Oregon Youth Demand Action on Climate Change

Grades8, 9, 10, 11, 12, APScience, Civics, English Language Arts

Provided by Oregon Public Broadcasting

What it is

This podcast episode is about youth activists working towards climate change initiatives in Oregon, the short-term history of climate change legislation in Oregon, and climate change cases in the courts.
Students will learn about Oregon's goals for emissions reductions, Oregon policies around climate change, what young people can do about climate change, and current climate change movements in and around Oregon.

Positives

This interview is interesting to listen to or read and covers many topics related to climate change in Oregon.
Students will enjoy hearing from other young people and gaining new perspectives.

Additional Prerequisites

Students should have a good understanding of how climate change impacts people and how governments can step in to make changes around our changing climate.

Differentiation

Cross-curricular connections can be made in health classes that are discussing the mental health implications of climate change on young people.
A fun take on this resource would be to reenact the podcast like a play. Assign roles to students and have them read aloud to the class.
After reading or listening, use this resource as a discussion starter. How do students feel about the actions being taken by the activists featured? Which actions seem the most impactful or important? What do students think next steps should be?
As an extension activity, have students create their own podcast about a facet of climate change that they care about.

This interview has been fact checked and this resource is recommended for teaching.

Hosted on opb.org

Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.

Grades: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Subjects: Science, Civics, English Language Arts
Other types: Podcasts
Language: English
Location: North America, North America > United States, North America > United States > Oregon
Provider: Oregon Public Broadcasting
Authors: Allison Frost
Published: May 12, 2023
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · D2.Civ.6.6-8 + 9 more

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards

D2.Civ.6.6-8Describe the roles of political, civil, and economic organizations in shaping people's lives.
D2.Civ.14.6-8Compare historical and contemporary means of changing societies, and promoting the common good.
D2.Civ.1.9-12Distinguish the powers and responsibilities of local, state, tribal, national, and international civic and political institutions.
D2.Civ.10.9-12Analyze the impact and the appropriate roles of personal interests and perspectives on the application of civic virtues, democratic principles, constitutional rights, and human rights.

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.2Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.2Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.10By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
MS-ESS3-5.Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.

English Language Arts

R.9-10.2Objectively and accurately summarize texts, from a variety of genres, to determine one or more themes or central ideas and analyze its development, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details. (RI&RL)