2001 U.S.

Climate Action Report

Education, Training, and Outreach Chapter
Over the last three years, U.S. climate change outreach and education efforts have
evolved significantly.· Early outreach efforts, which focused primarily on the research
and academic community, helped to expand climate change research activity and have
resulted in a robust research agenda that has resolved many scientific uncertainties about
global wanning. Scientists and decision-makers worldwide have used the findings of
U.S. research projects. More recent outreach efforts have moved beyond the research
community, focusing on public constituencies who may be adversely affected by climate
change impacts. These constituencies will have the ultimate responsibility to help solve
the climate change problem by supporting innovative, cost-effective solutions at the
grassroots level.

Federal efforts to increase public education and training on global climate change
issues were designed to increase understanding of the Earth's complex climate system.
With an improved understanding of the Earth's climate, decision makers and people
potentially at risk from the impacts of climate change could more accurately interpret
complex science information and make better decisions about how to reduce their risks.
Federal outreach and educational activities are performed under several U.S. mandates
including the Global Change Research Act of 1990, the National Climate Program Act,
the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, and the Environmental and Education Act of
1990. 'To meet legislative mandates on climate education, federal programs often rely on
non-education programs to simultaneously meet U.S. science, policy, and outreach goals.

In addition to climate change outreach conducted at federal levels, there has been
a gfowing movement of non-governmental outreach efforts that have proven to be very
effective in engaging tlw U.S. public and industry on the climate change issue. Most
outside groups work independently of government funding in their climate change
research and outreach efforts although some non-governmental programs are funded in
part by the federal government. Many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) enjoy
tax-exempt status which permits them to receive private support and reduce costs to
donors. For an extensive list ofNGOs conducting climate change outreach and education
initiatives, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/links/oH! links.html

Industry is also playing an increased role in climate change outreach and

education. Many corporations have worked extensively with the federal government
partnership programs to try and find climate change solutions. In terms of their outreach,
these companies spend millions of dollars to promote their investments and viewpoints to
consumers and other industries, and most disseminate information about climate change
to their customers and the public.

More recent outreach and education efforts, both in government and by non-
governmental entities and industry, have encouraged many activities that adapt to a
changing climate or reduce greenhouse gas emissions that may be contributing to climate

CEQ 008492
change. Because of these efforts, more citizens not only are more familiar with climate
change, but also understand the issue with higher levels of sophistication. And as people
are becoming more familiar with the problem, they are also beginning to appreciate the
impacts of society's actions on the climate system.

. This chapter presents a sample ofthe current U.S. education and outreach efforts
that build the foundation for broad action to reduce climate change risks. As a
comprehensive treatment of non-governmental efforts is beyond the scope of this chapter,
it focuses on new and up'dated governmental activities since the 2nd National'
Communication.

CEQ 008493
United States Global Clin1ate Research Progranl (USGCRP)
Education and Outreach
http://www.usgcrp.gov

Sponsored by the US Global Change Research Program, the US National

Assessment ofthe Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change has
provided an important opportunity to reach out to the many interested parties
(stakeholders) within the US about the potential significance for them of the coming
changes in climate.

. The National Assessment began in 1997 and 1998 with 20 regional workshops in
regions around the United States. Each initiated a discussion among the stakeholders,
scientific community and other interested parties about the potential importance of
climate change and the types of consequences and potential response options, all in the
context of other stresses and trends influencing the region. On average, about 150 people
participated in each workshop, and there was extensive outreach to local media, attracted
in part by the frequent participation of high-level govenunent officials. Halfway through
this effort, a National Forum was also convened in Washington DC that attracted about
400 participants, from cabinet officials to some ranchers who had never traveled out of
the central US.

Moving from the workshop phase to an assessment phase, the USGCRP

organized a range of activities, all involving assessment teams that were drawn from the
research and stakeholder communities. While sponsored and working with government
agencies, these assessment teams were based largely in the academic community in order
to broaden participation and enhance independence and credibility. To focus analysis on
the issues identified in the regional workshops, 16 of these assessment teams had a
regional focus; each of these teams is broadly based and established an advisory and
outreach framework to a'Ssist in preparing an assessment report focused on the regional
concerns. The reports are being distributed widely to those in the region, with outreach
including workshops, presentations, media, etc. USGCRP agencies are continuing to
sponsor many of these regi~nal activities as a way of cOlltinuing to strengthen the
dialogue with the public about the potential consequences and significance of climate
change, and the actions that will be needed to prepare for the coming changes.

