Interagency Climate Education

Jill Karsten Frank Niepold Ming-Ying Wei

NSF Directorate for NOAA Climate Program NASA Earth Science Education
Geosciences Office (UCAR) Science Mission Directorate

http://www.globalchange.gov/
 Climate Science Literacy is…

…an understanding of your influence on climate and climate’s

influence on you and society.

A climate literate person:

• understands the essential principles of Earth’s climate system,

• knows how to assess scientifically credible information about climate,

• communicates about climate and climate change in a meaningful way, and

• is able to make informed and responsible decisions with regard to actions

that may affect climate.
Obstacles
Obstacles to
to Achieving
Achieving
Climate
Climate Literacy
Literacy
Climate science is complex and multi-disciplinary – needs to be taught
across the curriculum and through learning progressions
Most naturally taught via Earth system science (ESS) class, but...
• Inconsistent location of ESS in K-12 curriculum; usually middle school
• <30% of H.S. students take an ESS class, often as a remedial science
• No AP program other than 1-semester AP Environmental Science
• Often not accepted as a laboratory science during college entrance
• Most ESS teachers have limited STEM and geoscience content
knowledge
• <10 HBCU’s and only 14% of community colleges offer ESS-like degrees
• 83% of undergrad programs threatened by budget cuts/consolidations
Need standards and assessment strategies regarding climate
Literacy implies action: need to connect content to factors that motivate
individual behavior, without advocating specific actions
Informal education venues are extremely important, but not well aligned
Climate
Climate Workforce
Workforce Issues
Issues
Scientists & Technicians
• Geosciences community is small (~800 PhDs/year) and lacks diversity
• The climate research agenda is becoming increasingly inter-disciplinary, as
priorities move to adaptation and mitigation
• The small footprint of ESS in community colleges hampers recruitment and
training of a technical workforce
Educators
• Catch-22 situation due to the status of ESS in K-12; need fundamental
reforms to increase the demand-side and improve training
• Anticipate increased demand for informal educators with climate expertise;
how do we control quality?
Policymakers
• Unclear whether we have evidence-based effective strategies for providing
professional development to this community
Advancing climate literacy –
Interagency efforts
• Use the “Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science” (Version 2, March
2009) framework to organize resource development. (NOAA, NSF, NASA grant coordination)
• Establish a voluntary national climate education curriculum for K-16. (NOAA and NSF
grants)
• Continue investments in climate education research that lead to more effective strategies.
(2010 NSF grant)
• Provide a focus within federal agency programs on professional development for formal
educators. (NOAA, NSF, NASA grant coordination via USGCRP EdIWG)
• Support creation of interpretive and educational programs and products that leverage
existing outreach and extension networks and informal science education venues.
• Develop new resources and tools that utilize “new media” and emerging outlets for
widespread dissemination and public engagement in climate. (USGCRP EdIWG)
• Foster development of an agency-wide protocol for designating and labeling educational
programs of merit (Climate education collections) (USGCRP EdIWG and NSF funded grants)
• Establish mechanisms for monitoring public understanding of climate literacy, and related
actions. (NOAA and NSF grants)
Coordinating Federal Investments in Climate and Earth System Science Education
-- Developed from ongoing discussions within the USGCRP Education Interagency Working Group5
Frank Niepold
US GCRP Education Interagency Working Group
(co-chair)
NOAA Climate Program Office (UCAR)

Jill Karsten
US GCRP Education Interagency Working Group
(co-chair)
NSF Directorate for Geosciences

Ming-Ying Wei
US GCRP Education Interagency Working Group
(co-chair)
NASA SMD/Earth Science Education

http://www.globalchange.gov/
Guiding
GuidingPrinciple.
Principle.Humans
Humanscan cantake
takeactions
actionstotoreduce
reduce
climate
climatechange
changeand
andits
itsimpacts
impacts
1.1.The
TheSunSunisisthe
theprimary
primarysource
sourceofofenergy
energyforforEarth’s
Earth’s
climate
climatesystem
system
2.2.Climate
Climateisisregulated
regulatedby bycomplex
complexinteractions
interactionsamong
among
components
componentsofofthe theEarth
Earthsystem.
system.
3.3.Life
Lifeon
onEarth
Earthdepends
dependson, on,isisshaped
shapedby,by,and
andaffects
affects
climate
climate
4.4.Climate
Climatevaries
variesover
overspace
spaceand andtime
timethrough
throughboth
both
natural
naturaland
andman-made
man-madeprocesses
processes
5.5.Our
Ourunderstanding
understandingofofthe theclimate
climatesystem
systemisisimproved
improved
through
throughobservations,
observations,theoretical
theoreticalstudies,
studies,and
and
modeling
modeling
6.6.Human
Humanactivities
activitiesare
areimpacting
impactingthe theclimate
climatesystem
system
7.7.Climate
Climatechange
changewillwillhave
haveconsequences
consequencesfor forthe
theEarth
Earth
system and human
system and human liveslives
Defining Climate
Literacy
• WEATHER AND CLIMATE
• USE OF EARTH’S RESOURCES
• ENERGY RESOURCES
• INTERDEPENDENCE OF LIFE
• SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS
• INTERACTION OF TECHNOLOGY
AND SOCIETY
• DECISIONS ABOUT USING
TECHNOLOGY
• PATTERNS OF CHANGE
• MORE TO COME…
 Climate Literacy is…
…a continuum of competency and is an ongoing process.
Literacy Target
Progression Audiences
Climate
science
INFORMED engaged
DECISION MAKING
CY
RA

Climate science attentive

TE

KNOWLEDGE
LI
TE

Climate science interested

A
IM
CL

AWARENESS
Uninterested and/or unaware
How well do US college graduates
understand important science ideas?

1. A seed grows into

a large tree.
Where did the
mass of the tree
come from?

1. What if I told you

that the mass
comes mainly from
the carbon dioxide
in the air?