LIVING TEXTBOOK
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate Infographics
30 Graphs from The New York Times
A new collection to explore our planet’s warming oceans, intensifying storms and rising air temperatures, as well as its greenhouse gas emissions and climate solutions. In this teaching resource, the New York Times has organized 30 graphs by topic: rising air temperature, intensifying storms and changing precipitation, warming oceans, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate solutions. Above each graph you’ll find the link to the original Times article. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find teaching strategies for using one or more of these graphs in your classroom. Get the Graphs
King County: Our Changing Climate
Explore the infographics on this landing page (in 5 different languages) to learn about how climate change impacts people and places differently across the planet, how King County government is addressing the climate issue, and how individuals can be part of the climate change solution.
See all of King County’s excellent Climate Change Infographics
Confronting Climate Change in our Region
How can each of us take action?
How climate changes health - COMIC
Stay safe in the heat - COMIC (in 12 Languages)
King County Equity Infographics
These excellent infographics help you visually process economic, environmental, and health disparities across King County’s different communities. Why is there a difference of up to eight years in life expectancy between King County zip codes?
Skagit Climate Science Consortium Infographic
This helpful graphic shows the relationship between the causes of climate change and human and local challenges. It shows how climate change directly impacts all walks of life.
IPCC Report - Code Red
HOMEPAGE - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
This page explores the mission of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was created to provide policymakers with scientific assessments on climate change and its risks. Explore and reflect. What role does the IPCC play globally?
Great Articles Summarizing the IPCC Report - Different Angles for Different Audiences
IPCC Report: ‘Code Red’ for Human Driven Global Heating, Warns UN Chief
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres urges the significance of the IPCC's report as "we are at imminent risk of hitting 1.5 degrees in the near term." As an organization promoting global welfare, the United Nations is heavily invested in climate justice.
‘Code Red For Humanity:’ Climate Change Is Getting Worse - Faster Than We Thought
Reporters at National Public Radio (NPR), a media organization to educate the public on important issues, discuss the devastating implications of climate change.
Major Climate Change Report Warns of ‘Code Red for Humanity’
Smithsonian magazine, a media organization examining science, history, art, and culture, reviews the IPCC's recent report on climate change and its significance.
As a champion of climate justice for all people, plants, and animals, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (NRDC) explains the IPCC's report on climate change and proposes solutions to fight climate change.
The IPCC Report and What it Means
In This Together, a group working across partisan lines to solve problems like climate change explains the importance of the IPCC's report and encourages caution for the future instead of panic.
Federal Climate Adaptation Plans
Executive Order 14008 requires Federal agencies to develop an adaptation and resilience plan to address their most significant climate risks and vulnerabilities. This includes the departments of Energy, Defense, Agriculture, Homeland Security, Transportation, and Commerce. The plans reveal the dangers posed by a warming planet to every aspect of American life and the difficulty of coping with those threats.
Science Communication
Puget Sound State of Knowledge Report
This report provides a current scientific assessment of the expected impacts of climate change on the Puget Sound region. Consider how the Executive Summary organizes, synthesizes, and paraphrases key ideas. What is your key takeaway?
Climate Impacts in Brief
This site summarizes the science behind the likely impacts of climate change in our region. It highlights the combined effects of climate change and climate variability in the Pacific Northwest, including changes in water resources, forests, species and ecosystems, and human health.
Fourth National Climate Assessment
The Fourth National Climate Assessment, conducted in 2018, summarizes the impacts of climate change on the United States, now and in the future. A team of more than 300 experts guided by a 60-member Federal Advisory Committee produces reports every four years with sections on critical topics and response strategies. Be sure to visit the Northwest Chapter to learn more about local issues.
Frequently Asked Questions NCA3 and Frequently Asked Questions NCA4
These two documents are outstanding lists of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to the Third and the Fourth National Climate Assessments. They include brief, very readable fact sheets which synthesize the latest science and provide handy explanations for graphs and charts. Start with the FAQ for the Third National Climate Assessment. Then go one to the FAQ for the Fourth National Climate Assessment which provides new questions and answers based on areas of emerging scientific inquiry alongside updated responses to the FAQs from NCA3. The answers in these two documents are based on the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP) sustained assessment products, other peer reviewed literature, and consultation with experts.
The Science of Climate Change Explained: Facts, Evidence and Proof
Definitive answers to the big questions.
The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped
Where and how you live shapes your household’s contribution to climate change. Check it out!
