State Climate Policy Tracker

• This interactive map of the United States displays detailed information about the climate policies in each state, the makeup of the governing bodies, emissions reductions targets, and sources of emissions. 
• A report of the data and information can be downloaded for use offline and there are links to cited sources and other resources for each topic. 

Positives

• The resource is well organized and easy to navigate.
• Students can deepen their understanding of climate policy in their home state and easily compare their state's progress to other states.
  

Additional Prerequisites

• When looking at the policies for an individual state, those in gray have not yet been passed in that state.
• The "Learn More About This Policy Area" link explains each policy area in detail and describes the specific policies that fall under that category.

Differentiation

• The U.S. gradient map and the state-specific emissions data can be used in middle and high school social studies classes to discuss the geographic differences in policies.
• The policy information for each state may be better suited for higher-level students as they will need to do some additional research using the links to understand each policy.
• This resource would make for a great jigsaw activity by dividing the class into seven groups and having each group become experts in one of the policy areas.
• Individuals or groups of students could select a specific policy from their state to analyze the effectiveness of and then present their findings to the class.
• Students could be challenged to identify a gap in their state's climate policies and to create a policy to address that gap. Students could draw on other states for inspiration or use ideas from the "Learn More About This Policy Area" link.
• Other related resources include this activity where students write their own climate policies and this interactive simulator where students explore the effectiveness of various climate policies.

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