In addition to the regional activities, .five national sectoral studies were sponsored.
These 6tudies covered the potential consequences for agriculture, forests, human health,
water resources, and coastal areas and marine resources. Five broadly based teams were
estab1ished to cover these areas, and each organized meetings and efforts on their area,
ranging from presentations at society and special interest meetings to full workshops and
speci~ issues ofjoumals. Each team is now issuing its report, distributing information

CEQ 008494
widely to the public. Several meetings have also been held where the team leaders have
presented their results to the broader scientific and stakeholder communities.

To integrate the findings and their significance at the national level, the National
Assessment Synthesis Team (NAST) was established. The NAST was created as an
independent federal advisory committee composed of representatives from academe,
government, industry, and non-governmental organizations. Through a series of open
meetings, followed by a very extensive open review process, the NAST prepared both an
overview report that summarizes the findings and a foundation report that provides more
complete documentation. Both reports are being published through Cambridge University
Press and are being widely circulated, with copies sent to every state and to major
libraries. In addition, the report is available over the Web and is receiving much attention.

In addition to the actual reports, other outreach tools are also being used to
increase public understanding ofthe potential consequences of climate change.
USGCRP's website (http://www.usgcrp.gov) helps connect scientists, students and their
teachers, govemment officials and the general public to accurate and useful information
on global change. The newsletter Acclimations (available at
http://www.usgcrp.gov/usgcrplLibrary/nationalassessment/newsletterl) has provided
regular infonnation to a broad audience about the National Assessment. The Assessment
web site (http://www.usgcm.gov/usgcrp/nacc) directs visitors to all of the various
reports.

The USGCRP is also sponsoring the preparation of curriculum materials based on

the National Assessment. These materials will be made widely available to teachers over
the Web, updating the various types of materials made available during the mid-1990s by
a number of the federal agencies. Through these many mechanisms, the National
Assessment has directly involved several thousand individuals while reaching out to
many, many thousands more through the reports and media.

CEQ 008495
Federal Agency Education Initiatives
Climate Change education at the primary and secondary (K-12) and University
levels has grown considerably over the past three years. The growth of the internet has
allowed educators throughout the country to use online educational global change
resources. Federal government programs have supported numerous educational
initiatives, ranging from on-line educational programs to research support. This section
describes a sampling of these education programs.

http://www.energy.gov

DOE sponsors several programs that support advanced global change research at
the University and postgraduate level.

• Global Change Education Program

http://www.atmos.anl.gov/GCEP/

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Global Change Education Program continues to

s¥pport three coordinated components aimed at providing both research and educational
support to postdoctoral scientists, graduate students, faculty and undergraduates at
minority colleges and universities. The three components of GCEP are the Summer
Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), the Graduate Research Environmental
Fellowships (GREF), and the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and
Science (SOARS) program.

a Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education

http://www.orau.f!..ov/orise.htll1

The SciencefEngiheering Education Division (SEED) at the Oak Ridge Institute

for Science and Education (ORISE) continues to develop and administer collaborative
research appointments, graduate and postgraduate fellowships, scholarships, and
other programs that capitalize on the resources of federal facilities across the nation
and the national academic community. The aim is to enhance the quality of scientific
and teclmical education and literacy, thereby increasing the number of graduates in
science and engineering fields, particularly those related to energy and the
environment.

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CEQ 008496
 , From helping design K-12 curricula to teacher training, NASA is heavily involved
in earth science-related education initiatives.

• Earth System Science Education Program (ESSE)

http://www.usra.edulesse/essonlme/

Sponsored by NASA through the Universities Sp~ce Research Association,

ESSE supports the development of curricula in Earth System Science and Global
Change at forty-four participating colleges and universities. ESSE's website provides
education resources at the undergraduate level.