Climate Justice
Front and Centered is an organization dedicated to ensuring that BIPOC are at the forefront of building equitable and democratic systems and policies that promote climate justice. It has authored several excellent reports on climate justice, including: Accelerating a Just Transition in Washington State: Climate Justice Strategies from the Frontlines and New Statewide Report Features Community-Informed Environmental Justice Recommendations.
Puget Sound Sage is a group led primarily by women of color that serves the interests of low-income people, communities of color, immigrants, and refugees in the Puget Sound region. Puget Sound Sage has published great research and policy recommendations, such as Good Jobs and Equitable Development.
Got Green is a South Seattle-based grassroots organization led by people of color and low-income people for environmental, racial, and economic justice. In 2016, Got Green and Puget Sound Sage co-authored the landmark community-based report, Our People, Our Planet, Our Power, outlining a path toward climate resilience in South Seattle.
King County Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan
This document features the elements and progress of King County’s equity principles to bring change in every sector and community in King County. More than 100 local organizations contributed to the creation of it, helping identify areas for improvement.
Climate Justice Alliance is a national coalition of more than 70 members that is creating a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force, building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies.
Snowpack and Drought
Shrinking Glaciers, Extreme Heat Waves, Worsening Droughts: What the Landmark Climate Report Means for Western U.S., Seattle
This article is a blunt assessment of a changing world moving at a hastening pace, focusing on what we can expect in the Pacific Northwest. Can we take action soon enough?
How Severe Is the Western Drought? See For Yourself.
This tool provides a visual way to see the intense drought gripping the American West. It compares our current situation to those of years past, showing how droughts have increased in duration and intensity over time.
'Disastrous': Low Snow, Heat Eat Away at Northwest Glaciers
This story considers the disastrous consequences of icy terrains melting away. It explains the potential for glaciers across the North Cascades to lose 5 to 10 percent of their volume this year, accelerating decades of steady decline.
Fires, Floods, Destruction: Washington Copes With Worsening Climate Change
This article portrays Washington's struggle with rising sea levels, crop failures, and dying fish. It paints a dire picture of the future of its natural systems in the absence of sustainability work.
How Climate Change Threatens Our Health In the Pacific Northwest
This resource teaches us about the health concerns Pacific Northwest residents might face due to wildfire smoke, limited rainfall, and more. It discusses significant changes noted in recent years and their negative impacts.
Northwest Heatwave of 2021
Results of Heat Mapping Projects Show Inequitable Impact of Hotter Summers, Will Inform Actions by King County and City of Seattle
This resource displays the results of a heat mapping project King County and the City of Seattle conducted in 2021 about the harmful impact hotter summers have on the region. It will guide governments and organizations in creating immediate and long-term actions.
Without Climate Change, Record Pacific Northwest Heat Wave Would Have Been Near Impossible, Researchers Say
This source explains that international scientists found that the recent heatwave would not have occurred if not for climate change. It raises questions on how well we understand the rate of climate change and its impacts.
Crushing Heat Wave in Pacific Northwest and Canada Cooked Shellfish Alive by the Millions
This article explores the recent shellfish deaths in the Pacific Northwest due to severe heat exposure during the heatwave. The loss of shellfish is critical because losing shellfish like mussels and oysters can negatively impact entire ecosystems and modify food chains.
This story explains how consequences of climate change like scorching heat are not felt equally. They tend to harm people of color and low-income individuals disproportionally.
Climate Solutions
Climate Solutions is a regional non-profit organization driving strategies and investments at every level of government, the private sector, and in our communities. Climate Solutions focuses on 100% clean electricity, cleaner fuels, and electrification to power transportation and buildings in our cities.
Advocacy and answers for an abundant future with ready access to clean, sustainable energy for all of us is now entirely possible to achieve. By choosing to electrify we can help prevent the worst effects of climate change, save money on energy costs, reduce air and water pollution, improve our daily lives, and accelerate the transition to a clean energy future.
Project Drawdown is an organization of scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs, and advocates from across the globe measuring and communicating solutions to global warming to reach drawdown. Drawdown is the point in time when the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gasses begins to decline on a year-to-year basis.
This system is based on mitigating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and promoting natural systems. It gives us the power to grow prosperity, jobs, and resilience while cutting greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and pollution. The circular economy gives us the tools to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss together while addressing important social needs.
Green engineering is centered around the design and use of processes and products to reduce pollution and promote sustainability. It focuses on minimizing risks to human health and the environment without sacrificing economic viability and efficiency. It is a major source of green jobs!
