Teaching about climate change in US classrooms

Climate change education is critical to promote climate action. Unfortunately, climate change education in the United States is limited, with formal instruction typically only offered in science classes. Both students and teachers are pushing for interdisciplinary, standards-aligned climate education that not only describes the science behind climate change but also sustainable solutions for addressing it. Yet, many teachers feel unprepared to teach about climate change and lack effective resources to do so. In this article, we share practical recommendations for educators to teach about climate change using inquiry- and place-based approaches. Drawing on socioemotional, justice-informed frameworks, we offer strategies for integrating mental health, coping, and conversations about climate change and intersectionality into climate education. We also emphasize the importance of project-based approaches to learning which provide students with opportunities to engage in climate action within their local communities. Finally, we describe theories which support these recommendations for practice.