Climate Change Literacy and Education

The ACS Climate Change Public Policy Statement recommends that "The U.S. Government should promote climate science literacy and education for citizens and policymakers about climate change impacts to help empower citizens and local and regional governments to make informed decisions and preparations to help protect homes, businesses, and communities against adverse impacts." To that end, this book series seeks to promote climate science literacy and education among college and university students, young adults, educators, policymakers, and the general public. The chapters in this volume address the foundation and purpose of the ACS Climate Change
Literacy and Education project, climate science, and international perspectives.

Individual chapters are authored by students who have represented the ACS as UN-accredited "Observers" at the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conferences of Parties (COPs) from 2010 through 2015. Each of these student authors has presented outcomes of their COP project in climate change literacy symposia at ACS National Meetings. This Climate Science Literacy and Education book series offers insight from students who have engaged the global community at the epicenter of international climate change negotiations. The annual COPs are a vital resource that facilitates deeper understanding of the science of climate change within a broad context of sustainability, economic equity, social justice, and the complexities of developing multilateral policy.

The student authors have interacted directly with national leaders and international negotiators in the real-world United Nations. They have interviewed community leaders, business and NGO representatives, everyday citizens, and youth from around the globe. They have used the UN as an international platform-and social media as a tool-to engage their peers, young adults, and educators in the climate change discourse. The guiding principle of this ACS-sponsored climate literacy project is to enable students to communicate directly with their peers and educators, as opposed to a top-down approach for involving students in a dialogue about climate science.