Climate Change Education: Goals, Audiences, and Strategies:
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Forrest, Sherrie / Feder, Michael A., PUBLISHER: ong>Nationalong> Academies Press, ong>Theong> global scientific and policy community now unequivocally accepts that human activities cause global climate change. Although information on climate change is readily available, ong>theong> nation still seems unprepared or unwilling to respond effectively to climate change, due partly to a general lack ong>ofong> public understanding ong>ofong> climate change issues and opportunities for effective responses. ong>Theong> reality ong>ofong> global climate change lends increasing urgency to ong>theong> need for effective education on earth system science, as well as on ong>theong> human and behavioral dimensions ong>ofong> climate change, from broad societal action to smart energy choices at ong>theong> household level. ong>Theong> public's limited understanding ong>ofong> climate change is partly ong>theong> result ong>ofong> four critical challenges that have slowed development and delivery ong>ofong> effective climate change education. As one response to ong>theong>se challenges, Congress, in its and appropriation process, requested that ong>theong> ong>Nationalong> Science Foundation (NSF) create a program in climate change education to provide funding to external grantees to improve climate change education in ong>theong> United States. To support and strengong>theong>n ong>theong>se education initiatives, ong>theong> Board on Science Education ong>ofong> ong>theong> ong>Nationalong> Research Council (NRC) created ong>theong> Climate Change Education Roundtable. ong>Theong> Roundtable convened two workshops. Climate Change Education Goals, Audiences, and Strategies is a summary ong>ofong> ong>theong> discussions and presentations from ong>theong> first workshop, held October 21 and . This report focuses on two primary topics: public understanding and decision maker support. It should be viewed as an initial step in examining ong>theong> research on climate change and applying it in specific policy circumstances.