1b. WA Student Climate Assembly, Appendix
Washington State Climate Assembly, Appendix
Overview
The appendix includes several sections designed to deepen understanding and engagement with climate-related topics. Appendix A: Climate Assemblies provides guidance and resources for organizing and facilitating community discussions around climate solutions. Appendix B: Climate Change - Digging Deeper offers a comprehensive exploration of the science behind climate change, its causes, and impacts. Appendix C: Climate Justice examines the intersection of climate change and social equity, highlighting its disproportionate effects on marginalized communities. Appendix D: Tribes, Sovereignty, and Climate Change focuses on the role of Indigenous communities in climate resilience, emphasizing sovereignty and stewardship. Appendix E: Climate Emotions addresses the emotional impact of climate change, offering strategies to navigate feelings like eco-anxiety and grief. Appendix F: Extension and Enrichment Learning Opportunities presents additional activities and projects to expand learning beyond core lessons. Finally, Appendix G: Glossary defines key terms to support clear communication and comprehension of climate concepts.
Appendix
Appendix A: Climate Assemblies
Appendix B: Climate Change - Digging Deeper
Appendix C: Climate Justice
Appendix D: Tribes, Sovereignty and Climate Change
Appendix E: Climate Emotions
Appendix F: Extension and Enrichment Learning Opportunities
Appendix G: Glossary
Appendix A: Climate Assemblies
Climate Assemblies in Washington State
Picking up on where we left off in Section I of this curriculum, The WA Climate Assembly (WACA) consisted of three distinct phases. Each is described in detail below.
Phase 1: Learning Sessions
Phase 1 of WACA began with members participating in seven three-hour learning sessions. Each session was led by a top climate scientist, a prominent climate action advocate, or a climate change professional from Washington state. The list of presenters included university professors, state health officials, county planners, youth activists, business leaders, and tribal members.
The learning sessions focused on several key areas:
- Transportation
- Buildings
- Energy
- Agriculture
- Climate justice
- Climate anxiety and natural solutions
These topics gave assembly members a comprehensive overview of the climate challenges facing the state as well as potential solutions. Learning sessions provided the background knowledge assembly members needed to have informed conversations about climate policy, regardless of their previous experience or even belief in human-caused climate change.
Topics covered in the learning sessions included:
- An introduction to climate change, and its broad implications and considerations
- The social considerations of climate change, such as health and education
- Climate impacts on Washington’s environment, including wildlife, wildfires, agriculture, and habitats, and environmental solutions for climate mitigation
- The economic considerations around topics such as sustainable economies or carbon pricing
- The technical considerations to understand problems and opportunities in energy, buildings, and transportation
- Political considerations around opportunities for action in the state legislature
In the final learning session, assembly members could choose to hear presentations on local climate action, tribal climate action, and additional technical considerations of climate change, before bringing everything they learned to their deliberations about climate actions.
Phase 2: Deliberations
Participants moved into small groups with facilitated discussions to deliberate on potential policy solutions to climate change. There were eight categories of possible solutions to discuss:
- Transportation
- Buildings
- Energy
- Natural solutions
- Circular economies
- Social policies
- Education and communication
- Governance
Deliberations were guided by the five components of a framework of analysis called STEEP (an acronym for sociocultural, technology, environment, economics, and policy). Due to the focus of the assembly’s scoping question, the extent to which each potential solution was just and equitable was discussed at length.
Phase 3: Voting
After deliberations ended, members voted on each solution. This resulted in a list of 148 wide-ranging recommendations, covering everything from incentivizing the placement of EV chargers in local and tribal communities to introducing carbon pricing and reinvesting the revenue into reducing transportation emissions.
Throughout the process, participants described a sense of wonder in learning about the actions being taken to reduce the effects of climate change.
“I think I’m most proud of the fact that 80 people could come together to [reach] a consensus, and there was very little, if any, conflict.” —WA Climate Assembly member
WACA’s Influence on Climate Legislation
The assembly's final recommendations were presented to the Washington State Legislature, highlighting the community’s priorities and the compromises they were willing to make. Washington state passed some ambitious climate policies during the 2021 legislative session, but it’s been challenging to track the influence of the climate assembly’s recommendations in the legislative process. Legislators were busy in session as WACA concluded, so the assembly’s timing was out of sync with the typical cycle for policy development. Nevertheless, more than a dozen of the climate assembly’s policy recommendations were reflected in the legislation considered during the 2021 legislative session.
This initiative not only informed state climate policy but also demonstrated the value of involving citizens in complex policy discussions. These discussions allowed the participants to have a more active role in shaping policy at the local level. WACA also sparked initiatives in Washington state to encourage state agencies to use assembly-type models to better engage their communities and to use the climate assembly model as an educational tool in schools.
“It’s more interesting to me now to read about what Biden is doing and what bills he’s signing … knowing more about what our state can do and its limitations, I have more discussions about it at the grassroots level.” —WA Climate Assembly member
Over the last three years, climate assemblies have flourished across the world as governments and nonprofit organizations realize that galvanizing our communities is vital to tackling climate change.