• Earth Science Enterprise

http://www.earth,nasa.gov/

Tens of thousands of students and teachers participate in NASA's Science

Enterprise Program (ESE) every year. The program attempts to improve peoples'
understanding ofthe natural processes that govern the global environment and to
a~sess the effects of human activities on these processes. It is expected to yield better
weather forecasts, tools for managing agriculture and forests, and information for
commercial fishers and coastal planners. Ultimately, the program will improve our
ability to predict how climate will change. While the program's ostensible goal is
scientific understanding, its ultimate product is education in its broadest form. The
Earth Science Enterprise has formulated ~ducation programs that focus on'teacher
preparation, curriculum support, student support, support for informal education and
public communication, and professional training. Its Earth System Science
Fellowship program encourages student research, modeling and analysis in support of
the U.S. Global Change Research Program. Over 500 Ph.D. and MS fellowships
have been awarded since the inception of the program in 1990.

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Partnerships allow agencies with similar goals to combine resources and expertise
to serve the interests of educators and students.

• Climate Change Partnership Education Program

http://www.epa.gov/ncepihom/CataloglEPA236C99001.html

EPA, NASA, and NOAA joined forces to initiate a partnership outreach program
for broadcast meteorologists on climate change impacts and science. The partnership
was fonned in response to broadcaster requests for educational materials that they
cQuld take use in their own community outreach and education, particularly at school
visits. The resulting Climate Change Presentation Kit CD-ROM includes fact sheets
that can be downloaded, printed, and distributed to audiences who have varying levels
of scientific literacy, a complete PowerPoint Slide show that can be shown from a

CEQ 008497
 computer or printed as overhead transparencies, science experiments and games for
convenient use in a classroom, contact names and phone numbers for additional
scientific infonnation, and links to informative Web sites.

• GLOBE
http://www.globe.gov/

Administered by NOAA, NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and

EPA, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE)
program continues to bring together students, educators, and scientists throughout the
world to monitor the global environment. The program attempts to increase
environmental awareness throughout the world and to improve student achievement,
in science and mathematics. GLOBE's worldwide network has expanded to represent
more than 10,000 K-12 schools in over 95 countries. These students make scientific
observations at or near their schools in the areas of atmosphere, hydrology, biology,
and soils, and report their findings to the network.

Goven1mental Online CliInate Change Education Resources

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DOE: Energy Efficiency and Renewable http://www.eren.doe.govlkids/

Energy (EREN) Kids Site. Contains a
wealth of information on renewable energy
types. '
DOE: Energy Infonnation Administration http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/
Kids Page. Interactive page with
information, activities and resources on
energy.
DOE: Fossil Energy - Education Main http://www.le.doe.gov/educationimain.html
Page. An introduction to fossil fuels tor
students. ~

EPA: Global Warming Site. Information http://www.epa.gov/globalwanning

for general audiences about climate change
science, impacts, greenhouse gas emissions
and mitigation action steps.
EPA: Global Warming Kids Site. http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/kids/index.htrnl
Overview of Global Warming and Climate
Science, includes interactive games.
GLOBE: GLOBE Program homepage. http://www.globe.gov
Interactive science and education site for
participants in the GLOBE program.
grades K-12. ,
NASA: Educational Links. List of Earth http://eospso.gsfc.nasa.gov/eos_homepageieducation.html
Science Educational Links.
NASA: Teaching Earth Science Site. I htip://wv.'W.eanh.nasa.gov/education/index.html
Provides resources and information for
Earth Science educators for elementary
through University levels. I
NASA: For Kids Only Site. From NASA's http://kids.eartb.nasa.'t.ov/

