The teaching of global climate change is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the natural world. Global citizens must understand the scientific underpinnings of climate change to make well-founded decisions in response to the rapidly altering global environment.

These recommendations appear in a 2020 position statement on teaching climate change issued by NABT. But biology teachers have not always been equipped to do their part. In a representative survey of public middle and high school science teachers conducted by researchers at the National Center for Science Education and Penn State in 2014–15, 57% reported not having studied climate change themselves as preservice teachers. In the decade since, science teachers have been learning more about the science of climate change. But teaching it effectively is still a challenge. Based on our experiences working with climate change educators across the country, we offer the following list of dos and don’ts.

Climate...

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