For a thorough description and results of WACA, see the Washington Climate Assembly Final Report.
History of Climate Assemblies
The concept of a citizen assembly is not unique to climate; it is at the heart of democratic societies throughout the world. Citizens assemblies are a form of deliberative democracy with roots in ancient Athenian democratic processes and various Indigenous decision-making practices. Greek democracy was centered on the idea of the polis as a decision-making body, bringing together all Greek citizens to deliberate on pertinent matters. In the United States, examples include the town meetings of early democratic governance in the New England region (many of which continue today) and the abolitionist meeting halls where citizens of free states debated how to move the cause of freedom forward.
The twentieth century saw the rise of the national citizen assembly, where people throughout one nation gathered to debate and propose new paths forward for their nation and to address divisive issues.
Government officials and citizen experts in Denmark organized consensus conferences in the 1970s and 1980s on topics related to biotechnology and environmental engineering. These participatory consensus conferences became known as “the Danish model” and/or “citizens’ panel,” and they became a recognized way to deliberate on policy issues with high technical content using a combination of lay citizens and experts.
Citizens' assemblies are not well known in the United States; however, the use of deliberative democracy in public forums was invented in the US. The Jefferson Center began to design and regularly operate citizens' juries in 1971. Citizens’ Initiative Review processes are regularly utilized to fairly and thoroughly evaluate ballot measures to provide voters with information in voter pamphlets that they can trust. Deliberative polling techniques have been used to understand what conclusions the public might reach about a topic if they had the opportunity to become fully informed and engaged.
Learning the lessons of these earlier assemblies, climate assemblies have sought a more expansive role – climate change impacts everyone, and it impacts those on the margins of society more acutely. The earliest climate assemblies occurred in the 2010s, which included the 2016 national Citizens' Assembly in Ireland, which was tasked with deliberating on abortion restrictions, equal marriage laws, and climate change, which are some of the most divisive topics in the deeply Catholic country.
Politicians are often torn between the short-term interests of their constituents and the long-term interests of society. In her article. “I don't want to be seen as a zealot: What MPs really think about the climate crisis,” deliberative democracy expert Rebecca Willis, PhD, notes, “This is the dual reality of climate politics. We know that things need to change, and yet we’re embedded in our current lives and our current politics...Politicians make grand statements about the threat of climate change, then flip straight back into politics-as-usual. They find it hard to imagine, and to get others to imagine, how we might talk about and bring into being a politics with climate at its heart. It’s easier to look away.”
A citizens' assembly process, if carried out correctly, can break through the standoff of opposing interests. Mirroring the origins of the democratic process from ancient Greece, the assembly participants are chosen by lot, and serve only once. The makeup of an assembly should reflect the population of the larger public, effectively creating a mini version of the state, country, or city from which it is convened. The random selection process ensures a representative population.
Accessibility of the process to any individual chosen through the sortition process is crucial to achieving a representative body. Accommodation is made for special needs, and participants are paid as if serving on a jury, thus ensuring that those of lower economic status can participate without financial hardship. During normal times, the costs of an assembly include substantial stipends for panelists; transportation reimbursements; child and eldercare reimbursements; lodging, as needed; good food; materials in large print and clear language; translation and interpretation services; additional one-on-one support for panelists with special needs; and process designs that are flexible and accommodate different learning modes.
The first climate assembly to garner substantial attention was the French Citizens' Convention on Climate, initiated October 2019. France has a history of using deliberative techniques, and President Macron sought to reaffirm citizens’ role in climate policymaking in response to a direct response to the Yellow Vest protests, a protest movement that developed in backlash to a new policy that would increase the costs of fuel and become a heavy burden for rural communities in the country.
The Yellow Vest protests made it clear that addressing climate change couldn’t be done with policies implemented from the top-down—citizens of all types, even those who might be skeptical, have to be brought into the process. The French assembly brought together 150 randomly selected citizens to propose measures to reduce France's greenhouse gas emissions. Their recommendations covered a wide range of areas, including transportation, housing, and food production and worked to ensure that the sacrifices and opportunities in any climate policy were shared as equally as they could across society.
Other climate assemblies have been initiated through calls from the public. The organizing of the UK Climate Assembly was also linked to public protest movements. Across the pond, Extinction Rebellion, a direct action-oriented environmental organization based in the UK, was making headlines as they worked to “peacefully occupy the centres of power and shut them down.”
Founded in 2018, Extinction Rebellion had three simple demands for the UK government: (1) declare a climate emergency, (2) legally commit to reducing carbon emissions to net-zero by 2025, and (3) form a citizens' assembly to recommend how progress could be made in that direction. Companion protests took place in countries around the world, including in the US, in Washington state.
By November 2019, the government of the UK had agreed to hold the Climate Assembly UK, which was convened in 2020, involving 108 citizens who deliberated on how the country could achieve its target of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The 2021 WA Climate Assembly was substantially inspired by this climate assembly.