CEQ 008498
 Earth Science Enterprise. contains wealth
of Earth Science infonnation, teacher
resources and interactive games
NOAA: CLIMGRAPH. Educational http://www.fsl.noaa.gov/-osborn/CLIMGRAPIU.html
graphics on global climate change and the
greenhouse effect.
NOAA: Specially for Students - Climate http://www.education.noaa.gov/sclimate.hnnl
Change and Our Planet. List of NOAA 's
climate change related sites tailored for
kids.
NOAA: Specially for Teachers. List of http://www.education.noaa.gov/tclimate.html
NOAA's climate change related sites
tailored for educators.
NOAA: A Paleo Perspective on Global http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwarming/home.hnnl
Warming. For general audiences, a site to
help teach the importance of paleoclimate
research and its relation to global warming.
US Global Change Research Information http;//gcrio.orgleduteduc.html
Office.(USGCRIO): List of Global Change
and Environmental Education Online
Resources.
USGRIO: It's Elementary. Index of lesson http://gcrio.orgledulelementary/itselemhtml
plans on the environment and global
change for educators of grades K-8.
USGCRIO: Common Questions About http://www.gcrio.orglipcc/qa/cover.html
Climate Change. Intended for general
audiences.
USGCRIO: Global Warming and Climate http;i/gcrio.orglgwcc/toc.html
Chang~. Brochure to explain the issue for
generailludiences.
USGCRP: USGCRP Homepage. Global http://www.usgcrp.gov/
change infonnation available for students
and educators.
GSGS: Global Change Teacher Packet. http://mac.usgs.govirnac/isbipubsJteachers-
Consists ofan introduction and five packetsigloblllchange/globlllhtmlJguide.html
. activities for use in the classroom
USGS: Information about Gl2bal Change bttp://www.usgs.govieducatio0/1eamweb/GC.htrnl
for grades 4-6

CEQ 008499
Federal Agency Outreach
, Federal agencies provide the public, state and local governments, industry, private
groups, and interested public with infonnation about national and global climate change
research and risk assessments studies, U.S. mitigation activities, and policy
developments. Agencies work independently and in partnership with other federal
agencies on outreach efforts. Sometimes, as appropriate, federal agencies partner with
non-governmental organizations and industry in outreach efforts. Although outreach
goals may vary from agency to agency, most outreach shares common goals of increasing
awareness about the potential environmental and societal risks posed by climate change.
Current outreach encourages constituencies to participate in existing federal voluntary
programs that promote climate change mitigation and adaptation activities.
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http://www.energy.gov

The Department of Energy (DOE) supports numerous initiatives focused on

increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

a Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center

http://cdiac.esd.ornl.gov/

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center that includes the World Data
Center for Atmospheric Trace Gases, is the primary global-change data and
infonnation analysis center of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

CDIAC responds to data and information requests from users from all over the
world who are concerned with the greenhouse effect and global climate change.
CDIAC's data holdings include historical records of the concentrations of carbon
dioxide and other radiatively active gases in the atmosphere; the role of the terrestrial
biosphere and the oceans in the biogeochemical cycles of greenhouse gases;
emissions of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere; long-term climate trends; the effects
of elevated carbon dioxide on vegetation; and the vulnerability of coastal areas to
rising sea level.

• National Institute for Global Environmental Change

http://nigec.ucdavis.edu/about/index.htm

The DOE-funded National Institute for Global Environmental Change conducts

rese1Ich on global climate change in six U.S. regions: the Great Plains, Midwest,
Northeast, South Central, Southeast, and West. The Institute integrates and
synthesizes information to help decision-makers and communities better respond to
the effects of climate change.

CEQ 008500
 Each region has a "host institution," a prominent lU1iversity that appoints a
Regional Director who acts in an administrative capacity. Regional centers develop
their own research programs by soliciting proposals from scholars around the nation.
These programs must focus on areas important to global environmental change and
must meet DOE's research priorities. Regional projects must serve the following
needs:

• Improving scientific understanding of the global environment and climate change;

• Reducing uncertainties surrounding key environmental and climate change
science;
• Creating experimental or observation programs to enhance the understanding of
regional-scale, or ecosystem-scale processes contributing to global change;
• Improving decision-making tools for the global environmental and climate change
issues;
• ' Building education and training opportunities and developing new curriculum
materials to increase the flow of talented young people into global environmental
change research areas; and
• Focusing contributions to public education on the subject of global climate
change and other energy-related environmental risks.

