Under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, important steps have already been taken to cut carbon pollution, prepare for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to fight this global challenge. Continued progress into the future will depend on ensuring a climate-smart citizenry and a next-generation American workforce of city planners, community leaders, engineers, and entrepreneurs who understand the urgent climate-change challenge and are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and training to seek and implement solutions.
That’s why, in support of the Obama Administration’s steady efforts to address climate change, the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP) in partnership with the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Education Interagency Working Group (Lead federal agencies: NOAA, NASA, USDA/USFS, DOI/USFWS, NSF) launched on December 3rd 2014 a new Climate Education and Literacy Initiative to help connect American students and citizens with the best-available, science-based information about climate change.
Through the Climate Education and Literacy Initiative, the Obama Administration is asks leaders across sectors to step up and help lift our Nation’s game in climate education. In response to several calls to action, more than 200 activities, projects, and ideas were submitted by individuals and organizations across the country, from more than 30 states. These included a diverse array of innovative approaches being implemented in K-12 classrooms, on college and university campuses, and in zoos, parks, aquariums, and museums to educate and engage students and citizens of all ages.