Middle East saw record-breaking temperatures over April 24-26, with Tel Aviv hitting 40.7C. Extreme temperatures in western Asia were made five times more likely by climate change, the report estimated.

"The heat that we saw is really compounding an already dire crisis at the moment in Gaza," Carolina Pereira Marghidan of the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre said at a briefing on Tuesday.

Temperatures around India's Kolkata in late April reached 46C, 10C higher than the seasonal average, with climate change making extreme temperatures throughout South Asia around 45 times more likely, the report added.

Asian governments need to take action to adapt to soaring temperatures and minimise health risks, particularly in vulnerable sections of the population, said Marghidan.

"Considering that rate at which extreme heat is rising... we see a big need for heat action plans to be scaled up and current plans to be improved across Asia," she said.

(Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

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