• Regional Roundtables

DOE held roundtable meetings with various segments of the energy industry to
discuss implementation of DOE's planned energy partnership programs for energy
efficiency. Workshop participants were asked to advise DOE's Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy about how to improve the quality of the individual
program implementation plans, as well as the overall package of initiatives.
Attendees represented manufacturers, builders, utility executives, and engineers, and
others who offered a variety of perspectives on the programs. These meetings were
instrumental in shaping the final energy partnership programs, and many of the
participants' suggesti.9ns were incorporated into the revisions of the implementation
plans.

http://www.epa.gov

The US Environmental Protection Agency supports numerous climate change

outreach and education initiatives including the following:

~ Business/Industry Outreach

The EPA has taken steps to engage business and industry on climate change-related
issues. For example, EPA, the Risk and Insurance Management Society, Inc.
(RIMS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NOAA, DOE, and
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) cosponsored a climate change and
insurance roundtable in March 2000 to share information and ideas about the risks

CEQ 008501
 that climate change poses to the insurance industry and society. It provided insurance
and financial executives with information about climate science and policy
infonnation. It also explored alternative risk management tools as a way to mitigate
and adapt to climate change impacts. EPA also partnered with DOE to produce the
pUblication U.S. Insurance Indust!)1 Perspectives all Global Climate Change in 2000.

• EPA Global Warming Site

http://www.epa.gov/globalwanning

The Global Warming Site is provided as a public service supporting EPA's mission
to protect human health and the natural environment. ·The Global Wanning Site strives
to present accurate information on the very broad issue of climate change and global
~arming in a way that is accessible and meaningful to all parts of society-
communities, individuals, business, public officials and governments. The site is broken
down into four main sections: climate (science), emissions, impacts and actions. It is
updated daily to reflect the latest peer reviewed science and policy information.
Containing over 2000 content pages as well as hundreds of official documents and
publications, the site has averaged several hundred thousand page hits per month (2001).

• OutdoorlWildlife Outreach

, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has done climate change outreach to the
outdoor recreation and wildlife enthusiast community since 1997. EPA staffhave
attended conferences and conventions of such diverse groups as Ducks Unlimited, Izaak
Walton League, Wildlife Management Institute, Federation ofFly Fishers, National
Association of Interpretation, and America Outdoors with the goal of distributing
information about climate change science and impacts as they relate to the interests of
each community. At times, EPA has been invited to give presentations and conduct
workshops at the conventions, or post articles in the various groups' newsletters and
magazines. EPA has developed targeted brochures and educational "kits" for use with
the outdoor enthusiast audience in order to convey the specific vulnerabilities of specific
recreational activities~ (e.g., hunting, fishing, bird watching, "leaf peeping", or just
enjoying wildlife and the outdoors) to the impacts of climate change. A toolkit for
leaders ofhunting and angling organizations to use with their constituencies is set for
release by EPA in 2002.

• Sea Level Rise Outreach

To meet U.S. obligations under the FCCC to take measure to adapt to climate
change, EPA supports a number ofprojects to provide information to motivate timely
measures in anticipation of sea level rise. EPA continually contacts state-and-local
governments to ensure that they are considering sea level rise within any ongoing
initiatives. As a result, four states have regulations to ensure that wetlands can migrate
inland as sea level rises. Aplanning scenario mapping project informs coastal planners
a!:>out sea level rise and works with them to develop maps illustrating where people are

CEQ 008502
 lifely to hold back the sea and which areas are likely to flood. A brochure-project is
developing infonnational brochures about the risk of sea level rise, including maps at the
county scale illustrating which ax.eas are likely to be protected and which are likely to
flood, as a way ofmotivating dialogue within c'ommunities about how to prepare for sea
level rise. An outreach program to sand and gravel companies--who supply the fill
material needed to elevate areas as the sea rises--is getting underway in one coastal state.

• State and Local Climate Change Program

h~p://yosemite.epa.gov/globalwarminglghg.nsflactions/state

EPA is providing state and local governments with guidance and technical
information about climate change, local air quality, and the health and economic
benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. States and localities both playa
significant role in promoting the reduction of greenhouse gases if they have the
necessary tools to assess climate change issues in their daily decision making. This
expanded program is enhancing the ability of state and local decision-makers to
comprehensively address their environmental and economic goals.

