Dr. G

State of the Climate should have you #Teach4Climate

The State of the Climate Report for 2016 is out (see press release and full report). This annual report was produced by over 500 scientists in over 60 countries – a true collaboration and gathering of data and expertise. The Executive Summary is only 10 pages and worth the read to be up-to-speed with any questions students may have at the start of the semester. Some highlights include: new highs were set for surface temperature and carbon dioxide concentration; the increase in CO2 concentration was the largest in the nearly six-decade observational record; global average carbon dioxide concentrations exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in at least 800,000 years; a strong, but fading El Niño contributed to temperature and rainfall extremes, including record-setting drought; new records were set for sea level and sea-surface temperature.

 

 

NOAA has a message for educators (you could say the message is for everyone, really):

Today’s generation is the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and the last that can really do something about it. Teaching young people about climate change – its causes, effects, and what we can do about it – is vital. Addressing climate change is a multi-generational problem that demands both immediate action and long term skills, understanding and solutions. — From #Teach4Climate Back to School 2017 Campaign

NOAA has designed a social media campaign to “enhance the climate literacy of American students and citizens” during the 2017-2018 school year. There is a toolkit and document to keep everyone up-to-date on events and information.

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