The Ultimate Guide to the Best Climate Change Resources

When learning about climate change—at any age—it’s essential to stay informed using trusted resources that help us work to secure a sustainable future.

Navigating accurate information about climate change and how to initiate effective environmental action can be uniquely challenging due to the pervasive nature and influence of misinformation—particularly online. The digital realm hosts a plethora of conflicting narratives, making it difficult for individuals to discern credible sources. Misleading content, fueled by various interests, can distort the understanding of climate science and the effectiveness of sustainable and eco-friendly living.

Additionally, the complex nature of climate science poses a challenge for effective communication, allowing misinformation to exploit gaps in public knowledge. Overcoming these hurdles requires critical media literacy and a concerted effort to promote trustworthy online sources.

This post is part of the Climate Change Collective, a group of environmentally-minded bloggers who share valuable climate action news. Started by Michelle from Boomer Eco Crusader and Jamie from Jamie Ad Stories, each month a different member contributes a lead/focus post that the rest of the collective responds to on their own sites, further discussing the information and issues raised.

The collective is currently open to any other bloggers who want to join; if you are interested, get in touch.

Collective Climate Action

The most recent lead/focus post for the collective was written by Michelle from Boomer Eco Crusader. In her post, she shares essential information about the difference between weather and climate. Michelle also highlights the significance of staying well-informed about this key distinction as a way to improve our own understanding and to counter climate change deniers who conveniently use it to push confusion.

Weather is a short-term condition. We all know the weather changes from day to day, or even from minute to minute. Simply put, weather is what’s happening in a given location at a specific point in time. Climate, on the other hand, refers to the average conditions in an area over a long period of time—typically 30 years of more. | It’s Cold Outside – The Difference Between Weather and Climate

Michelle also provides practical information and facts to broaden our understanding of how climate change is impacting us right now. It got me thinking about other resources that can improve our environmental knowledge and advocacy. With this in mind, I decided to share some trusted, reliable, science- and fact-based organisations and websites, categorised into age groups from child to adult. These resources will help anyone looking to educate themselves, their families, or other people.

Reliable Resources To Help You Learn About Climate Change

Staying informed and taking action at any age is crucial when addressing climate change. Covering a wide range of topics, from basic knowledge to actionable steps; here is a list of online resources to make use of:

For Children (Ages 5-12):

• NASA Climate Kids | Interactive games, activities, and information from NASA to help children learn about climate change.

• EPA Student Center | Educational resources provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for students to understand environmental issues.

• National Geographic Kids | Offers resources on climate change, including articles, videos, and activities.

• Climate Kids | Various educational materials and resources to support protecting the planet and fostering the next generation of environmental stewards.

• Scholastic’s Green Living Guide | Resources, activities, projects and information to help parents, guardians and carers help their families learn more about the environment.

For Teens (Ages 13-18):

• UNESCO Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development | Resources and materials for teachers and students to learn about climate change and sustainable development.

• Climate Generation | Provides climate change education resources for educators and youth, fostering climate literacy and action.

• Our Climate Our Future | Interactive, multimedia resources to help teens understand climate change and take action.

• Action for Climate Emergency (ACE) | Educational resources and programs aimed at empowering young people to take action on climate change.

• Fridays For Future | Information and news about taking direct action for the planet that promotes ending reliance of fossil fuels.

For Young Adults/College Students:

• The Climate Reality Project | Educational resources, webinars, and events focused on climate change and solutions.

• 350.org | Global grassroots movement working to address climate change that offers resources and campaigns for young activists.

• Yale Climate Connections | Articles, podcasts, and videos providing information on climate change science and solutions.

• Earth Guardians | A global organisation empowering young activists to become leaders in the environmental and social justice movements.

• Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) | Key information and resources from this Indigenous-led organisation seek to uplift Indigenous voices, sovereignty, and stewardship of the lands and waters for future generations.

For Adults:

• NASA Climate Change | Comprehensive information on climate change, including scientific data and visualisations.

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) | Reports and publications summarising the latest scientific findings on climate change.

• Citizens’ Climate Lobby | Empowers individuals to lobby for climate policies and provides resources and training for climate advocacy.

• Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) | A grassroots Indigenous-led organisation focused on tackling environmental and economic justice issues.

• EarthJustice | A legal advocacy organisation dedicated to protecting the environment and public health through litigation.

How To Help Determine if a Source Is Credible

Evaluating the accuracy and integrity of online information and resources about climate change is crucial. It’s an ongoing process that requires us to stay committed and vigilant when reading the latest developments in climate science. Remaining critical of sources that deviate from widely accepted scientific consensus is an essential media literacy skill to develop. However, there are other things we should also be aware of, such as:

• Avoiding Sensationalism | Be cautious of sources that use sensational language, extreme claims, or dramatic predictions. Scientific findings are often nuanced and cautious in their conclusions.

• Transparency | Reliable sources are typically clear about their funding, methodology and any potential conflicts of interest.

• Citations, References, Authorship, and Credentials | A reliable resource should provide citations to research studies, data, and other reputable sources that support the information presented. Additionally, it should include the author’s qualifications and expertise in the field of climate science or share their relevant experience.

• Peer Review | Peer-reviewed articles that have been published in reputable scientific journals (where experts in the field check the content before publication) are generally more reliable.

Equally important, is knowing how to verify whether a website or online story about climate change can be trusted. There are a number of reputable sources to turn to that are committed to explaining and maintaining scientific accuracy. Aside from organisations like NASA, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)—all of which provide well-vetted climate data and research findings—there are resources that specialise in fact-checking.

Websites like Climate Feedback and Skeptical Science scrutinise climate-related claims, providing nuanced analyses backed by scientific evidence. Other more generalised fact-checking sites include Snopes and FactCheck.org, which cover a broad spectrum of potential misinformation.

In Summary

Deciding to stay informed about the scientific realities of climate change and its implications for our planet does not merely represent a personal choice; it’s a collective responsibility that we should all take seriously. Climate change impacts every facet of our lives, from the environment and the economy to health and social structures. Being knowledgeable empowers individuals and societies to better advance sustainable practices and contribute to global efforts that mitigate this crisis.

Educated citizens of all ages can advocate for policy changes, support sustainable initiatives, and contribute to the global fight against advancing environmental damage. Remaining knowledgeable means we can take personal action and embrace eco-living in our own lives while actively holding governments and industries accountable when they stand in the way of robust and impactful sustainable progress. To achieve this, we must retain access to reliable and accurate climate science.

The resources and environmental organisations highlighted throughout this article provide invaluable, data-backed information about climate change. Gaining a deeper understanding of the science behind what is happening to our world is how we can help create a greener future.

What resources do you use to stay well-informed about climate change? How do you feel about the prevalence of online misinformation about global warming?

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Further Info:

14 Actually Good Books To Teach Kids About Climate Change – Time Magazine

A Representative Survey Experiment of Motivated Climate Change Denial – Nature Journal