Climate activists considered the government’s decision to hold the assembly to be a modest victory, though they lamented that the target goal for emission reduction did not meet the scale of the need for action. The success of the French and UK assemblies inspired similar initiatives in other countries. Scotland also held a citizens’ assembly on climate change in 2020, which significantly influenced national policy by emphasizing the need for stronger climate action and the incorporation of social justice into climate strategies. Belgium and Spain have also held climate assemblies in recent years.
These assemblies are seen to bridge the gap between public opinion and policy making, because they provide a forum for people to deliberate issues and aim towards consensus building, which is vital in a democracy. The assemblies encourage participants to explore new ideas and identify the trade-offs and benefits of different policy ideas, rather than make bold proclamations of what must be done. As the assembly engages in their deliberation, this gives policy makers an opportunity to gain insight into the priorities and beliefs of the public they represent.
This form of deliberation on the issue of climate came to the United States in 2021.
In September 2019, the Protectors of the Salish Sea—a group of Indigenous organizers also known as “water protectors”—held a sit-in in front of the Capitol Building in Olympia, WA. Their primary demand was for Governor Jay Inslee to declare a climate emergency for the state.
Governor Inslee had recently ended his climate-focused bid for the US presidency, and the water protectors and allied activists saw this opportunity to press Inslee on his reported commitment to climate in our state. They vowed not to leave the Capitol until the governor had declared a climate emergency in Washington, ended new fossil fuel project permitting, and convened “a special session on climate change that includes the voices of the youth, Indigenous peoples, and those most affected by the climate crisis.”
For six months, the water protectors kept a daily vigil on the steps of the Capitol from September 24th through March 2020, waiting for Inslee, the self-styled “climate governor,” to respond, only leaving the Capitol in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Climate activists who allied with the water protectors decided to advocate for a variation of their third demand: for the governor to call a special legislative session on climate. In the spring of 2020, an informal group of advocates formed an organization called People’s Voice on Climate dedicated to expanding democratic methods to address the climate crisis. With the model of a national assembly in mind, the group began working to introduce the concept of a citizens' assembly on climate to Washington lawmakers, stakeholders, and potential funders of the assembly.
Paul Chiyokten Wagner, a founder of the Protectors of the Salish Sea, has explained that in Washington, the special legislative “council” being called for would need to include “our Indigenous wisdom keepers, and the youth, as the youth rise up around the world in millions, because of the world collapsing in front of their eyes, and dying in front of their eyes…These people [Governor Inslee’s office] need to have open eyes, they need to see… Our salmon are dying in the rivers right now, they’re being cooked, and it’s all because of our climate emergency…”
In the spring of 2020, at the request of constituents, five state legislators published an op-ed in a local paper, calling for a citizens' assembly to be organized. The process was relatively new to Washington state, and designed to empower ordinary people at every stage, trusting the informed will of the people to collaborate, propose solutions, and create a consensus on ways to move forward.
As the five representatives wrote in the Everett Herald, “Too often in [the Washington State Capitol in] Olympia, the debate around our response to climate change devolves into environmentalists versus big businesses, urban versus rural, Democrats versus Republican. It would help us all to bring more voices to the table to understand deeply held concerns, concerns about the status quo, as well as concerns about the policies proposed to fight climate change.”
It was their hope that the solutions that emerged through the representative deliberations of a climate assembly would win the support of the broader community and the state legislature.
The WA Climate Assembly was convened in January 2021, and for over seven weeks, the selected assembly members engaged in intensive learning sessions led by experts and interested parties, deliberated on various climate policies, and merged their own lived experiences with the expertise of Washington state’s top climate scientists, advocates, and professionals. Asked to consider which policies they and their communities would like to see in Washington state, the climate assembly members were able to successfully craft a list of climate mitigation recommendations for the Washington State Legislature to consider.
While each assembly process is unique to the region and its people, climate assemblies across the world have demonstrated the ability of groups of ordinary people to develop just, effective, and popularly accepted climate policy.
Appendix B: Climate Change - Digging Deeper
The Current Condition
Although some greenhouse gases trap more heat per molecule than carbon dioxide, this gas is most responsible for global warming due to the vast quantities that humans emit into the atmosphere and because of the length of time it stays in the atmosphere. Other gases include methane, nitrous oxide, and a variety of synthetic chemicals.
At present, CO2 accounts for 82% of greenhouse gas emissions, and in 100 years, 40% of the CO2 that is emitted today will still be in the atmosphere. Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, and oil, is the most common way carbon dioxide is emitted. Since the industrial revolution, when humans began to burn fossil fuels at a large scale, climate scientists have calculated that CO2 levels have increased over 50%, from an estimated 280 parts per million (ppm) in pre-industrial time to just over 420 ppm in 2023.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the most immediate effect of the increased carbon in the atmosphere has been to increase the earth’s temperature through the greenhouse effect. This has led to an increase in global temperature of about 2.0°F or 1.0°C since the beginning of the twentieth century.
