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Climate change and the human contribution to this change is sometimes denied or depicted as an uncertainty. However, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (see References and Further Reading), climate change is not controversial: 97 percent of climate scientists are certain that human-caused climate change is occurring. Climate research is continuing, with scientists and engineers working to predict the consequences of climate change and finding ways to overcome its negative impact.

This case study uses a jigsaw activity to introduce students to four specific plant responses to climate change: elevational range shifts, phenology shifts, community shifts, and changes in biodiversity. Students become "experts" on one of these responses by reading an article (from Nature, Science, or American Journal of Botany; not included with the case) on their assigned topic and then sharing their expertise with others in class. In order to hone their understanding and increase retention on these topics, students then learn about plant communities found in a specific system-vernal pools or seasonal wetlands typical of Mediterranean climates (a PowerPoint presentation on this topic is included). Students accomplish several small group tasks to assess how different vernal pool plant communities have responded to fluctuations in annual weather patterns and predict how these communities may respond to greater weather variability resulting from future climatic change. This case was written for mid- to upper-level ecology, plant ecology, botany, or environmental studies courses. The material covered may also be suitable for classes examining the role of weather variability/climate change in relation to plants.

Paul Andersen describes the major mutations found in the living world. He starts with an analogy comparing the information in DNA with the information in a recipe. Changes in the DNA can result in changes to the protein, like changes in the recipe can result in changes in the food. He describes the three major point mutations; substitutions, deletions and insertions. He also describes several chromosomal mutations.

The Future of Research is being decided now! While we are fortunate to have a robust system of protections in place that help assure research will provide more benefit than harm, the regulations that guide research with human participants have been in place for 40 years. Society is changing, technology is changing, the capabilities and interests of all of us are changing. We need to evolve our research systems too. It is increasingly hard for one group to decide what would be considered a benefit, or a harm, for another. In this new People Matter Project video, we call to institutions and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) to think creatively about how to conduct trustworthy research in this changing climate.

collection of 9 short videos illustrating climate change "Climate change, once considered an issue for a distant future, has moved firmly into the present." -2014 National Climate Assessment The 2014 National Climate Assessment provides an in-depth look at climate change impacts on every region of the United States and important sectors of our economy. In these videos, scientists and citizens from around the country personify the scientific information detailed in the report.

10min In the world of ecology, the only constant is change - but change can be good. Today Hank explains ecological succession and how ecological communities change over time to become beautiful, biodiverse mosaics.

When babies are born, their eyes and hair are one color, but change within the first few years of their life! Why do hair and eye colors change? Trace explains the process of inheriting certain traits from your parents, and discusses why the colors change!

Nearly all U.S. senators agreed today on a measure affirming that climate change is real and not a hoax-including, to the surprise of many observers, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), the man who once declared global warming a hoax. Meanwhile, although two other measures stating that humans are contributing to climate change won a majority of votes from the 99 senators present, they failed to garner the 60 votes needed to be adopted by the Senate.

Polar bears are an iconic symbol of climate change, but regionally relevant examples of susceptible biota are needed to highlight how global forces impact local environments. In this interrupted case study, students follow a young naturalist as she explores why saltmarsh sparrows are increasingly rare in coastal wetlands of the northeastern United States. In small groups, students diagram how sea-level rise may alter saltmarsh sparrow habitat and analyze a graph to determine if there is evidence to support sea-level rise. The social implications of rising sea levels induced by climate change can also be explored with an optional jigsaw activity. Students who successfully complete this case study will integrate key concepts related to sea level rise, interpret scientific data and draw conclusions about environmental change, and evaluate alternative management decisions. Originally developed for an undergraduate ecology course, the case could easily be adapted by college or high school instructors for an introductory biology or an environmental science course.

EPA is working with many other organizations to collect and communicate data about climate change. With help from these partners, EPA has compiled the third edition of this report, presenting 30 indicators to help readers understand observed long-term trends related to the causes and effects of climate change. In a manner accessible to all audiences, the report describes the significance of these trends and their possible consequences for people, the environment, and society.

An international group of scientists meeting in Washington called on Thursday for what would, in effect, be a moratorium on making inheritable changes to the human genome. The group said it would be "irresponsible to proceed" until the risks could be better assessed and until there was "broad societal consensus about the appropriateness" of any proposed change. The group also held open the possibility for such work to proceed in the future by saying that as knowledge advances, the issue of making permanent changes to the human genome "should be revisited on a regular basis."

The agricultural revolution was one of the most profound events in human history, leading to the rise of modern civilization. Now, in the first study of its kind, an international team of scientists has found that after agriculture arrived in Europe 8,500 years ago, people's DNA underwent widespread changes, altering their height, digestion, immune system and skin color. Researchers had found indirect clues of some of these alterations by studying the genomes of living Europeans. But the new study, they said, makes it possible to see the changes as they occurred over thousands of years.

Evolution is essential to our curriculum and to scientific literacy. To understand the big picture of biology, students need to understand life in terms of both its history and its future - the changing life forms and ecosystems that have arisen and changed over billions of years, as well as the mechanisms that brought about those changes and are shaping the future of life on Earth.

2013 report on climate change

19 min TED talk on climate change. Photographer James Balog shares new image sequences from the Extreme Ice Survey, a network of time-lapse cameras recording glaciers receding at an alarming rate, some of the most vivid evidence yet of climate change.

The Climate Education Week Toolkit is a free, easy-to-use, ready-to-go resource with everything you need. The Toolkit includes a week's worth of lesson plans, activities, and contests for K-12 students that meet Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core. Each day covers a different theme related to climate change with two highlighted activities handpicked by Earth Day Network for your use. This cross-disciplinary resource has a range of activities from an energy conservation action plan to reading and discussing Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, with the goal being to educate and engage your students on climate change.

teaching climate change, maps and data, news and features sections to illustrate key findings about climate change

An "excuse me" might be nice. Researchers have found that Earth belches a potent greenhouse gas known as tetrafluoromethane (CF4) during earthquakes and other tectonic events. The emissions likely aren't making a significant contribution to global warming, but the findings could change the way scientists model future climate scenarios. They also complicate the use of CF4 as a way to measure how the continents and climate have changed over millennia.

View slides and interactive graphics from the Earth Lab: Degrees of Change exhibit at the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences.

This interrupted case study addresses several concepts related to climate change and its effect on the American pika. Often called an indicator species for climate change, the pika has a unique set of variables specific to its environment. Factors such as temperature, snowpack, and vegetation can affect the distribution and ultimately the chances of survival. The case was designed for use in a "flipped" classroom in which students prepare in advance outside of class by filling out a worksheet while watching a video. The video, created by the author of the case, provides students with baseline information that they apply in class to come up with key ideas and predictions, followed by analysis of actual data to test the hypotheses they develop. The case study incorporates group discussion, analysis of experimental design, and data evaluation as central activities and can be taught in a single 50 minute class session. The case was designed for use in a large introductory-level class, but is also appropriate for smaller classes.