The Program provides a variety of technical. and outreach or education services

and products related to clean air and climate change issues, including:

Assistance for states to conduct analyses of the co-benefits of greenhouse gas

mitigation, developing and updating emission inventories, and assessing climate
change policy impacts on state economies;
• New tools and models that build understanding of the broader benefits of climate
protection and better integrate multi-emission reductions as well as multi-goal
(e.g., energy efficiency and renewable energy) strategies in State Implementation
P~ans submitted to EPA;
Capacity-building outreach through the EPA Web site, an electronic listserv and
case studies;
• A best-practices clearinghouse to promote multi-emission reduction strategies,
energy efficiency, sustainability, clean energy and other greenhouse gas
mitigation measures;
Information on state and local legislative activities related to greenhouse gases;
state forest carbon data;
• Additional enhanced opportunities to promote state and local efforts; and creation
of success stories for wide dissemination and replication.

In addition to the above services, in 2000 the program released a new CD-ROM
outreach kit for state and local leaders interested in informing the public about global
warming. The kit provides information on voluntary strategies for reducing
greenhouse gases that helps states and communities save money, improve air quality,
lower risks to human health, and reduce traffic congestion, among other benefits. Its
ready-made slideshow on climate change is suitable for presentations to community
groups, business organizations, and other organizations. The kit also includes more

CEQ 008503
 than 100 information sheets on climate change science, its potential impacts on each
state, and technologies and policies that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Among the topics covered are net metering, renewable portfolio standards, state
energy codes, alternative-fueled vehicles, light-emitting diodes, landfill methane
recovery, public benefits funds, fuel cells, and district heating. Over 4200 CD-ROMS
were distributed in 2000. Many of the materials in the kit are available on-line at: <
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/outreach/index.html>.

NASA's well-established outreach to the public and the press carries out a variety
of activities designed to draw more attention to its work in the climate change arena.

• Workshops for Journalists

NASA co-sponsored workshops on global wanning to increase journalists'

understanding of global change science. Workshops provide science reporters with
basic tutorials, information on major scientific advances, access to international
science leaders, and opportunities to visit major scientific facilities. NASA hosted its
first Global Change Workshop for journalists in concert with the American
Geophysical Union in 1999.

• Media Directory for Global Change Experts

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NewsroornJ

Published biennially, NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Global Change

Media Directory provides journalists with a ready source of international expertise on
global climate change science and policy. The directory contains contact information
for more than 300 science experts available to the media in climate change, natural
hazards, ozone, water resources, global warming, and many other areas. The EOS
global change media~directory is available on-line (click on "Media Resources") and
is searchable by topic, name, affiliation or location.

• Earth Observatory On-Line Newsroom

http://www.earthobservatorv.nasa. gavINewsroom

NASA's online newsroom for journalists features the latest news on Earth science
research released from all NASA Centers and more than 80 universities participating
in NASA's Earth programs through sponsored research. Resources updated weekly
include media announcements, summaries of headline news, listings of new published
r~search, a searchable directory of experts, and selected writers' guides.

CEQ 008504
 The National Park Service has increased its support of education on global
warming and environmental stewardship through several innovative programs:

• Environmental Leadership Program

(http://www.nature.nps. gov/challengedoc/index frames.htrn)

, The steward of the world's finest system of national parks, the Park Service has
the responsibility to widely share its knowledge about park resources in order to
enhance the public's ability to learn from, protect and enjoy its national parks. Parks
apply innovative techniques to reach out to diverse public audiences and actively
involve them in preserving and restoring national parks. For example, the Park
Service has turned Utah's Zion National Park visitor center into a model
environmentally sustainable facility as part of its Environmental Leadership Program.
The new center incorporates passive solar design to reduce overall energy
consumption and uses just 80 percent of the energy required for other park visitor
centers. The center also receives 30 percent of its total electricity needs from solar
power. Through an innovative transportation agreement with the nearby town of
Bonneville (Utah), visitors can park in town and ride alternative-fuel buses to the park
site, thereby reducing fuel consumption. The park educates visitors about the
sustainable environment efforts through a combination of signage, brochures and fact
sheets.

