2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Enabling Effective Climate Literacy with Collective Impact

Climate change is having and will continue to have a broad range of impacts on society. To address these impacts, it is necessary to increase the climate literacy of all citizens. However, given the complexity and scale of climate change, achieving effective climate literacy requires coordination across the natural and physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and beyond. For the past decade, U.S. federal agencies and private foundations have supported effective efforts to implement climate change education, awareness, and engagement programs. The organizers of these programs have seen the power of collaboration for building effective programs and synergies across different entities working to improve climate literacy. However, they also face challenges in coordinating their initiatives, managing and leveraging resources, and scaling best practices to increase impact and reach. This session explores a framework for scaling up successful climate literacy efforts to achieve greater collective impact across regional and cultural boundaries. In addition, the symposium examines the climate education community’s input into how to extend their reach and effectiveness, U.S. federal agency efforts to support effective climate change education, and a successful collective impact effort coordinated with stakeholders toward the goal of healthy, sustainable communities.