Global Warming Materials for Educators
Below is a list of Global Warming materials for educators produced by the Union of Concerned Scientists' (UCS) Climate Change Program. All of these materials are based on published, peer-reviewed science, and have themselves been peer-reviewed by scientific experts in the relevant fields.
- Renewables Are Ready
- Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region
- Confronting Climate Change in California
- Global Warming: Early Warning Signs
- Communicating Ecosystem Services
To supplement these educational materials, UCS has other resources available on this web site that are likely of interest to educators. For a list of our issue areas or to learn more about us, please visit our homepage.
Renewables Are Ready
A Guide to Teaching Renewable Energy in Junior and Senior High School Classrooms - This newly revised and updated teacher's guide provides an ideal background for teaching a unit on renewable energy. It can be used to illustrate basic scientific principles and includes hands-on activities, games, action projects, and a resource guide. UCS, 2003. 89 pp. $10.00 (or $5.00 each for orders of 10 or more).
Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region Curriculum Guide
Confronting Climate Change in the Gulf Coast Region: Prospects for Sustaining Our Ecological Heritage is a joint effort by the Ecological Society of America and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report is co-authored by nationally and internationally renowned climate scientists and ecologists based in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. The curriculum guide is designed to complement the report and to make its findings accessible to younger residents of the Gulf Coast states. The guide consists of multiple activities, which are closely tied to and build upon the report. To make these engaging, student-centered activities most useful to teachers, we tie each activity to the state-specific content and skills standards. The teaching materials are geared towards students and teachers in grades 9–12, although individual exercises are adaptable to other grade levels. A hard copy of the curriculum packet, which includes the report, state-summary, curriculum guide, and supplemental materials, can be purchased for $25.
- Executive Summary (pdf)
- Report and Supplement Materials
- Curriculum Guide and State Supplement
- Interactive Feature
- Order A Hardcopy
Confronting Climate Change in California Curriculum Guide
Confronting Climate Change in California: Ecological Impacts on the Golden State is a joint effort by the Ecological Society of America and the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report is co-authored by nationally and internationally renowned climate scientists and ecologists based in California. The curriculum guide is designed to complement the report and to make its findings accessible to younger residents of the state. The guide consists of multiple activities, which are closely tied to and build upon the report. To make these engaging, student-centered activities most useful to teachers, we tie each activity to the content and skills standard srequired for grades 9-12 according to the California Board of Education Standards for Science, and History and Social Science. The teaching materials are geared towards students and teachers in grades 9-12, although individual exercises are adaptable to other grade levels. A hard copy of the curriculum packet, which includes the report, curriculum guide, and supplemental materials, can be purchased for $15.
- Executive Summary
- Download the Report
- Download the CA Curriculum Guide
- Visit the Interactive Feature
- Order A Hardcopy
Global Warming Early Warning Signs Map Curriculum Guide
This set of teaching materials is designed to accompany Global Warming: Early Warning Signs -- a science-based world map depicting the local and regional consequences of global climate change. The map was produced as a collaborative project by several environmental organizations including UCS. The curriculum was created solely by UCS. A hard copy of the curriculum packet, which includes a copy of the map and the curriculum guide, can be purchased for $5.
- Background Materials on the Map
- Global Warming Early Warning Signs Web Site
- Download Copy of the Curriculum Material
- Order A Hardcopy
Communicating Ecosystem Services
Believing that people will protect what they value, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the Ecological Society of America (ESA) have worked together to develop a project that focuses on the valuable but under-appreciated services that nature provides. Our goal is to increase public awareness of the importance of ecosystem services, and, by extension, of our country's biological resources. We have developed a series of tool kits and a website to help achieve this goal. Hard copies of the Water Purification and Pollination tool kits are available for the price of $8.00 for one, $12 for both. Coming soon -- Forest Carbon Storage and Flood Damage Control.