Current and Future Human Emissions
Humans continue to burn vast amounts of fossil fuels every year, emitting 37.4 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2023. While in recent years emissions have decreased in many countries, it has increased in others, resulting in more emissions in 2023 than in any other year. Even if all CO2 emissions were eliminated today, the planet would continue to warm for decades because of the persistence of these gases in the atmosphere.
How much the atmosphere will heat up in the future depends on the actions we take today. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, an agency at the United Nations tasked with providing scientific information that governments can use to develop climate policies), the most likely outcome is that CO2 levels will rise to over 600 ppm, increasing global temperatures to between 2.5°C (4.5°F) and 3.5°C (6.3°F) before they stabilize. This said, it must be emphasized that this is only one of many possible outcomes and is based on certain assumptions about the actions that humans will take today and in the future. While the IPCC has concluded that this is the most likely outcome, they provide a range of future scenarios, each based on its own set of assumptions about the actions humans will, or will not, take in the future.
Impacts of Climate Change
Although a temperature increase of only a couple of degrees may not sound alarming, it can have dramatic consequences. A hotter planet impacts all parts of our climate, from changes in the highs and lows of daily temperatures to the amount and type of precipitation to the frequency and intensity of storms.
The impacts of the increase in global average temperature (at roughly 1.36°C to date) are evident today across the world and here in Washington state. Some recent examples include:
- Rising Temperatures: In June 2021, the Pacific Northwest had a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures soaring over 110°F. This extreme heat led to over 100 heat-related deaths (and an estimated 450 total deaths), overwhelming hospitals and emergency services. Similar heatwaves have occurred across the world, with thousands dying during the European heatwave in 2022 and 75 deaths in Rajasthan, India, in May 2024 when temperatures reached 122 degrees F.
- Wildfires: The 2020 wildfire season on the West Coast was caused by a combination of high rainfall the previous year (increasing vegetation) and summer drought (making it easier for trees to catch on fire). The wildfires burned over 800,000 acres, destroying hundreds of homes and causing thousands to flee from their communities. Devastating wildfire seasons have become common in the Western United States and Canada, with pictures on social media of large cities like Los Angeles and New York experiencing unsafe air quality from the smoke of burning wildfires.
- Increased Flooding & Coastal Erosion: Heavy rainfall, rising sea levels, and melting snow make the risk of flooding far more likely. More communities in Washington have experienced extreme flooding, such as the 2020 Snoqualmie River flooding and coastal flooding as a result of King tides and a heavy storm in December 2022.
Beyond these extreme weather events, there are unseen impacts of climate change that make daily life more difficult and dangerous for people. Carbon dioxide pollution leads to respiratory and heart problems. Of significant concern is that changes in climate could mean droughts that lead to food insecurity. Drought could also lead to increased water insecurity. Our biodiversity suffers as plants and animals struggle to adapt to a hotter planet and a more acidic ocean.
Climate Change as a Wicked Problem
So with all the dangers of climate change, why hasn’t anybody managed to solve this problem? In many ways, climate change is the hardest challenge human beings have ever faced; it is an example of what some call a “wicked problem.” This term refers to complex problems that are difficult to define and have no clear solution.
Climate change fits this definition because:
- It is interdependent. The causes and effects of climate change are interconnected across environmental, economic, and social systems. For example, a coal plant might be polluting a city, but that power plant provides electricity for people to live and thrive in that city.
- It involves everyone. Addressing climate change requires cooperation from various stakeholders, including governments, businesses, and individuals. Carbon dioxide doesn’t stay in one area—it goes into our atmosphere. So preventing pollution in a single area will not be enough.
- It does not provide certainty. Predicting the precise impacts of climate change and the effectiveness of different solutions is difficult (and sometimes impossible).
Climate change emerged as a problem when humans harnessed fossil fuels to create the industrialized world. The world we live in today is made possible because of our ability to use energy to fuel machines. Humans today live longer and more secure lives than our ancestors did 200 years ago, but the same technologies that help us do this also help put our future at risk.
Understanding Public Opinion on Climate Change
While 97% of climate scientists agree that humans are causing global warming and climate change, where does the public stand on the issue of climate change? Does everyone agree?
Understanding public opinion is challenging. Depending on what you ask and how you ask it, you get a lot of different answers. However, some clear patterns emerge: In the United States, a significant majority believes that climate change is happening and causing harm. A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found that about 71% of Americans acknowledge its impact on their communities. Other studies show similar numbers.
A majority of people in the United States believe that climate change is important or affecting their community, yet it's not always seen as a top priority. In a 2023 survey, only 37% of Americans said addressing climate change should be a top priority for the president and Congress, ranking it 17th out of 21 national issues. Nevertheless, there is broad support for political action to address climate change, with most people agreeing that the federal government should do more. For example, specific measures, like incentives for renewable energy and regulations to reduce carbon emissions, receive widespread support.
