About this guide
Climate Literacy: Essential Principles for Understanding and Addressing Climate Change presents information that is important for individuals and communities to know and understand about Earth’s climate, the impacts of climate change, and solutions. Principles in the guide can serve as discussion starters or launching points for learning about the climate crisis and what’s being done to address it across the world.
The guide aims to promote greater climate literacy by providing this educational and communication framework of principles and concepts.
Download the Climate Literacy Guide in PDF
Artist statement: “‘Alternatives’ is an aesthetic interpretation of five viable alternatives to petroleum-based energy: biofuel, wind turbines, geothermal plants, hydroelectric dams, and solar panels. The interconnection of the symbols used for each energy source in the design emphasizes a combined approach to a long-term feasible solution. Environmentally friendly materials used in the creation of this painting include cotton paper and water-based pigments.” Credit: Katharine Cartwright, Art x Climate, Alternatives (2022, watercolor) This art may only be reproduced or re-used in connection with the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Any other use must be negotiated with the author.
The art included in this guide represent a selection of works from the Fifth National Climate Assessment Art x Climate collection, which can be found at https://nca2023.globalchange.gov/art-climate/.
The artworks and associated artists' statements are not Climate Literacy Guide products and do not necessarily represent the views of the authors or USGCRP. Each artwork depicted in the guide is the property of the artist and is protected by copyright law. USGCRP has permission to use the artwork in conjunction with the Climate Literacy Guide. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of this artwork without the artist’s permission is prohibited.
Suggested Citation
USGCRP, 2024: Climate Literacy: Essential Principles for Understanding and Addressing Climate Change. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, D.C., USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/clg2024