Green chemistry is about chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous substances. Green chemistry, or sustainable chemistry, applies across the life cycle of a chemical product, including its design, manufacture, use, and ultimate disposal.
Environmental Protection Agency - Climate Change
Understanding and addressing climate change is critical to EPA's mission of protecting human health and the environment. EPA tracks and reports greenhouse gas emissions, leverages sound science, and works to reduce emissions to combat climate change. In addition, EPA is committed to advancing the goals of environmental justice for all Americans, including those historically marginalized, overburdened, underserved, and living with the legacy of structural racism.
More outstanding resource pages from EPA:
Basics: Learn about some of the key, foundational concepts related to climate change.
Causes: Get to know the main drivers of climate change and how they contribute to a warming climate.
Impacts: As the climate changes, U.S. regions will experience that change differently.
Climate Change Indicators: Scientists regularly monitor our environment, and their findings reveal much about how the climate is changing.
Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis: The CIRA project quantifies the physical effects and economic damages of climate change.
Frequently Asked Questions: EPA has organized answers to some common questions about climate change on a single page.
What You Can Do About Climate Change: You can lessen the impacts of climate change by making choices that help advance solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many of these actions apply to both individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses. Decisions that we all make today can shape the world for decades and even centuries to come. Not only are these actions good for the environment, but they are also good for personal and community health, equity, environmental justice, quality of life, and our shared futures.
Local Governments Leading the Way
King County Cities Climate Collaboration
K4C is a partnership of local governments of all sizes working together to accelerate climate action. These cities combine their knowledge, resources, and advocacy power to shape policy and programs that cut harmful greenhouse gas emissions in our region. Together, K4C represents more than 80% of the King County population.
Washington State Leads the Nation on Climate Action
This article summarizes the Climate Commitment Act, or SB-5126, which implements the most aggressive statewide cap in the nation. It is a critical tool to meet Washington’s emissions reduction targets to cap statewide climate pollution.
Oregon State Climate Action Plan
The Oregon Climate Action Plan (OCAP) has the potential to be the most sweeping action in state history to transition Oregon to a clean energy economy and take responsibility for our share of the climate crisis. Governor Kate Brown signed OCAP (executive order 20-04) in March 2020, committing the power of the state to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and prioritize equitable climate solutions.
King County Strategic Climate Action Plan
This plan is King County's five-year blueprint for climate action, adding climate change into all areas of its operations. It outlines King County’s priorities and commitments for climate action to residents and partners.
Emerald Cities Collaborative is a national network of organizations working together to advance a sustainable environment while creating just and inclusive economies with opportunities for all. ECC develops construction projects that contribute to the resilience of our metropolitan regions.
C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge and drive meaningful, measurable, and sustainable action on climate change. Around the world, C40 Cities connects 97 of the world’s greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future. Representing 700+ million citizens and one quarter of the global economy, mayors of the C40 cities are committed to delivering on the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement at the local level, as well as to cleaning the air we breathe.
King County Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data
King County assesses greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regularly – both for King County government operations and the community. GHGs are the primary cause of recent climate change. This webpage provides data on countywide sources of GHG emissions as well as partnership efforts to assess and reduce regional GHG emissions. Learn more about King County’s actions to reduce GHG emissions in King County’s 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP).
Indigenous Tribes Response
Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources
This source from the University of Washington provides information regarding how indigenous tribes can adapt to and protect themselves from the effects of climate change. All tribes will find the resources useful, as it supports tribes at all stages of evaluating their vulnerability to climate change.
Tulalip Tribe Natural Resources
This site explains what the Tulalip Tribe is doing to take climate action. It emphasizes the tribe’s resilience as a community in light of harmful environmental trends. Importantly, it highlights strategies to continue the Tulalip Tribe's stewardship of resources promised through treaty rights.
Indigenous Tribes are at the Forefront of Climate Change Planning in the U.S.
This webpage details how over 50 tribes across the U.S. have assessed climate risks and developed plans to tackle them. They are doing this to protect their way of life, altered by a warming planet.
Tribes Use Western and Indigenous Science to Prepare for Climate Change
This resource considers the benefits of collaboration between Northwestern tribes and the University of Washington’s climate group to help protect salmon, roots, trees, and other resources. It focuses on preserving salmon, which play a critical role in our ecosystem, and are a crucial cultural resource for the tribes.