It’s also true that support for climate action has grown over time but has become more polarized by political parties. Among Democrats, 78% consider climate change a major threat, while only 23% of Republicans share this view. In Washington, the gap is even wider, at 94% and 56% respectively. Depending on the question asked, what age group you ask it to, and other factors, this polarization can be greater or lesser than these numbers indicate. Overall, the trend is towards less polarization but the progress has been slow and inconsistent. Much of the difference is also based on concerns that the solutions will lead to the growth of government, regulations that will demand changes in habits or lifestyles, and a preference for solutions that involve the free market. With its emphasis on deliberative discussions—a shared inquiry where students consider, weigh, and respectfully discuss the costs and consequences of different options to address climate change—it is our hope that this curriculum will contribute to narrowing the gaps in public opinion about climate change.
Outside the United States, concern for climate change is somewhat higher. The results of a 2022 Pew Research survey showed that of the 19 countries surveyed, 75% saw global climate change as a top threat, with the United States coming in third to last. Countries in Europe and East Asia are often among the most concerned about the threat of climate change.
The reality is that while climate change is generally acknowledged as an issue affecting our planet, we are not necessarily united in our approach to dealing with it. One defining characteristic of a wicked problem is that it requires collaborative problem-solving, but the uncertainty of climate change and its proposed solutions make it difficult to work collaboratively.
For more about how to present climate change ideas, and more about public opinion data on climate change, go to Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
Taking Action on Climate Change
Even without complete consensus, citizens in the United States and the international community have begun to act. International conferences and agreements have been an important source of cooperation and accountability around climate change. As an example, the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015, committed the international community to limiting global warming to below 2°C, with efforts to keep it below 1.5°C. In the agreement, over 190 countries committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to enhancing resilience to climate impacts.
While living up to these agreements is voluntary and difficult to enforce, the world’s attention and the specific commitments taken by nations often allow citizens in those countries to demand and pass legislation on climate change so that countries meet their goals. As an example, after pressure on the Chinese government by the international community, President Xi announced at the UN General Assembly that China was committing to reach peak carbon emissions in 2030.
As a part of the effort to turn these climate pledges into reality, many countries have committed to aggressive action. The European Union’s Green Deal is a set of policies aimed at investing in renewable energy and sustainable transportation. In the United States, recent legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, includes substantial investments in clean energy, electric vehicles, and carbon capture technologies. This act aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States by 2030 to roughly 40% below 2005 levels. This has been paired with regulations to limit the carbon emissions of vehicles and power plants.
At the state level, Washington has been proactive. Leaders from tribal and frontline communities have been active in spearheading legislation tying healthy environments to healthy communities. This is seen in the HEAL Act and the several climate mitigation and adaptation acts. For example, the state’s Clean Energy Transformation Act requires all utilities to transition to 100% clean, renewable, and non-emitting energy sources by 2045. In addition, Washington also implemented a cap-and-invest program through the Climate Commitment Act. This act sets a cap on carbon emissions and allows for trading of emission allowances that raised $2.2 billion in 2023 for climate action across the state. Reflecting the differences of opinion on how to address climate change in Washington, an initiative to repeal this act is on the fall 2024 ballot.
New technologies are also an important component of acting on climate change. Energy technologies, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, have seen rapid advancements and cost reductions. Innovations in battery storage technology are improving the reliability and efficiency of renewable energy systems. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular and affordable, supported by investments in EV infrastructure.
However, all these proposals and technologies might still leave a planet that is 2 to 2.5°C hotter than it was in 1900. It’s likely that taking further action will mean governments and the international community will need to seriously consider transitioning to a less carbon intensive way of life, often through the force of law. Climate advocates and scientists point out the reality that climate change is not a problem that can be solved only through individual action. Rather, collective action through policies, regulations, and systems changes are needed as well.
Washington State Resources
Because the Cascade Range divides Washington into a wetter and drier side, different regions will experience climate change differently. We recommend you look at your local area conservation district, tribal websites, local university, or local news sites to find more local information. You can also learn more on the WA Department of Ecology website or the UW Climate Impacts Group site.
Conclusion
Addressing climate change is going to be extremely hard, and it is going to require a multifaceted, collaborative approach that involves international agreements, national policies, technological advancement, and changes to how we live our lives. We believe SCA educators can play a crucial role in empowering their students to begin to have tough conversations about climate solutions and trade-offs.
Drawing inspiration from the history and success of climate assemblies discussed in Section 1, the student climate assemblies that are the center of this curriculum provide an opportunity for young people to engage in influencing the climate actions their local governments or tribes will take and to envision themselves doing so the rest of their lives. It provides a space for them to understand the magnitude of the challenge and to imagine a world of possibility.
When teaching this unit, we invite you to hold strong to the belief that students will come to see for themselves that, as a society, we can and will find ways to both mitigate and adapt to climate change, even if it sometimes seems like our efforts will never be enough.
The challenge for educators is to neither espouse doomsday-ism nor pollyannaish hope. From a psychological perspective, both of these approaches to climate change can be a misplaced means of managing climate anxiety because each provides a sense of certainty of what the future will bring.