• Green Energy Parks

This program focuses on conserving energy and incorporating renewable-energy

resources into the national park system to save money in park operations, as well as to
promote more environmentally friendly facilities. The Park Service uses fact sheets,
brochures, and on-site signs to educate park visitors about the program activities
within each park. For example, at Lake Meade, Nevada, the Park Service has turned
the park entrance toll booth into a state-of-the-art renewable-energy facility that is
powered solely by the building's photovoltaic panel roof. Road signs describe the
fapility to drivers and explain the environmental benefits of the technology.

Several key NOAA offices have made significant contributions to climate change
and weather-related research education and public outreach in recent years:

• National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

ht}p://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/

~ TOAA's National Climatic Data Center maintains a huge database of weather-

related infom1ation used by specialists in meteorology, insurance, agnculture and
indirectly used in most business sectors. The center's information is available to both
researchers and the pUblic via special reports and through its Web site.

CEQ 008505
• The National Climatic Prediction Center (NCPC)
http://wVA..I.cpc.nce?.noaa.gov/products/outreach/education.htm!.

This center recently developed new climate outlook products to help fanners,
businesses and the public better plan for extreme weather events related to climate
variations. The new products are available on NCPC's Expert Assessment Web page
at http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert assessment!. They include drought,
hurricane, and winter outlooks, along with an EI Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)
advisories, and threats assessments. NCPC also maintains a climate educational Web
site.

• National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)

http://www.nl!dc.noaa. gov

, NGDC's primary mission is the management of data. It plays a leading role in

the nation's research into the environment, while providing public domain data to a
wide group of users. It features a website on paleoclimate at
<http://VAVW.ngdc.noaa. gov/paleo/globalwarming/home.html> which was developed
to help educate, infonn and highlight the importance of paleoclimate research; as well
as to show how paleoclimate research relates to global warming and other important
issues of climate variability and change.

• NOAA's Office of Global Programs (OGP)

http://www.noaa.gov/climate.html

NOAA's Office of Global Programs (OGP) released the fourth of its Reports to
the Nation series late in 1997. The reports offer educators and the public a clearer
understanding of complex atmospheric phenomena such as EI Nino, the ozone layer,
and climate change. "Through a grant to the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, OGP
also produced a public fact sheet on the North Atlantic Oscillation. OGP also created
a special climate Web page to make NOAA's climate information more accessible to
the general public. ~

During the 1997-98 EI Nino and 1998-1999 La Nina, OGP and NCPC worked
closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state agencies,
and the press to educate the public about seasonal climate variability and to enhance
preparedness for related extreme weather events. As a result, today the press and the
public understand the role ENSO plays in their daily lives and are beginning to
understand that other seasonal and decadal oscillations also are important. NOAA
has created several other educational sites on climate. The main E1 Nino site is at
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/edu.html.

SIT;~thsonian Villscl;:n ,~::i',ibits

http://W....IW.globalchange.si.edu

CEQ 008506
 Every year millions of U.S. and foreign visitors view Smithsonian exhibits in
Washington D.C., New York City, and in other cities hosting Smithsonian traveling
exhibits. The Smithsonian Institution's original mission is to promote the "increase and
diffusion of knowledge. 11 This mission underlies the Smithsonian's efforts to educate the
public about many areas of science, including global warming:

• Understanding the Forecast: Global Wanning

http://gJobalwarming.enviroweb.org/

Originally shown at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, this
exhibit was updated by the Smithsonian in the summer of 1997 at the National
Museum ofNatural History in Washington, D.C. Nearly 443,000 visitors passed
tlrrough the exhibit that surruner. More people saw the exhibit when it went on tour
across the country. The exhibit's interactive displays provided information on
climate change science, and also explained the connections between our daily use of
electricity, gasoline, and consumer. products and emission of greenhouse gases. They
also demonstrated ways for individuals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for which
they are responsible.

