A day before Hurricane Helene barreled across the Gulf of Mexico toward the Florida coast, the federal government unveiled the 2024 Climate Literacy Guide, which summarizes the best practices on how to understand and address climate change, its unequal impacts, and a long list of possible solutions.

Since then, CIRES’ Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) has worked diligently to incorporate the updated guide and the new principles of addressing climate change in its online database of educational resources. The first climate literacy guide inspired researchers and educators to launch CLEAN in 2008, making it one of the original efforts in the country to focus on climate education.

The release of the new guide signals a new chapter for the program.  

“It’s very exciting to see a revision of the climate literacy principles that focuses more on climate justice and solutions along with climate system science,” Katie Boyd, CLEAN’s program manager said. “CLEAN has been focused on these topics for several years developing educator support and curating the best teaching resources out there, so it’s validating to have those reflected in the underlying framework for our collection.”

Funded by NOAA, the award-winning CLEAN program sits in CIRES’ Center for Education, Engagement, and Evaluation (CEEE). CLEAN’s main goal is to support educators in being effective when teaching about the climate system and climate change. The program also offers educator support and professional development along with a vibrant professional network of over 800 educators and scientists.

The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) spearheaded the new Climate Literacy Guide with 15 federal entities. Its release marks the first update in 15 years, offering a holistic approach to climate literacy by including Indigenous Knowledges, social science, climate solutions, and climate justice. Federal scientists, communicators, educators, and program leaders collaborated to update the content, reflecting findings from the Fifth National Climate Assessment and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report.

While several of the Climate Literacy Guide’s new principles go beyond explaining the science of climate change, these concepts aren’t new to CLEAN. For years, the program has sought out resources that focus on topics like climate mental health and environmental justice.  

“CLEAN has developed educator support pages about how to address climate mental health issues with students and even created several classroom activities to go along with these pages which are now in the collection,” Boyd said. “We’ve also partnered with several organizations to bring resources focused on climate justice into the collection.”

A new study published today in The Lancet Planetary Health polled over 16,000 Gen Z youth about their emotions relating to climate change. The findings, released in a US Climate Emotions Map, found 85 percent of youth are worried about the impacts of climate change on people and the planet. The results also found that most young people want climate education and support in schools. The data reinforces the importance of CLEAN's resources today and in the future.

The release of the new climate literacy framework has kept the CLEAN team busy as they sift through a free library of over 1,000 education resources to ensure they align with the new principles and current education standards. CLEAN’s library includes curriculum, videos, data visualizations, and lessons for K-16 educators spanning many disciplines. The website sees more than 50,000 views a month, confirming that there is a huge demand for high-quality classroom materials focused on climate change. Gina Fiorile-Desranleau, CLEAN’s program and communication coordinator, says the program’s offerings are unmatched. 

“What is really fantastic and amazing and unique about the CLEAN web portal is that our users can feel confident that the resources we offer are high quality,” Fiorile said. “For teachers who are very time-strapped, CLEAN’s portal is the one-stop shop where they can find a curated collection that is peer-reviewed by educators, classroom-ready, and scientifically accurate.”

Reviewing resources for CLEAN’s database is a rigorous process. At least eight educators and scientists review lesson plans, activities, and multimedia that are candidates for the CLEAN library. Typically the process takes about a year to complete as reviewers work on a part-time basis. Resources include curriculum, activities, videos, and visualizations.

For teachers, CLEAN’s education resources are invaluable for those who want to teach about climate change and energy in the classroom. Missy Holzer, a science curriculum developer and former high school science teacher, is excited about the new enthusiasm behind the updated principles.

“The climate literacy guide is my go-to resource for what to teach about our climate, climate system, and climate change,” Holzer said. “I'm looking forward to seeing the shifts in the updated climate literacy guide, and I will update my teaching accordingly.”