COP28 begins today in Dubai. World leaders will negotiate ways to reverse carbon buildup. We give you some resources to help you make sense of it all. People gather ahead of the COP28 UN Climate Summit, Tuesday, 28 November 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP...
For years, governments have engaged in marathon annual talks to try to end global warming. But they often fall frustratingly short. A giant sculpture tops the Museum of the Future in Dubai. Credit: Lyonerov CC by 4.0 Editor’s note: Beginning 28 November, some...
With COP28 beginning in Dubai this week (late November 2023), help your students contribute to the climate conversation with this article originally published in October 2022 ahead of COP27 in Egypt. Climate journalist Alister Doyle runs down what to expect with these global summits — and why they often fall short.
Exercise: Read the article with your class to cover the background and purpose of COPs. Then, have students find current media coverage of the event. How does today’s coverage compare to Doyle’s piece from one year ago? What, if anything, has changed? Is the general consensus on climate change mitigation more or less optimistic than it was a year ago?
To prove they have what it takes to combat poachers, Uganda rangers race 21 km in scorching heat. They vow: No species will disappear under their watch. A hippo in the Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda, September 2008. (Photo by Bernard Dupont, CC BY-SA 2.0...
Big problems can be addressed with outside-the-box, collective solutions. In this article from guest writer Enock Wanderema, we dive into the world of hippo conservation in Uganda. How can your students also engage locally to support causes that are important to them?
Exercise: After reading the article, students should brainstorm a couple of causes that they care about. Then, they should look up local events and organizations that work to support these causes. How can they get involved with these solutions-based actions? You may consider discussing the importance of civic engagement with your class as a follow-up to this activity.
To reduce your stress your doctor might prescribe a walk in the woods. Careful, though. This type of medicine is definitely addictive. A medicine cabinet includes a bottle that contains nature. Illustration by News Decoder. Photo on the medicine bottle of Comox Lake,...
In this text, ND correspondent and family physician Liana Hwang sheds light on the importance of spending time in nature as a way to promote positive mental and physical health. Plus, learn more about how spending time outdoors is an effective way to boost planetary health, too.
Exercise: Read the article with your class, then have students map out their schedule on a typical school day. How much time do they spend outdoors versus indoors? How can they intentionally carve out time to spend in nature? Have students set a SMART goal for increasing their time spent outdoors. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.
The small island nation of Barbados is leading the call for international finance reform needed to fight the impacts of global warming. The world is listening. From the left, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, Netherlands’ Minister of Finance Sigrid Kaag,...
June to August 2023 were the world’s hottest months on record, meaning the stakes are high to address climate change for all. This is especially true for small island nations and developing countries who do little to contribute to climate change, but disproportionately suffer its consequences. Correspondent Susanne Courtney digs into Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s plan to level the climate financing playing field in this Decoder.
Exercise: Inequities in climate financing loom large. Read the article with students, then have them explore this interactive visualization of historical greenhouse gas emissions by country and region. How does your country or region’s emissions compare to those of the world’s largest emitters? Create an infographic depicting this information, including a call to action for students to promote climate action in their local communities.
The idea of setting aside land back in 1872 has spread into a movement across the world. When a nation creates a national park, it is a gift to the globe. Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Gene Gibbons. This article was produced exclusively for...
We’ve created a library of educational resources to decode climate science and face the crisis with journalism, activism and art. CO2 written on a blackboard. (Credit: Getty Images Signature) Teaching climate change is a daunting task for educators, whether for...
In our Ecologues series, we brought environmental experts together to exchange ideas and actions on how to cool down our warming planet. George Monbiot, Emma Heiling and Sébastien Treyer speak at Ecologues at the American Library in Paris, 27 April 2023. (Photo by...
Over the past year, correspondents and students across the world helped us explore climate change and the ways to slow it down and reverse it. A collage of photos from News Decoder’s Climate Decoders series. Climate change is such a big problem many people feel...
Sushil Vaishnav realized that the cooking oil that clogs up sewers could be turned into green gold. And that makes him a climate change hero. Sushil Vaishnav, Founder, Ecoil This article, by author Sanjana Chauhan was a Silver Prize winner in the Climate Champion...