Climate Change Education Interagency Working Group

FY 2008 Potential Increase Funding and the Need for a Coordinating Interagency Education Working Group

Frank Niepold National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Climate Program Office, Washington, D.C., USA

Current Status

• CCSP member agencies have many educational programs that serve the diverse agencies missions and legislative authorities. – Current efforts are directed at a variety of audiences

and levels of education

• These efforts are currently uncoordinated and thereby miss opportunities to address the fundamental national need for climate education that goes beyond the missions of individual agencies.

Academic Competitiveness Council Findings

• Inventory overview– K-12: 24 programs; $574 M– Post-secondary: 27 programs; $1,460 M– Informal/Outreach: 11 programs; $137 M

• Limited evaluation of program effectiveness

• Overlap & lack of coordination

Are we science literate?• A large percentage of the American public lacks basic

science literacy AAAS recent interviews of college graduating seniors revealed many

of them could not correctly identify where the mass in a log came from.1

Nearly 25% of of Adult Americans think the sun revolves around Earth.1

40% can’t locate the Pacific Ocean on an unlabeled map.1

33% don’t know what a molecule is.2

Five out of every six don’t know the basics of genetic engineering.2

About 75% of Americans lack a clear understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry.2

1. Postlethwait, John H. et al. Biology!: Bringing Science to Life. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991.

2. Miller, Jon D. “Science and Technology: Public Attitudes and Public Understanding.” Science & Engineering Indicators—2000. A report by the National Science Foundation, 2000.

Where Is The Public?

ABC News/Washington Post/Stanford and OSU

ABC News/Washington Post/Stanford and OSU

Where Is The Public?

The Time to Coordinate Is Now

• An important opportunity:– the strong possibility of expanded congressional funding for

climate change education, which we are ill prepared to integrate given our present capabilities.

– Potential FY 08 House funding for NOAA ($7+ M), NASA ($10 M) and NSF ($10 M) = $ 27+ M

– DOE America Competes Act education potential funding 40 ~ M.

• Unprecedented opportunity to educate– IPCC AR4– 20 SAPs in the pipeline

• Enormous Demand for information– Externally

» Educators» Curriculum Developers» Science Museums» National Parks» Professional Societies» National Academies

Why CCSP?

“The CCSP acknowledges that in seeking to strengthen its ongoing communications with diverse constituencies— ranging from international, national, and regional policymakers to academic researchers, adaptive management technical experts, the media, and concerned citizens—it faces the challenges of constrained resources and institutional fragmentation. CCSP’s ongoing communications efforts will build on existing resources and explore new communications and information-sharing opportunities.”

Strategic Plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, 2003

Climate Change Education Interagency Working Group

• A Climate Change Education Working Group is being formed to coordinate an integrated national approach to climate change education

• This Working Group will consist of senior staff members of the CCSP member agencies who have climate and climate change education programs

• Its activities would be related to those of the CCSP CIWG, but focused specifically on education (vs. communication)

Climate Change National Education Strategy

• The Climate Change Education Working Group should;– develop a national education strategy that is aligned

with broader national STEM education efforts and individual agency strategic priorities related to STEM education.

– It should further provide input into the goals– as well as help to monitor achievements associated

with the implementation of CCSP member agencies’ relevant plans.

The Right Path

As education and support for climate literacy continue to increase in importance to our society, members of the Climate Change Education Interagency Working Group will serve an important role in helping direct CCSP’s efforts along the right path.