Fifth National Climate Assessment (2023) Overview
Scientific Reports
Grades11, 12, APSocial Studies, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Mathematics
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Provided by U.S. Global Change Research Program
What it is
- This overview chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment Report provides an overview of the major findings of the report and details the climate data, risks, and responses of regions and individual states.
- It discusses the benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and includes descriptions of human health and safety hazards, economic impacts, and the challenges faced by disadvantaged and Indigenous communities due to climate change.
- The infographics, photographs, charts, and descriptions in each section provide numerous ways to present and digest the information.
Teaching tips
Positives
- There are many links and citations to additional peer-reviewed articles and publications for the referenced topics.
- This is an excellent example of a presentation of scientific research used to inform public policy.
- Regional and state-specific impacts of climate change are discussed, so students from different parts of the United States can relate to the data.
Additional Prerequisites
- This text is at an advanced reading level (upper high school to college level) and will require significant scaffolding for a younger audience.
- Students should be familiar with climate science terms and concepts such as greenhouse gas emissions, net zero emissions, renewable energy, climate adaptation, mitigation, and climate policy.
- Climate.us is now hosting a clone of the entire report's website and can be referenced here.
Differentiation
- This text is best broken up and analyzed in different sections, as it is lengthy and resource-dense.
- Consider having students analyze the graphs and maps before reading the accompanying text, formulating questions and observations they would like to research further.
- Create an annotation guide for students to assist in reading comprehension, encouraging them to highlight words they do not understand, underline sentences that summarize paragraphs, circle concepts they would like to discuss further, and star data or sentences that provide evidence of assertions made in the text.
- If using the complete text, consider utilizing a jigsaw activity in which groups of students read different parts of the text and report out to their classmates.
From the scientist review
The National Climate Assessment represents that latest and most up-to-date comprehensive review of the state of climate change in the United States. This assessment is thoroughly cited, using research from the top peer-reviewed journals. It is recommended for teaching.
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