For some people, having a sense of certainty about the future, even if that certainty is of a significantly impacted world, is less anxiety-producing than sitting with the uncertainty of not knowing what the future will bring. But espousing either of these end-of-the-spectrum perspectives on climate change is not supportive of students developing their own perspective on climate change, which is critical for their own sense of autonomy and emotional well-being. Please see the next section for an introduction to climate emotions, including links to resources for helping students recognize and manage their emotional response to climate change, especially climate anxiety.
Learn More
- For the site with the most resources, go to NOAA– The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Start with: climate.gov.
- For a more streamline site about climate change, check out the Ask a Climate Scientist page: MIT Climate Portal.
- Climate Literacy: A Guide for Educators, Communicators and Decision-Makers. NEW as of September 27th, 2024! Excellent set of principles for understanding and addressing climate change. Highly recommended! See Chapter 5 for principles related to equity and climate justice.
- Learn more about climate solutions on Drawdown.
- The US science report on climate assessment includes sections on the Pacific Northwest, frontline communities, tribal communities, and more: Fifth National Climate Assessment.
Appendix C: Climate Justice
Climate justice is an important theme to acknowledge and integrate into the Student Climate Assembly. Direct impacts of environmental injustice, such as pollution being dumped in underserved communities, are fairly easy to grasp. What about a family that can’t afford to get a hotel room to escape poor air quality caused by a fire? Or floods destroying an uninsured person’s mobile home? When there are combinations of financial, historic or current racial discrimination, health issues, and climate impacts, peoples’ problems start to add and multiply.
The 5th National Climate Assessment identifies groups vulnerable to climate change health impacts, including pregnant people, communities of color, children, people with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, people with chronic diseases, and older adults. In addition, people who work outside are more susceptible to climate impacts. Given these broad groupings, many people are vulnerable in multiple ways.
The reality that climate change is going to have disparate consequences for different communities is clear. Amongst other pieces of legislation, the federal Inflation Reduction Act ensures that disadvantaged communities will receive money and programs to address environmental and health challenges resulting from climate change and fossil fuels. This includes investments in green infrastructure and resources in marginalized urban communities. Here in the state of Washington, the 2021 HEAL Act addresses the needs and priorities of communities overburdened by pollution and grappling with stark health disparities. Washington’s Climate Commitment Act also centers on climate justice.
This legislation works to off-set some of the impacts of climate change to vulnerable populations. Political will can change, and as soon as the Washington November 2024 election, voters will decide on whether to keep the Climate Commitment Act.
Climate Justice Quick Resources for Teachers
- “Fifth National Climate Assessment” Chapter 15 focuses on climate justice. This report is congressionally mandated and developed by multiple government agencies.
- For a curriculum on climate justice, go to CLEAN (Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network). This is a large database, so narrow your search to climate or environmental justice.
A Deeper Dive
- “Teaching STEM Through Climate Justice and Civic Engagement” by Sonia Doucetter, Heather Price, Deb Morrison, and Irene Shaver (2023) article published in Science Education and Civic Engagement: An International Journal.
- Department of Health Washington State Environmental Health Disparities Map, interactive map.
Appendix D: Tribes, Sovereignty and Climate Change
In Washington, Native American tribes codified tribal sovereignty through the 1989 Centennial Accord, which established a framework for government-to-government relationships. As a result, Washington tribes operate on an equal footing with state and federal governments, not as jurisdictions under them, working side-by-side to address climate change and many other environmental issues. Tribal leaders have exercised their tribal sovereignty to play leadership roles in planning for statewide climate action as well as innovative local projects.
This curriculum provides civics teachers with an excellent opportunity to reinforce civics standards that address the issue of tribal sovereignty and the roles that tribes play in Washington state politics. Start by using the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial (STI) curriculum in your teaching, and consider contacting your local tribe. Invite tribal leaders and/or experts, scientists and technicians to answer questions at the beginning of a climate assembly and/or to hear students’ final presentations. You can also find pertinent information on your local tribe’s website. Look for a newsletter, especially from the natural resource department. This project addresses a number of STI high-school student outcomes, especially: “students understand that Tribal, state, and federal agencies often work together toward the same goal,” including addressing climate change.
We also recommend these resources:
- the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for western Washington tribes- look for news articles.
- WA Climate Assembly talks by Suquamish Tribal Chair Leonard Forsman (starting on minute 8), Environmental Director of the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection Todd Mitchell (starting on minute 27) and Tribal Policy Analyst Preston Hardison (starting on minute 17).
In addition to understanding tribal sovereignty, it is important to recognize that tribal communities also frequently experience environmental injustice. Washington tribes are on the front lines of being both impacted by and addressing climate change. According to the Fifth National Climate Assessment, Chapter 16: Tribes and Indigenous Peoples, climate change continues to negatively affect the livelihoods, health, and cultural practices of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the ecological resilience of their territories. Self-determination is key to implementing effective resilience strategies that meet the needs of Indigenous communities. Indigenous Peoples are leading climate adaptation and mitigation actions guided by Indigenous Knowledge and values.