• Under the Sun: an outdoor exhibition oflight

http://www.si.edu/ndm/exhib/sun/start.htrn

In New York City the Smithsonian's Cooper Hewitt design museum constructed
an outdoor solar-energy exhibit in the gardens of the museum's Andrew Carnegie
mansion, which was visited by tens ofthousands of visitors. Given the exhibit's
success, the Smithsonian sent it on tour to other cities, inclUding a summer stay in the
gardens behind the Smithsonian's castle on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Both federal
agencies and private industry partners helped fund the exhibit. The exhibit
demonstrated how solar energy systems can meet architectural and design
preferences, While providing energy that reduces pollution and cuts back on
greenhouse gas emis~ions. The exhibit script paid special attention to defming the
global warming issue and helping visitors understand how energy consumption is
linked to it.

• Forces of Change Exhibit and Program

The Smithsonian has started work on a new exhibit that examines the geological,
environmental and cultural processes that have shaped and continue to change our
world. It consists of a pennanent exhibit hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum
of Natural History, traveling exhibitions, publications, interactive computer products,
and public programs, including a lecture series and electronic classroom courses. The
exhibit opened in the summer of 200 1, and is expected to be seen by six million
museum visitors annually. Its outreach programs and materials will reach additional
millions around the nation. The program has been supported by NASA, the W. K.
Kellogg Foundation, USDA, the Mobil Foundation, Inc., the American Farmland
frost, EPA, and the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

CEQ 008507
• Global Links

As part of its Forces of Change program, the Smithsonian is developing the

Global Links exhibit, designed to tell a series of global change stories. The first story
will explore EI Nino and its possible links to global warming. The second story will
examine greenhouse gases and the ozone hole. Preliminary planning ofthe Global
Links project has been supported by a grant from the EPA.

• Antarctica exhibit

The National Museum of Natural History is seeking funding for an exhibit that
explores how research in Antarctica allows us to learn more about global climate
change in the past and to improve predictions for future change. The exhibit is
s~heduled to open in June 2003.

Government organizations with joint interests in climate change have formed

partnerships for the purpose of educating the public about climate change and offering
ideas about how individuals and communities can help reduce its risks. Here are some
examples.

• It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air

http://climate.volpe.dot.gov/addsup.html

It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air is a unique collaborative effort of the U.S.

Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). Developed and guided by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the
Federal Transit Administration (PTA) and the EPA, the initiative is a multi-level
public education ancipartnership-building program to inform the public about the
connections between their transportation choices, traffic congestion, and air pollution
through television, radio and print public service announcements (PSAs). The
program emphasizes simple actions people can take that are convenient and can make
a difff?rence in air quality when practiced on a wide scale. The messages developed in
relation to the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air campaign were designed to increase
public awareness of the connection between travel behavior and air quality, with a
focus on reducing the amounts of criteria air pollutants from motor vehicles.
However, the messages also provide ancillary benefits related to the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation accounts for about a third of carbon dioxide
emissions in the u.s.

• Outdoor Interpreters Tool Kit

http://www.epa.gov/globalwanninglpublications/outreach/orw/index.html

CEQ 008508
 EPA led a partnership effort with the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife
Service and NOAA to develop a climate change educational tool kit CD-ROM for
park wildlife interpreters. The kit provides interpreters with fact sheets and
presentation materials that investigate the links between climate change and changes
to habitat, ecosystems, wildlife, and our national parks. The partnership also
produced a climate change video that will provide park visitors with information
about climate change and its impacts on national parks. The kit, which was released
early in 2002, includes other outreach materials such as Park Service climate change
bookmarks.

• Reporter's Guide on Climate Change

http://www.nsc.org/ehc/guidebks/climtoc.htm

Supported by NOAA and DOE, the nonprofit National Safety Council's

Environmental Health Center (EHC) produced a second-edition guide for journalists
on climate change in 2000. Reporting on Climate Change: Understanding the Science
is part ofa series of reporter's guides designed to enhance public understanding of the
significant environmental health risks and challenges facing modem society. It is
based on the findings of the 1995 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
assessment report. The guide explains major global warming issues in detail, as well
as broader strategies for successful science"reporting, interaction with the scientific
community, and understanding scientific reporting methods. It also contains a
glossary and list ofpub1ic and private information sources and Web links.

CEQ 008509