Emphasizing Climate Communication

These activities build on teaching materials from the CLEAN reviewed collection along with suggested communications strategies for teaching challenging aspects of climate science. These materials were created by faculty as part of the CLEAN Climate Communications Workshop, held in April, 2012.

Communications Booster: Carbon Cycle and Carbon Reservoirs
by Alberto Ramirez, Frederick Community College, Elisabeth Harthcock, San Jacinto College, and Laura Rico-Beck, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago

Communications Booster: Exploring Regional Differences in Atmospheric CO₂ Concentrations
by Anna Lewis, University of South Florida, Jon A. Leydens, Colorado School of Mines, and Julie Lambert, Florida Atlantic University

Communications Booster: The Great "LOCAL AND RENEWABLE" Energy Debate
by Daniel Steinberg, Princeton University, Serena Poli, Eastern Michigan University, and Nicole Colston, Oklahoma State University

Communications Booster: Curbing Emissions
by Nicole Colston, Oklahoma State University, Charlie Cottingham, Frederick Community College, Susan Spierre, Arizona State University, and Paul Ruscher, Florida State University

Debunking Climate Myths

These pages present strategies for addressing common climate misconceptions in the classroom, derived from The Debunking Handbook, by John Cook and Stephan Lewandowsky. This material was created by faculty as part of the CLEAN Climate Communications Workshop, held in April, 2012.

Do the Oceans have Infinite Heat Capacity?
by Laura Rico-Beck, Museum of Science and Industry; Paul Ruscher, Florida State University; Maureen Aylward, Northeastern University

Do Scientists Agree about the Causes of Climate Change?
by Daniel Steinberg, Princeton University; Susan Buhr, CIRES University of Colorado Boulder; Susan Spierre, Arizona State University; Julie Lambert, Florida Atlantic University

Teaching the Climate System, May 2012 Workshop

These activities assemble various elements from the CLEAN reviewed collection to present a comprehensive treatment of one aspect of the climate system. These materials were created by faculty as part of the CLEAN Climate Workshop, held in May, 2012.

Comparing Climate Records from Multiple Locations
by Beth Christensen, Adelphi University; Melissa Godek, SUNY Oneonta; Pamela Gore, Georgia Perimeter College; Benjamin Laabs, SUNY Geneseo

Modeling the Complexities of the Carbon Cycle Utilizing Excel
by Andrea Bixler, Clarke University; Lindsay Dubbs, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Dave Finster, Wittenberg University; Harold Geller, George Mason University; Jeanne Troy, Koshland Science Museum

Forest Management and the Carbon Cycle by Sarah Brylinsky, Second Nature Inc.; Deborah Huntzinger, Northern Arizona University; Candace Lutzow-Felling, University of Virginia; Suzanne O'Connell, Wesleyan University; Andrew Stubblefield, Humboldt State University

Ocean Acidification: The Other Carbon Problem
by Erik Christensen, South Florida State College, and Tim Heaton, University of South Dakota

Teaching the Climate System, June 2011 Workshop

Activities examining the climate system, created as part of the CLEAN Climate Workshop, held in June, 2011.

How Does The Greenhouse Effect Influence Global Temperature?
by Erik Christensen; Dave Dempsey; Sara Harris; Stephen Taylor
This suite of activities is made up of 5 parts which can be used together or separately.

• What is the Earth's Average Temperature?
  by Dave Dempsey, San Francisco State University
• What Makes a Greenhouse Gas a Greenhouse Gas?
  by Sara Harris, University of British Columbia
• Absorption by Atmospheric Gases of Incoming and Outgoing Radiation
  by Sara Harris, University of British Columbia
• The Greenhouse Effect: Why is the Earth's Surface So Much Warmer than the Earth as Seen from Space? by Dave Dempsey, San Francisco State University

What Happens to Ice in Water?
by Sharon Browning; Cornelia Harris; Kristine DeLong; Mellie Lewis

A Jigsaw Approach to the Weathering Thermostat Hypothesis
by Maureen Padden, McMaster University

Energy activities submitted as part of the CLEAN Energy Workshop, held in April, 2011.

How Much Energy is on my Plate?
by Lane Seely, Seattle Pacific University and Karin Kirk, SERC

State Electricity on Google Earth: How many solar panels would it take?
by by Todd Greene, California State University-Chico, Billy Goodman, Passaic Valley High School and Maureen Padden, McMaster University

Energy Culture as a Determinant of a Country's Position in the Climate Talks
by Tatyana Ruseva, Appalachian State University

Local Power Portfolio
by Ander Sundell, College of Western Idaho