For more information:
- Fifth National Climate Assessment, chapter 16 Tribes and Indigenous Peoples (read the introduction and 1-3 Key Messages)
- Climate Change and Our Natural Resources: A Report from the Treaty Tribes of Western Washington
- Climate Change Impacts to Tribal Rights and Resources report from the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.
Appendix E: Climate Emotions
While teaching students the skills, perspectives and knowledge they need to address the climate crisis is critical, so too is teaching students how to recognize and manage the complex set of emotions that arise in them as the climate crisis worsens. As many educators know, the higher the degree of stress, trauma and anxiety that someone experiences, the less access that person has to higher-order thinking skills. Anxious, fearful students will be less able to work together to address the challenges of the climate crisis. With this in mind, teachers are encouraged to incorporate social and emotional skill development into this unit wherever appropriate.
Students and adults alike feel anxious about climate change, and many believe that we aren’t doing enough. Seeing and reading about the impacts of climate change every day likely exacerbates feelings of worry and anxiety. Students need to know about efforts underway to take action on climate change, and they may even want to participate in those efforts. They will be glad to know that Washington State is a leader in this field with ground-breaking climate education projects. Learn more about these efforts at Climetime.
Young adults and teens worry about how climate change will impact their lives. According to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, 48% of young adults report that stress about climate change affects their daily lives. A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health found that in young people aged 16 to 25, 59% of respondents were either very or extremely worried about climate change. In total, 84% of respondents were at least moderately worried. It is essential, therefore, that teachers approach this issue with sensitivity. It can be tempting to teach from a “doom and gloom” perspective, but such an approach could encourage students to conclude that there is little they or society can do to deal with climate change. Feelings of helplessness trigger apathy, disempowerment or anxiety. Educators must convey the urgency and reality of the situation and maintain a space for solutions, hope and the reality that tens of millions of people across the planet are diligently working on solutions to climate change.
Ask for Help
We recommend that teachers talk with their school counselors before you start this unit. Ask them for suggestions and resources. Let students know how they can ask for help if they feel depressed, anxious, or afraid. Asking for help is an important resiliency skill for your students. Remind them a few times during the unit how they can get help, but also point out that knowledge is power. In the nine classes that we have held SCAs in, students have said that overall, they feel less anxious about climate change after participating in this unit.
Climate Emotions Quick Resources for Teachers
- “Introduction: Climate Mental Health Support Activities”: two-page primer about teaching climate mental health activities.
- “The Educator’s Guide to Climate Emotions”: 20 pages of easy reading.
- “Educator’s Talk Climate Infographic”: one-page cheat-sheet.
- “Emotional Impact of Climate Change”: three-minute YouTube video. Consider using it with students at some point.
- “Climate Conversations: Connecting with Young People”: approx. 12 pages.
A Deeper Dive
- “Chapter 10: Talking to Students About Climate Emotions”: online supplemental information and teaching tools from Teaching Climate Change: Fostering Understanding, Resilience, and a Commitment to Justice
- “Strategies for students’ emotional support when teaching about climate change: When to use them”
- “Climate Mental Health page”: from Climate Literacy and Energy Network (CLEAN)
- “Webinar: Beyond Doom & Gloom: How to Teach Climate Change Towards Empowerment with CLEAN”: well worth watching but a little long
- “All We Can Save”: several options for working with climate emotions in different settings.
Appendix F: Extension and Enrichment Learning Opportunities
Introduction
While this unit has a decidedly local focus, connecting the local to the global is critical if students are to have a full understanding of climate change, its impacts and its solutions. Time permitting, you are encouraged to engage your students in the following learning opportunities designed to make this connection.
2 - 3 Days (Time will vary depending on the enrichment project)
Activity 1: Connecting the Local to the Global — 20 minutes
Think-Pair-Share Activity: Working with a partner, have them do some initial research to identify local and global opportunities to make a difference (individually and/or collectively) on climate change.
For connecting the local to the global, have students consult the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and start by exploring SDG #13 (Climate Action). The site has a list of identified targets, statistics, and other resources to evaluate climate change initiatives. An additional site that has student-centered resources, including videos and take-action examples is the World’s Largest Lesson.
You can have them explore the following questions:
- How do they hope to address climate change?
- What are their recommendations, and could they be implemented locally?
- Why is it often important to make connections between the local and the global?
Have students write down 3 local to global connections in their journal and 2 ideas for taking action. Have students share their ideas with a classmate and then participate in a whole class discussion.
Prepare the following slides:
Slide 3: Think-Pair-Share Instructions
Slide 4: Connecting the Local to the Global Instructions
Activity 2: Connecting Learning to Students’ Lives
The following authentic projects will allow students to deepen their learning on climate change and climate action. In addition, some of these projects provide guidance for taking action and/or learning more about climate change in local environments.
