Climate Change 2021: Summary for All

• This 16-page report explains climate change in a way that most people can understand, using illustrations, infographics, and graphs to help readers understand the content.
• It details how our climate has changed, how we know it is our actions that are to blame, and what is needed to stop it.
• The report summarizes the findings of the first part of the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report on climate change and was updated in 2022.

Positives

• This report is a fantastic tool for introducing students to the science of climate change.
• The report is intended for a general audience, answering complex questions like "How do we know climate change is happening?" by starting with an explanation of the greenhouse effect.
  
• The report discusses various topics, including climate models, extreme weather, and natural variability.

Additional Prerequisites

• It is important to note that this report only addresses how to limit climate change from a physical science perspective. The second and third reports address climate adaptation and other mitigation and emissions reduction efforts, respectively.
• The report can be downloaded and used offline.
  

Differentiation

• Since the report contains many of the basics of climate science, it may be helpful for students to have a copy to refer back to as they continue to learn about climate change.
• Although it is only a summary, this report still contains a lot of technical information. Therefore, have students read through the report in sections and then discuss it as a class.
• Younger students can read the report as a class, with additional support from the teacher or the use of vocabulary terms and a graphic organizer.
• As an extension, have more advanced students research and write about whether their government's climate change policies align with the findings presented in the report. 
• Have students watch this video to learn more about the IPCC before reading the paper.

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.