Note: If you have additional class time, you could have students explore the following enrichment options:
The UN Campaign for Individual Action (ACTNOW) allows students to download an APP and track their own carbon footprint. This activity provides an opportunity for students to connect their learning to their own lives.
If desired, here are additional teacher notes for this activity: This would be a good opportunity to discuss your survey results with a friend, peer, or student group. Next, take a look at the “Act Now” slides under “Content for You.” This provides a brief overview of the campaign and why it matters. From here you can: calculate your own carbon footprint and compare it to the global total. Finally, use the “actions” tool at the bottom of the app to identify ways you are taking action on climate change. Take a week or two to monitor your actions and discuss your results with the rest of the class. Think about the following questions in your discussion: What was the easiest thing you were able to do? What was the most challenging thing you were able to do?
Prepare the following slide:
- Slide 7: Provides instructions for downloading the ACTNOW APP.
Activity 3: Explore Further: Connecting the Local and the Global (time will vary)
In this activity, students explore local organizations that are working on climate-related issues in Washington State and/or the Pacific Northwest. In addition, educators can teach about the important role of NGOs or non-profit organizations in addressing local and global issues such as climate change. See directions below for how students can learn more about these local entities.
Preparation
- Prepare the authentic enrichment project instructions. You may choose to give students one or more of the options described below.
- Prepare slide 8: Provide students with the following local organizations that are engaged in climate action work.
Students can research one of the organizations and share what they have learned with the rest of the class. If students are interested, they could look for possible volunteer or internship possibilities. Here are questions to consider:
- How is their work connected to what you have learned in this lesson?
- What actions are they taking to address the issue?
- What are the opportunities to get involved/volunteer?
- What is an NGO or non-profit organization? How does their work provide opportunities for actively engaged citizenship?
Organizations to Explore:
- Got Green
- Washington Environmental Council
- EarthShare Washington
- EarthGen
- Washington Foundation for the Environment
- Earth Corps
- Conservation Northwest
- U.S. Forest Service
Activity 4: Additional project-based enrichment activities for students:
1. Create a political cartoon that characterizes the importance of taking action on climate change. This cartoon can be cleverly designed to highlight one or more of the factors contributing to climate change and its impact on our world. Your cartoon can contain images or illustrations and written words.
2. Create a children’s pop-up book on climate change. Your finished product could contain a collection of illustrations and words that highlight the factors that contributed to climate change, its impact, and a strategy for addressing the issue.
3. Create a climate action club at your school. You could meet weekly to learn more about climate change, discuss solutions, and come up with monthly take-action challenges for other members of your school community. You could have a climate scientist speak to your club about the importance of creating awareness and taking action on climate issues.
4. Explore how climate change has impacted species in Washington State or another context around the world. To get started, watch this video from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Climate Change and its Impact on Hunting, Angling, and other Recreational Pursuits,” and discuss its point of view.
- Then, select a species to learn more about. For example, you could explore the impact of climate change on salmon populations in Washington State. See this report, State of Watersheds 2020, for additional information on this topic. After researching how species have been impacted by climate change, create a pop-up children’s book or multi-frame cartoon that gives an overview of the issue and strategies to address it. This could also be done through illustrations and in a heritage language.
5. Have students analyze UN SDG #7, Clean Energy, and its target indicators, and its potential impact on climate change. Then, have students create a marketing campaign for a company that is committed to the use of clean energy technologies/resources. To convey the benefits of clean energy and the company’s commitment to clean energy, you design a social media platform (page, video, etc.) highlighting its merits. The social media advertisement will briefly outline the technology, its benefits, and how consumers will be contributing to the betterment of our planet (note: the social media platform does not have to be active or live but is intended to give students a platform to share an idea in which they are familiar).
Appendix G: Glossary
A glossary specific to this curriculum is not currently available. Until the authors are able to create one, please use the glossary below from the OER Climate Project. This glossary lists vocabulary by unit and may not line up with the phases of this SCA curriculum. Students may need to look through all five units to find the term they are in need of a definition for. Please see resource library to access the glossary.
Attribution and License
Attribution
This resource was developed by Pacific Education Institute for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Deliberative Democratic Climate Change Education Program.
Project Leads: Lisa Eschenbach, David Ketter
Instructional Materials Author: Fernando Reyes, Ryan Hauck
Thank you to the following educators who contributed to planning, development, and material review:
Steven Ayers, Ryan Hauck, Christie Ryba-Johnson and Eric Wickwire
The Washington Social Studies Learning Standards by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction are available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Graphic design by Julianna Patterson.
This work was funded by the Washington State Legislature and administered by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
License
Except where otherwise noted, Washington Student Climate Assembly: Climate Change in the Civics Classroom, copyright Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos, trademarks, and video are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.
This resource may contain links to websites operated by third parties. These links are provided for your convenience only and do not constitute or imply any endorsement or monitoring by OSPI. If lessons in this work are adapted, note the substantive changes and re-title, removing any Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction logos.